Djibouti's biggest mosque built by Turkey opens to public

Djibouti's biggest mosque Abdulhamid II was opened to the public on Friday and was inaugurated by Turkish and Djibouti officials.

The multi-purpose building, also housing a school, in the strategic eastern African country was built by Turkey's Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet in Turkey).

During the opening ceremony, Turkish Parliament Speaker Mustafa Sentop said the complex will serve to strengthen ties of "our religion, culture and brotherhood."

Sentop said while the mosque reflects Ottoman architecture, prayers are the ornament of the mosque.

He said the new complex is proof of warm relations between Djibouti and Turkey in recent years and both countries have left challenges behind.

"As Ummah, we are on the eve of rising. We are trying to revive our relations with each other in order to fulfil the necessity of our brotherhood again."

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the tiny country on the Horn of Africa in 2015 and met with the country's President Ismail Omar Guelleh. 

During the meeting, the construction of the Abdulhamid II Mosque was among many agreements.

Diyanet President Ali Erbas presented his gratitude to the people who made great efforts to build the complex.

Parliament speaker of Djibouti, Muhammed Ali Hamed, Prime Minister Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed, Minister of Islamic Affairs, Culture and Endowments of Djibouti Moumin Hassan Barreh and the Minister of Education Moustapha Mohamed Mahamoud also attended the ceremony.