President Dr Mohamed Muizzu laid the foundation stone yesterday to begin construction of the country’s largest mosque in Hulhumale’ to mark 900 Hijri years since the Maldives embraced Islam.
The mosque will accommodate approximately 10,000 worshippers at once. The foundation stone was laid by the President along with the Minister of Islamic Affairs and Endowments, Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed, Eng. Bandar Abdullah Alrajhi, Chief Executive Officer of Al Rajhi Company, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Yahya Hassan Alqahtani; and Managing Director of HDC Ali Zuhair.
Named Sultan Mohamed Bin Abdullah Grand Mosque and Islamic Civilisation Centre, the mosque honours Sultan Mohamed bin Abdullah, also known as “Dharumavantha Rasgefaanu”, who was king when the Maldives embraced Islam.
The decision to name the grand mosque after Dharumavantha Rasgefaanu was made in recognition of his efforts to embrace Islam during his reign and to spread the religion across the entire Maldives.
President Muizzu announced the project to build the mosque between Hulhumalé Phase 2 and 3 in his Presidential Address earlier this year.
An Islamic Civilisation Centre will also be established adjacent to the grand mosque, offering various Islamic facilities and services. The centre will feature exhibits detailing how Islam spread in the Maldives and will be open for tourists to visit.
The mosque is being built with financial assistance from Saudi Arabia’s Al Rajhi company, whose experts also designed the structure. The project is targeted for completion within two years.
Islamic Minister Dr Mohamed Shaheem stated that the grand mosque complex in Hulhumalé will also feature waqf structures, a commercial building, and parking, with revenue generated from the waqf property being dedicated to Islamic causes in the Maldives.
Facilities in the mosque include:
- Exhibition hall
- Educational, cultural, and community centre
- Prayer hall
- Imams’ and administrative offices
- Islamic library and cultural centre
- Quran music
- Multi-purpose community centre
- Visitors area
- Islamic bookshop and gift shop
Speaking at the foundation-laying ceremony, Minister Shaheem stated that building such a large mosque in Hulhumalé was a vision originally conceived 20 years ago, which was initially planned for the area where Central Park is located today. However, he noted that the vision could not be realised at the time. Minister Shaheem noted that Housing Development Corporation (HDC) played a vital role in turning this vision into a reality.
“This will become a vital Islamic project established for the future of the Maldives,” Minister Shaheem said.
The Islamic Centre in Malé, built 41 years ago during the presidency of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, is currently one of the largest Islamic structures in the Maldives, with a capacity to accommodate 4,500 worshippers at once.
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