The Uganda National Mosque aka Gaddafi Mosque is a mosque located at Kampala Hill in the Old Kampala area of Kampala, Uganda. It is the largest mosque in East Africa[1] in a country where, as of 2014, 13.7% of the population is Muslim.[2] Completed in 2006, it seats up to 15,000 worshipers and can hold another 1,100 in the gallery, while the terrace will cater for another 3,500. Colonel Muammar Gaddafi of Libya commissioned the mosque as a gift to Uganda, and for the benefit of the Muslim population. Uganda has many mosques but this one is a skyscraper mosque.[3]
History
The construction of the mosque began in 1972 by Idi Amin and was initially called the Old Kampala National Mosque. Construction halted in 1976 during a period of heighten political instability, and in 1979,after Amin was deposed, it seemed like the mosque's fate had been sealed but in 2001, Gaddafi expressed a willingness to help complete it as a gift to Islamic faith in Uganda.[1]
The completed mosque was opened officially in June 2007 under the name Gaddafi National Mosque, and housed the head offices of the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council.[4] It was renamed "Uganda National Mosque" in 2013 following the death of Colonel Gaddafi as the new Libyan administration was "reluctant to rehabilitate the mosque under the old name."[5]
The mosque's minaret contains 272 stairs to reach the top.[6]
Gallery
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See also
- Gaddafi Mosque, Dodoma, Tanzania
References
- ^ a b "Gaddafi Mosque - Uganda Muslim Supreme Council | Kampala City Tour". Achieve Global Safaris. 2019-09-28. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
- ^ "Uganda". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
- ^ New Mosque Redraws Kampala's Skyline UGPulse.com, August 24, 2006
- ^ "Uganda People News: Kayongo free to enter Gaddafi Mosque-Mubajje". Ultimate Media Consult. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
- ^ Old Kampala mosque drops Gaddafi name, The Observer
- ^ "Kampala, Uganda: A mosque atop the city". Christian Science Monitor. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
External links
- Gaddafi National Mosque on YouTube
- Gaddafi National Mosque, Uganda Museum.
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