A look at some of Africa's largest Mosque

This is a list of mosques, or more specifically, the largest mosques in Africa. Aside from mosques being a place where Muslims worship, they are also quite beautiful and awe-inspiring.

With great architecture and positioning, many tourists and travellers are quite drawn to these mosques because of its beauty and resplendence. Here are some of the largest mosques in Africa whose history often date back to prehistoric times, these mosques aren’t mere buildings but they hold much more value and relevance.

The Hassan II Mosque or Grande Mosquée Hassan II

Nicknamed "Casablanca Hajj" because of its location in Casablanca, Morocco. It is the largest mosque in Morocco and Africa and the 7th largest in the world. Morocco has been home to this 970,000sq ft mosque and Its minaret is the world's tallest at 210 metres (689 ft). Completed in 1993, it was designed by Michel Pinseau and built by Bouygues. The minaret is 60 stories high topped by a laser, the light from which is directed towards Mecca. With the tallest minaret, it looks out onto the Atlantic Ocean, the sea bed being visible through the glass floor of the building's hall. The walls are of hand-crafted marble and the roof is retractable. A maximum of 105,000 worshippers can gather together for prayer: 25,000 inside the mosque hall and another 80,000 on the mosque's outside grounds.

Al-Azhar Mosque, Cairo

Built in the prehistoric times, this mosque covers about 85,000 sq ft. Its name translates to mean ‘the mosque of the most resplendent’, this is reminiscent of its beauty and splendour. With a capacity of up to 20,000 people, this is definitely one of the largest of its type on the African continent. It continues to stand as symbolic of Islamic Cairo.

Conakry Grand Mosque

Built in 1982, this grand mosque definitely lives up to its name. It is regarded to as the 4th largest mosque in Africa and the largest in Sub-Saharan Africa. Within its walls and premises, the mosque could accommodate more 20,000 worshipers. The mosque also incorporates a Camayanne Mausoleum which houses some prominent citizens like Samure Ture and Sékou Turé amongst others.

Emir Abdelkader Mosque, Constantine

Since 1994, Algeria has been home to this historic mosque. Its architectural style is pristine in execution. Not only is it breathtaking from the outside, the interior could make a believer out of an atheist. It could accommodate up to 15,000 worshipers.

Ghaddafi National Mosque, Kampala

Relatively new in comparison to the others, this religious edifice located on the Kampala Hill was completed in 2006. In fact, it was commissioned by the deceased but legendary Libyan president Muammar Ghaddafi as a gift to the Ugandan country and also one to advance the cause of the muslim population. It is now referred to as the Ugandan National Mosque.

Juma Masjid Mosque, Durban

Dating back to 1881, it was the first of kind to be built in Durban. With its eight minarets, this mosque is capable of accommodating up to 6,000 worshipers. It is renowned as the oldest and largest in the Southern Hemisphere.