After finalising the plan to visit Malaysia, I decided to visit as many mosques I could visit in the country. I made a list of those mosques and marked them on the map.
During my month-long trip, I visited different mosques and temples in Kuala Lumpur, Malacca, and Penang. Although I had thought of covering most part of the country initially, it didn’t work out — just as most of my plans don’t.
There are many mosques I wish I could go to but could not. I had planned to write an article about all those beautiful mosques spread across the country but things didn’t go as expected.
Nevertheless, I still managed to visit some of those mosques I had thought of visiting. In this article, I want to present a list of some of the most beautiful mosques I visited in Malaysia.
National Mosque of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur
Finished in 1965, National Mosque of Malaysia known locally as Masjid Negara has the capacity of accommodating 15,000 worshippers. The mosque features a 16-pointed star concrete main roof. The design of the roof was inspired by the idea of an open umbrella. It used to feature a pink concrete roof, which, after undergoing renovations in 1987, was changed to the current blue and green tiled roof.
When I was in Malaysia during Ramadan, I used to visit the National Mosque in the evening where we used to follow the Iftaar ceremony.
Masjid Jamek (Sultan Abdul Samad Jamek Mosque), Kuala Lumpur
Built in 1907 and opened in 1909 by the Sultan of Selangor, Masjid Jamek is one of the oldest mosques of Kuala Lumpur. The mosque is located at the confluence of Klang and Gombak rivers — at a location which used to be an old Malay burial place.
Masjid Jamek served as the central mosque of Malaysia until the National Mosque was built in 1965. A beautiful combination of Moorish and Mogul architecture, Masjid Jamek was designed by Arthur Benison Hubbak who also designed several important buildings in British Malaya.
Masjid Jamek Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur
Surrounded by those modern buildings of Kuala Lumpur is Kampung Baru which has been untouched by the rapid growth of the city. Founded in 1899, Kampung Baru (which means “new village”) is a Malay enclave in central Kuala Lumpur where residents have kept the Malay traditions alive in their purest form for decades.
The Jamek mosque of Kampung Baru was recently refurbished and features Malay and Mughal architectural styles. The mosque is known among locals for its distribution of Bubur Lambuk (a local delicacy) during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
Saidina Abu Bakar As Siddiq Mosque, Kuala Lumpur
Located in the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur in Bangsar residential suburb, Masjid Abu Bakr As-Siddiq was named after Prophet Muhammad’s successor (Caliph) Abu Bakr.
The development of the mosque began in 1979 and finished in 1982. It has a capacity of accommodating around 4,000 worshippers and it features traditional Malay architecture.
The minaret is 43.3 meters tall while its beautiful dome is 16.6 meters wide and 24 meters high from the floor.
The architectural designs of Saidina Abu Bakar As Siddiq Mosque have influenced the design of Maldives National Mosque as well as other mosques in Kuala Lumpur itself.
Melaka Straits Mosque, Malacca
Located on the man-made Melaka Island, Melaka Straits Mosque is a wonderful example of Middle Eastern and Malay architectural styles.
The mosque, locally known as Masjid Selat Melaka was opened for public in 2006. Its facade is decorated with stained glass windows with Islamic motifs while its minarets feature a modern design.
Although most projects on Melaka Island are still under development, Melaka Straits Mosque is definitely a reason to take a drive to this man-made island.
Masjid Kampung Kling, Malacca
Built in the late 1740s, the original wooden structure of Masjid Kampung Kling was built by Indian Muslim traders. In 1872, the mosque was rebuilt with bricks. Located in Jalan Tukanng Emas – also knows as the Harmony Street, Kampung Kling mosque features traditional Malay architecture with a mixture of Sumatran, Chinese, and Hindu architectural styles.
After restoration efforts by the Department of Museum and Antiquity in 1999, Masjid Kampung Kling was declared a historical monument.
Masjid Al-Azim, Malacca
Built between 1984 and 1990 in a combination of Javanese and Chinese architectural styles, Al-Azim Mosque was officiated by the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong (the King) Sultan Azlan Shah of Perak in July 1990.
Al-Azim Mosque features a green, temple-style design and pyramidal roof structures along with large windows for optimal use of natural light. The pentagon-shaped, 188-feet-tall minaret of this mosque symbolises the five tenets of Islam. After its completion, Al-Azim mosque was awarded the state mosque title, replacing the Tranquerah Mosque.
Qaryah Masjid Jamek, Penang
Located in Lebuh Leith (Leith Street), the Qaryah Masjid Jamek in its present form was built to serve the Bengali community that migrated to Penang in the late 19th century. A mosque was already present at the site since 1803 after the British East India Company granted the land to the sepoys who arrived to serve the British military.
The mosque is a combination of Islamic and international architectural styles that features metal-framed green-paned windows.
Tanjung Bungah Floating Mosque
The Tanjung Bungah Floating Mosque was constructed between 2005 and 2007 to replace the old mosque nearby. Spread across an area of 1295 sq meters, the mosque features a striking Moorish design. The site provides a 360-degree panoramic view of the sea.
Tanjung Bungah Floating Mosque has the capacity of 1,500 worshippers. Although referred to as being a floating building, the mosque sits on pilings and stilts. Nevertheless, Tanjung Bungah Mosque was the first mosque in Malaysia to be built on the sea.
Some of the Most Beautiful Mosques of Malaysia: Summary
Although I had aimed to travel across most of Malaysia, things didn’t go as planned. I spent my time in Kuala Lumpur, Malacca, and Penang.
During this time, I visited all those mosques I could visit. There were much prettier mosques I couldn’t visit — like Wilayah Mosque, Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Mosque, Masjid Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin, Putra Mosque to name a few. Maybe next time.
That’s all, folks. This was a list of some of the most beautiful mosques I visited in Malaysia. Have you been to these or other mosques in the country? Which ones do you think are the prettiest?