My favourite mosque visited in the world is the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. This will never be topped, such was its magnificence, especially at night.

The so called Gaddafi Mosque in Uganda’s capital however was also very special.

The construction of the mosque began in 1972 by Idi Amin and was initially called the Old Kampala National Mosque.

Construction halted in 1976 during a period of heightened political instability, and in 1979, after Amin was deposed, it seemed like the mosque may not be completed.

But in 2001, Gaddafi expressed willingness to help complete it as a gift to Islamic faith in Uganda, a religion that continues to grow in the country but remains the third most popular behind the Catholic & Anglican faiths.

The completed mosque was opened officially in June 2007, building up from the earlier works. Our guide claimed that the vast complex, which holds up to 15,000 in its main hall (men only) and a further 1,100 in the gallery (reserved for women), took only a year to complete, aided by an army of Libyan workers.

I climbed the mosque’s 50.5-metre (166 ft) minaret containing 272 stairs to reach the top. Tiring and vertigo inducing but worth it for the spectacular views of the entire city.