The mosque of Bouteflika considered a monument to megalomania in Algeria

The Algerian Abdelaziz Bouteflika may have left, but his grand unfinished mosque in Algiers appears as a symbol of his twenty-year reign and, for many, his megalomania.

Built with the vast oil wealth of the country, the monument on the bay of Algiers will be the third largest mosque in the world and the largest in Africa, also housing the highest minaret ever seen at 265 meters.

Kader, a resident of the capital, examined his car's impressive structure and acknowledged that "it's true that it's beautiful".

"But for me, that means nothing, this mosque," he added. "It's just a pile of rocks."

The majestic white building, known locally as Djamaa El-Djazair, extends over 20 hectares and its silhouette can be seen from all over the capital region.

But there are few defenders among the people of Algiers, where many see it as a vanity project of the fallen leader, 82 years old, and a huge waste of public funds.

The initial estimated cost of 1.2 billion euros (1.3 billion dollars) is long overdue and the construction, launched by a Chinese company in 2012, is more than three years late.

Shortage of hospitals

"There are mosques every 500 meters in this country, we did not need them," said Zhora, an exasperated 68-year-old woman.

Algeria, the largest country in Africa, has more than 20,000 mosques.

One of them, a small immaculate neighborhood mosque, is located about 100 meters behind the sumptuous structure in a residential area where laundry dries on the balconies of buildings dotted with satellite dishes.

A 70-year-old man sitting on the sidewalk said he saw the impressive dome grow day by day from his window.

"It's true, it's a masterpiece, but … what we need are hospitals," he said.

Algeria, with 40 million inhabitants, is slightly better than Morocco in terms of per capita hospital beds and slightly less well than Tunisia, according to WHO.

In 2015, the National Agency for Health Facilities noted that Algerian university hospitals date back to the colonial era and are "for the most part 100 years old".

Unions of health workers regularly denounce the lack of medical staff and equipment in public hospitals.

"I have nothing against this mosque, but these billions could have been used to improve a health system that really needs it," said Imene, a 26-year-old doctor.

On social networks, petitions have been launched to transform the Grand Mosque into "Algeria's largest hospital".

& # 39; They are thieves & # 39;

With a capacity of 120,000 faithful, the Great Mosque of Algiers will be the third largest in the world, after those of Mecca and Medina, the two most sacred sites of Islam, in Saudi Arabia.

In addition to a 20,000 square meter (215,280 square feet) prayer hall, it will include a Koranic school, a library, a cultural center and extensive gardens.

For many Algerians, it symbolizes the misguided vision of a leader who desperately clings to power despite his age and his illness and his sponsors.

"This mosque just shows that they are all thieves," said Fella, 52, who has been actively participating in the protest movement against the "system" since its launch on Feb. 22.

She added that Bouteflika "wanted to compete" with his regional rivals by eclipsing the Moroccan mosque Hbadan II in Casablanca and the Tunisian mosque built by another deposed autocrat, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

In Algiers, the police are still monitoring the site, which until now has only been accessible to workers.

"Bouteflika wanted his mosque, that's all, this mosque is his mark," said Mourad, a 47-year-old resident.

"The worst is that we can not even get in," he added.

A few blocks away, Radia, a 42-year-old shopkeeper, commented on Bouteflika's unfinished dream, rarely seen in public following a stroke in 2013, that had affected his speech and l & # 39; He had left in a wheelchair.

"Bouteflika has made this great mosque for himself, and now he will not even be able to go and pray there," she said.