Construction of a grand mosque with world’s tallest minaret in Algerian capital Casablanca is nearing completion.
The mosque that being constructed by Chinese state-owned contractor, China State Construction Engineering Corporation, will be the largest in the world said Religious Affairs Minister Bouabdallah Ghlamallah in 2012.
The Djamaa El Djazair, as it is being called is located in the al-Mohammadiya area of Algiers and extends to an area of 200,000 square meters.
The 265-meter-high minaret of the Great Mosque of Algiers, can be seen from all places in Algiers. It is the highest minaret in the world, and stands as a symbol of Muslim Algeria.
“By the end of the year, you will notice from the outside that all work will be accomplished,” said project manager Wang Liangxue, adding that “for the sake of meeting deadlines, the workers have been subjected to an accelerated pace”.
Upon completion, the mosque will be the largest in Africa and the third largest in the world.
Initially, the cost of the mosque project was estimated at $900 million but, as of today, $2.2 billion has already been spent on it.
The mosque can simultaneously host up to 120,000 people. The area of the prayer halls alone will be about 215,000 square feet. The Great Mosque will also have a library, a conference center, a house of Quran, a museum and a research center.