Egypt to open world’s biggest mosque in new capital early 2019

Egypt plans to open one of the world’s mosques in the new capital by early 2019, state-run owner and developer Administrative Capital for Urban Development (ACUD) said on Saturday.

The mosque, named El Fattah El Aleem Grand Mosque, is one the major giant facilities in Egypt, built on a space of 59 feddans. It was fully built by Egyptian construction firm Arab Contractors in 22 months, under the supervision of Engineering Authority for the Armed Forces, ACUD said in a statement.

El Fattah El Aleem Mosque will accommodate12,000 prayers; a basement comprising the men praying area, women praying area, and two ablutions for men and the same for women, besides a Heavenly Messages Museum, Quraan Memorization House, a medical care unit, and a ground floor.

The new capital project is located 45km (28 miles) east of Cairo of on a total area of 170,000 feddans.

The under-construction new capital city is part of the Egyptian government’s plan to expand urban areas to deal with the state’s rapid population growth and improve the nation’s infrastructure.

The new city is set to be a 270-square-mile hub with 21 residential districts to accommodate five million people. It will feature 1,250 mosques and churches as well as 5,000-seat conference centre, nearly 2,000 schools and colleges, over 600 medical facilities, and a park that is projected to be the world’s largest.

ACUD’s shareholders comprise of Egyptian government’s New Urban Communities Authority (NUCA), National Service Products Organization (NSPO), and Armed Forces National Lands Projects Agency.