The President’s Office has revealed the King Salman Mosque in Male’ will be opened to the public for prayers ahead of the holy month of Ramadan.
The President’s Office made the statement in response to questions regarding the extensive delays in opening the mosque despite construction being completed. The President’s Office said the King Salman Mosque will be ready for prayer congregations ahead of Ramadan.
The King Salman Mosque is a donation for the Maldives by King of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Saud. The mosque was designed and constructed by Turkish contractor Alke-Turmaks. The mosque is designed to accommodate 4,000 worshippers at once and showcases Islamic culture and heritage.
The mosque is built to six-stories, with the ground floor dedicated for ablution and the first and second floors dedicated for prayer congregations. The third floor includes 4 classrooms, 5 seminar rooms, an Islamic library and an administrative office, while the fourth floor includes an auditorium for seminars and conferences. The fifth floor is being developed as a multi-purpose hall that can be utilised for religious sermons as well as prayers.
The government had initially planned to open the mosque ahead of Ramadan last year. However, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs later revealed the mosque could not be opened at the scheduled date due to complications of the COVID-19 pandemic.