Uganda National Mosque

East Africa's largest mosque, with panoramic views from the minaret

The Uganda National Mosque stands on Old Kampala Hill, visible from much of the city, and is the largest mosque in East Africa. It can hold up to 15,000 worshippers in the main prayer hall and courtyard. Non-Muslims are welcome outside prayer times, and a guide will take you up the minaret for sweeping views over the city — one of the best vantage points in Kampala, looking out across the seven hills and the distant shimmer of Lake Victoria.

The interior is impressive: Italian marble floors, Turkish chandeliers, and a central dome 37 metres high. The architecture draws on Ottoman and North African influences, a reminder of the mosque's Libyan funding. Allow an hour; modest dress required, and remove your shoes at the entrance.

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A story
The mosque was funded by Muammar Gaddafi and completed in 2007 on the same hill where Idi Amin had intended to build it decades earlier. Amin, a devout Muslim, laid the foundation stone but was overthrown before construction could begin. For a long time Ugandans called it the Gaddafi Mosque, and many still do — despite official attempts to retire the name after the Libyan leader's fall.