Morocco Invests 1.3 Billion Dirhams in Mosque Construction and Maintenance

An official document outlines the balance sheet of achievements in 2018 for the benefit of mosques. In detail, the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs devoted more than 294 million dirhams to the management and maintenance of mosques.

A fund estimated at 996 million dirhams was used for the construction, restoration, equipment and upgrading of these places of worship.

In total, 14 new places of worship were built last year. 24 others are under construction, for an investment of more than 513 million dirhams, the same source specifies.

Similarly, the Ministry has launched studies for the construction of about twenty other mosques, with an investment of around 149 million dirhams.

Also in 2018, five mosques were restored as part of the implementation of the Historic Mosques Preservation Program. Other restoration operations are ongoing at the level of 25 other places of worship.

From 2005 to 2018, 57 buildings have been completely restored, according to the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs. 25 others are still under construction while 24 historic mosques are being studied before the launch of restoration operations.

Some 902 mosques have been upgraded and opened to worshippers, while 467 others are in the process of being upgraded with a budget of 966 million dirhams, as part of the mosque upgrading program. In total, 2,987 places of worship have been closed since 2010.