On September 27, 2026, Dr. Osama Al-Azehri, Egypt's Minister of Endowments, and Hanen Magdi, Governor of New Valley, officially opened five mosques in the governorate. The mosques that were opened include the Omar Ibn Abd al-Aziz Mosque in the village of Al-Manira, the Sabt Al-Kabir Mosque in the Sabt neighborhood of Al-Kharga City, and three more mosques in the Al-Dakhla and Baris centers via video conference.
The three mosques that were opened via video conference are the Omar Ibn Al-Khattab Mosque in Al-Rashida village, Al-Dakhla center, the Barabaya Al-Gharbiya Mosque in Azab Al-Qasr village, Al-Dakhla center, and the Al-Faruq Mosque in the third village of Al-Arbaeen, Baris center. These mosques were built on a total area of 513m², 827m², and 400m², with costs of EGP 5 million, EGP 12 million, and EGP 2.5 million, respectively.
The Omar Ibn Abd al-Aziz Mosque in Al-Manira village was built on an area of 380m² with a total cost of EGP 4.4 million. It features a mosque hall, a women's prayer hall, a Quran memorization office, a courtyard, and restrooms. Dr. Al-Azehri praised the efforts of the local community in building the mosque within just five months, expressing his gratitude and wishing them well.
During the opening ceremony, Dr. Al-Azehri stated that the Ministry of Endowments is cooperating with the New Valley Governorate to serve its people and support the construction of mosques. He also mentioned that the eco-friendly mosque model, which was previously implemented in Halaib and Burenis cities in the Red Sea Governorate, is being extended to the New Valley Governorate.
Dr. Al-Azehri and Governor Hanen Magdi then laid the foundation stone for the first of five eco-friendly mosques to be built in the governorate. The mosques will be constructed by the Engineering Corps of the Egyptian Armed Forces at a cost of EGP 5 million each and are expected to be completed within five months.
Governor Hanen Magdi welcomed Dr. Al-Azehri to the New Valley Governorate, expressing her gratitude for his participation in the governorate's national day celebrations. She also thanked President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and the Engineering Corps of the Egyptian Armed Forces for their support in building the eco-friendly mosques.
The final mosque to be opened was the Sabt Al-Kabir Mosque in the Sabt neighborhood of Al-Kharga City, which was built at a cost of EGP 2.47 million. The mosque features a hall, a library, restrooms, and a women's prayer hall on the upper floor. Dr. Al-Azehri congratulated the residents of the neighborhood on the opening of the mosque, emphasizing its role in serving the community.
Key points
- The Egyptian government is investing in infrastructure development, including the construction of mosques.
- Five new eco-friendly mosques will be built in the New Valley Governorate.
- The mosques were built to serve the local community and promote social cohesion.
