Congregational prayers commence at King Salman Mosque on full house

Congregational prayers have commenced at Saudi-funded King Salman Mosque today, on a full house.

The first congregational prayer at the mosque was held this afternoon, for the Friday Prayer, which was attended by thousands of people. The prayer was led by Sheikh Ilyas Hussain.

However, the mosque had reached full capacity ahead of the Friday sermon – subsequently, many worshippers who had arrived had to leave.

The King Salman Mosque is the largest in the Maldives. Around 4,000 worshippers can be accommodated on the first and second floors of the mosque. The third floor is comprised of four classrooms and five seminar rooms. The fourth contains a library and an auditorium able to accommodate 350 people. The fifth floor is a multi-purpose hall, able to accommodate 300 people. The mosque is equipped with elevators as well.

Although the mosque was completed during former President Yameen Abdul Gayyoom’s administration – the official inauguration of King Salman Mosque has been delayed multiple times for various reasons despite efforts by the government.

Originally, it was to be inaugurated in March 2020 – however, was delayed in light of the COVID-19 situation.

A second effort was made for last year’s Ramadan – however, was delayed once again over the non-installation of all required facilities.

King Salman Mosque was built by the Turkish company, Turmaks.

A total of USD 25 million was spent on the construction of the mosque. Out of this amount, USD 14.5 million was provided by the Saudi government. The remaining amount was funded by the Maldivian government.