Along the Bay of Algiers in the northern coast of Algeria, there lies the construction of the world’s largest minaret. It is built with the Djamaa El Djazair mosque.
In case the word ‘minaret’ is foreign to you, it is a tall, thin building, like a tower, which is Islamic religious architecture in nature. It is from which the faithful are called to prayer five times a day by a muezzin, or crier. The minaret is always connected with a mosque and has one or more balconies or open galleries.
The world’s tallest minaret, once erected, will stand 265 meters. It will be part of a complex of buildings, including a koranic school, a library and a museum, and terraces and gardens.
Photo via krebs+kiefer
Such location is accessible by car, tram, or boat, which will be connected to a marina on the Mediterranean by two panoramic walkways. There will also be a 20,000 square-meter prayer hall which can fit 120,000 people.
The Djamaa El Djazair mosque, or the Bouteflika Mosque, is considered as a buffer against radical Islam and crown the legacy of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.
“Some have accused us of building a temple for the extremists,” said Ahmed Madani, an adviser to the minister of housing responsible for the construction.
“On the contrary, it will be a heavy blow for the extremists. They are the ones hostile to this project,” said Madani.
Photo via Skyscraper City
Also according to him, the new mosque “will not only serve as a house of worship. It will be a place where links between faith and culture will be reinforced thanks to its ultra-modern library and the Koranic school which will be open to some 300 students.”
The mosque was designed by German architects with construction shouldered by the China State Construction Engineering Corporation. Its cost is overwhelming for most – estimated at $1 billion to 1.5 billion – which some arguing that it should have been spent to build hospitals and improve health care.
Construction started in 2012 with completion in the end of 2017. The project was delayed several times.
Sources: The Guardian | BBC
