Algeria has finally inaugurated the world’s third-largest mosque and Africa’s largest, ahead of the holy month of Ramadan, according to Al Jazeera.
Due to political upheaval in the country, the mosque’s inauguration took many days. Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune solemnly opened the Grand Mosque in Algiers on Monday.
Djamaa El-Djazair, as the locals call it, can accommodate up to 120,000 worshippers at once. It has the world’s highest minaret, standing 265 meters (869 ft) tall. The only mosques larger than it are found in Madina and Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
After seven years of development, a massive modernist edifice spanning around 70 acres was built, featuring marble and wood elements along with Arabic and North African architectural elements.
It even boasts a library that can hold a million volumes and a helipad. A Chinese contractor erected the gigantic tower, which is said to have cost approximately $900 million.
