Construction commences on Maldives mosque donated by Kingdom

RIYADH: The construction of the $24.95 million ($6.65 million) King Salman Abdul Aziz Mosque, which is a donation from Saudi Arabia, started in the Maldives on Thursday, according to Maldives Ambassador to the Kingdom Abdullah Hameed.
Hameed said that Minister of Housing and Infrastructure of Maldives Dr. Mohamed Muizz announced on his Twitter account that the mosque “is a symbol of the strong relations between the two countries.”
“When it’s finished, the King Salman Abdul Aziz Mosque will be the biggest in the island republic of 444,259 people,” Hameed told Arab News on Friday.
Hameed said that the 41,500-square-foot mosque will have six floors, four lifts and 44,100 sq. feet of parking space. The mosque will include multi-purpose halls, an international library, and classrooms.
To illustrate how big the mosque is, Hameed said that it could accommodate 6,000 people praying at the same time.
Hameed added that the government of Maldives and its citizens are grateful to King Salman because the mosque is a personal gift from him, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and the Saudi people for the brotherly relationship between the two countries.
“Such a relationship is not only reflected by the donation of the mosque, which was agreed on last year, but also with the Kingdom’s involvement in the socio-economic development of Maldives,” he said.