Africa’s largest mosque inaugurated in Algeria after years of delays

Prayer room of Great Mosque of Algiers, beset by political wrangling and cost overruns, accommodates 120,000 people

Algeria has inaugurated a gigantic mosque on its Mediterranean coastline after years of political upheaval transformed the project from a symbol of state-sponsored strength and religiosity to one of delays and cost overruns.

Built by a Chinese construction firm throughout the 2010s, the Great Mosque of Algiers features the world’s tallest minaret, measuring 265 metres (869ft).

The third-largest mosque in the world, the biggest in Africa, and largest outside Islam’s holiest cities, its prayer room accommodates 120,000 people. Its modernist design contains Arab and north African flourishes to honour Algerian tradition and culture, as well as a helicopter landing pad and a library that can house up to 1m books.