Islam - Traveling Thru History

Putra Mosque

Erin — Tue, 25 Jun 2019 08:39:40 +0000

Putra Mosque is an beautiful rose-tinted granite modern mosque in Putrajaya that boasts Middle Eastern, Persian, and Malay architectural styles.

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The Taj Mahal

Erin — Mon, 27 May 2019 04:35:28 +0000

The Taj Mahal is one of the most famous monuments of history and is considered a Wonder of the World. Come learn the history of what makes this mausoleum so special. #TBIN

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Top Historic Sites in Europe, Part 3

Erin — Tue, 26 Dec 2017 14:00:32 +0000

Welcome to Part 3 of my Top Historic Sites in Europe series! I’m glad you came back to check out some more fantastic sites. So far we’ve done the top historic sites from 20 countries in Parts 1 and 2 and today you’ll get to see 10 more in Part 3! I have really loved learning more about these countries along with the significance of some of their historic sites and I’m so excited to share this with you. With a recorded history going back over 37,000 years, there are just way too many fascinating places to see them all. That’s why I’ve partnered with other travel bloggers to find out which sites are of the most historic and significant importance for each of these countries. I hope you’ll enjoy what we’ve put together today. Belgium – Bruges Market Square and Belfry Bruges (or Brugge) is deservedly one of the most popular cities to visit in Belgium. The city experienced its golden age during the late medieval period, between the 12th and 15th centuries, during which time Bruges was one of the busiest ports in the world. However, when the river channel leading into Bruges began to fill with silt, the city gradually lost its importance, along with much of its population. Soon, all that was left of the city that was once Belgium’s crown jewel were its beautiful medieval buildings. It was these historic buildings that first attracted tourists in the late 19th century, and brought new life back to the city. At the heart of Bruges lie multiple squares, home to the most important buildings of the city, with the largest square being the Markt, or Market Square. Regular markets have been held in this square since the 10th century and are still held to this day. Surrounding the square are impressive guild houses, including the Provincial Palace, the Cloth Hall and towering above all, the Belfry. The Belfry of Bruges is one of the most famous sites in Belgium. Belfries were a type of medieval bell tower used throughout the region of Flanders and the neighboring Duchy of Burgundy in France. Along with tolling the hours and half hours, they also served as a source of civic pride to the cities and towns, separate from the landmarks built by the church and feudal lords. Along with being an important bell tower, the Belfry of Bruges housed the city’s treasury and archives and was used as a watch tower to keep an eye out for fires and other dangers. The Belfry in Bruges dates back to the mid 13th century. It was first built in 1240, but was heavily damaged by a fire in 1280, after which it was rebuilt. Unfortunately, the archives house inside the belfry were destroyed during that same fire. The belfry has stayed mostly the same since it was rebuilt in 1280. An octagonal top was added in the late 1400s along with a wooden spire holding an image of St. Michael holding a banner while standing atop a dragon, this addition was struck by lightning in 1493, which resulted in the destruction of the octagonal top and the belfry’s bells. Another wooden spire was added shortly thereafter, but it, too, was destroyed by fire in 1741. It wasn’t until 1822 that the Gothic stone parapet was added to the top, which has stood, undamaged, ever since. When you visit Market Square, it’s possible to climb to the top of the Belfry of Bruges and take in a magnificent panoramic view of the city. Halfway up you’ll reach the Treasury, which is where the city’s charters, seal and public funds were kept during the Medieval period. And, at the very top, is the chamber for the bells – all 47 of them! Even if you don’t climb the tower, the market square is one of the best places in Bruges to dine out any time of the day, or just settle for a drink, with the square these days lined with restaurants. Or just stop by one of the many gelato shops and relax by the fountain, taking in the beautiful surroundings. Shandos Cleaver is the founder and blogger-in-chief of Travelnuity, a travel blog focused on dog-friendly travel around the world. She’s currently travelling around Europe with her Miniature Dachshund, Schnitzel, and shares about their adventures on Facebook. Belarus – Mir Castle Mir Castle is one of the most renowned fortifications in Belarus. Construction on what would eventually become Mir Castle took place during the early 1400s in an area which was then called the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. This private estate remained in the Gedyegoldovish family for roughly 60 years before it fell into the hands of Duke Yury Ilinich. Due to political ambitions and regional hostilities, Duke Ilinich decided to build a fortress castle in what is now called the Belarusian Gothic style. The way Mir Castle was built is unique. The five 25-foot high towers of the castle were planned as independent centers of resistance that were capable of supporting adjacent towers. Each tower was designed so that the towers next to it could deliver flanking fire to increase defensive capabilities. One construction aspect of note is that the tower walls were designed with three layers: the two outside layers are made of brick and stone while the middle layer is made up of small stones and broken bricks. Unfortunately, neither Duke Ilinich nor any member of his family ever saw the completion of Mir Castle. Within 40 years, the entire Ilinich family was gone. Duke Ilinich’s grandson left the Mir Estate to his cousin, Prince Mikolaj Krzysztof Radziwill, in whose family the estate remained for the next three centuries. Prince Radziwill finished construction of Mir Castle by adding two three-story living quarters to the northern and eastern walls of the castle and rebuilt three of the towers. He also added a fortified gate to the entrance. Over the centuries, Mir Castle has gone through multiple periods of grandeur and decay, as well as surviving many conflicts. Several restorations have been done over the years, but it wasn’t until 1922 that a full-scale extensive restoration was undertaken, which took 16 years. Sadly, Mir Castle was taken by the Germans during WWII and used as a ghetto for roughly 800 Jews who lived nearby. After Belarus was liberated by the Allies in July 1944, Mir Castle was used as a refuge for the hundreds of Mir residents whose homes had been destroyed during the war. The last of the families staying in the castle left in 1962 and it once again fell into disrepair. In 1983, another extensive restoration was done on Mir Castle and it was opened to the public on December 16, 2010. Nowadays, Mir Castle is a living museum of history as well as a venue for cultural festivals and events. Mir Castle was one of the highlights of my visit to Belarus. It has a nice lake and park on its territory, which are the most enjoyable during warm months. The entrance to the territory, parks, lake is free. To visit museums inside the castle, you need to get a ticket. One day per month (last Wednesday of the month, as a rule) there is a free entry for everyone. Budget traveler, Eastern European, living with local people in India to explore the country from a different angle! Beyond traveling, Natalia is an events & marketing specialist by day and a blogger at My Trip Hack. Twitter: https://twitter.com/mytriphack Albania – Ruins of Apollonia and the Church of St. Mary Apollonia was founded in 588 BC by Greek colonists and named after the god Apollo (not very original as there were 23 other Apollonias along the Mediterranean coast). This Apollonia was the biggest and most important of them all, with a population of 60,000, a record in ancient times. Over the next 800 years, it became a major port for slaves, agriculture, pottery and asphalt. Due to the slave trade, Apollonia rose to become an important city-state: the city minting its own coins and, in 229 BC, became a Roman Protectorate. Apollonia supported Julius Caesar during the Roman Civil War of the 1st century and was rewarded with the title of “Free City,” meaning it didn’t pay tax to Rome. Under Roman rule, Apollonia also became a major centre of learning. Julius Caesar even sent his nephew Octavius, the future Emperor Augustus, to study here. Unfortunately, an earthquake in the third century changed everything for Apollina. Due to the changed landscape from the earthquake, the course of the Vjosa river changed, causing the harbour to silt up and prevent vessels from entering. This resulted in a major downturn in trade and started the slow decline Apollonia’s importance. Over time, the silted river became a mosquito-ridden swampland, increasing the frequency of malaria outbreaks. Added to this, the social structure of the city was failing and the Goths were invading the region. Apollonia was no longer a pleasant place to live and, by 800 AD, the city was largely abandoned. During the 9th century, after most residents had left the city, the monastery of St Mary was built by the small group of Christians who remained. in the ruins of the city and was rebuilt in the 14th century. During communist times, religion was banned, so the monastery was used to house livestock and supplies. Since the fall of communism, the Church of St. Mary was returned to its original use and the former monastery buildings were modified to house a small museum and cafe. With its ancient architecture and dim candle lit rooms, St. Mary’s is once again a place of peace. These days Apollonia attracts not only tourists but also newlyweds who want to get their photos taken amongst the ruins. Around the site are the remains of public buildings, temples, theatres, fountains, villas and the old city walls. If you’re looking for things to do in Albania and are interested in Ancient Greece then a day trip to Apollonia is a must. Ron and Michele are Australians who have decided to live life with less things and have more experiences. Their blog, Legging It Travel, covers their travel experiences across more than 30 countries, which they share on their Facebook page. Croatia – Diocletian’s Palace Diocletian’s Palace is one of the few UNESCO Heritage Sites with residents who live, work, and play inside the palace walls. If you’ve ever wanted to experience living in history, staying in this modern community allows you to soak up the site’s history and marvel at how relevant it is for every aspect of contemporary life. Long neglected, but now undergoing a renaissance, the Palace is popular with visitors who arrive by cruise ship from other countries, ferry from the Dalmatian islands, and Croatians on holiday. Roman Emperor Diocletian, who ruled from 284-305A.D., famously resigned his position due to declining health, wanting to spend the remainder of his days by the seaside close to where he was born. His plan was to grow tomatoes in the lovely Mediterranean setting in what is now the city of Split, Croatia, on the Dalmatian Coast. This just might be the world’s oldest surviving, upscale retirement home on the water. Constructed at the turn of the 4th century A.D., the palace complex’s residential areas, storehouses, public gathering spaces and temples were supported by a military garrison. Abandoned for several hundred years, and then neglected during Yugoslavia’s Communist regime, the buildings are now repurposed and individual property values within the Palace walls are rising. Foreign nationals looking for an inexpensive holiday home have invested in apartments here, many of which have required restoration within the confines of protected, heritage status. Visitors will experience a bustling, yet relaxed vibe which incorporates historical heritage and clever renovations. Innovative restaurants, upscale accommodations and specialty shops are interspersed among historical squares, a circular oculus open to the sky, colonnades and arches, and ornamental entry gates designated as Gold, Silver and Iron. A stay...

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Visiting Kuala Lumpur’s National Mosque

Erin — Tue, 03 May 2016 02:26:59 +0000

HISTORICAL TIDBIT Masjid Negara is what the locals call the National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur. This mosque was built in 1965 in honor of Malaysia gaining independence from Great Britain without any bloodshed in 1957. It was originally to be named Masjid Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj in honor of Yang Teramat Mulia Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, who was the Chief Minister of Malaysia during British rule and the first Prime Minister after the Malaysians began ruling themselves, but he declined the honor and instead chose Masjid Negara as the name. OUR VISIT Visiting the National Mosque was a nice experience. I had been a bit nervous about visiting because I wasn’t sure how welcoming they would be to non-Muslims, but it was a needless worry. We’d heard a few unfortunate stories about visiting mosques in Kuala Lumpur, which was the basis of our (my) worry. Our experience was quite lovely one I’m glad we had the opportunity to have. One of the things everyone needs to consider before visiting a mosque is attire. I’d visited a mosque before in a long-sleeved shirt and jeans, but had been given a robe to wear anyways, so I was a little confused about what was appropriate for women to wear. A Muslim friend later told me that pants and shirts have to be loose and not form-fitting, so it’s possible the person who’d given me a robe at Putra Mosque thought either my jeans or shirt were too tight or perhaps they were of a more strict mind and didn’t approve of women wearing pants to a mosque or it could have been that I didn’t have my scarf tied properly around my head. *shrug* This time, though, I avoided that issue entirely by wearing a long skirt, a loose t-shirt, some arm sleeves and a hijab I picked up in Langkawi. Troy wore a dress shirt with his nice pants. When we arrived at the mosque, I was soooooooo happy I’d opted to wear what I did. We arrived shortly after a tour group and were towards the end of a rather long line of visitors to get into the mosque, but a woman who was giving people robes and signing them in came over to us and told us we could go right in. Yay! It was nice to be able to walk right past all the people who had to wait to borrow a robe. There were a limited number of robes, so people were having to wait quite a while until others finished their visit and returned the robes before they could go in. Of the other visitors we saw, most were not dressed appropriately for visiting a mosque, but the greeters did not harass or make disparaging comments to anyone. They just handed the visitors a robe and requested they put it on before entering the mosque. It was a very quick and smooth process. The only delay was due there being more visitors than robes. Of course, before we even got in line, we did the requisite photo in front of the building. While this mosque isn’t as ornate as other mosques around the world, Masjid Negara is quite beautiful. The architecture and design are open and inviting. We really enjoyed wandering the halls and seeing the different areas. It’s interesting to note that this mosque pays homage to the Prophet Muhammad’s home from 7th century Saudi Arabia. The Prophet’s home consisted of a large courtyard surrounded by long rooms supported by columns. Columns are very common in mosques and this one has plenty. Another thing I enjoyed was how peaceful the mosque was and how we were allowed to roam freely in most places. There were a few areas that we weren’t allowed to enter, mainly just the offices and the prayer hall, but for the most part we could wander the halls and the grounds at our leisure. I had partly expected people to be passing out flyers about Islam, but the only flyers we saw were on a table for people to take if they wished. There were docents there to answer questions, but they weren’t pushy. Most just said hello and asked if we had any questions. Another talked to us more and I’ll tell you about that down below. Other mosques we’ve been to have quite a bit of mosaic-work or Islamic verses carved into the walls, but this one doesn’t have any of that. The halls are very open and are designed beautifully, there just isn’t a lot of adornment or excess. But even without the extra frills and ornamentation that is common in Christian churches or other mosques, I think the design, architecture and layout are marvelous. One of the most prominent features of the mosque is the roof, which is green and blue. Originally, the roof was pink concrete, but in 1987 the mosque was renovated and the concrete was replaced with reflective tiles. I think it looks quite nice. The roof was designed to be a 16-pointed star that is over the prayer hall like an umbrella. The ground area in the above picture is called a sahn. It’s part of the overflow area that is normally utilized for Friday prayer services. The fountain (it wasn’t running when we were there 🙁 ) is used for the ritual cleansing, known as ablution. Another interesting feature of the mosque is the tower, or minaret. The minaret is 239.5 feet high and is topped with a folded umbrella. The use of umbrellas in the design is an homage to the tropical area in which they live. Every mosque you visit will have a minaret, though it will be in a different style. The minaret is the tallest part of any mosque and is used to issue the call to prayer. Back in the day the muezzin used to ascend the inner stairs to perform the Adhan (call to prayer), but nowadays it’s more common for a speaker to be mounted near the top of the minaret to issue the call. The main room in the mosque, the prayer room, was absolutely breathtaking. Say whatever you want about Muslims and how they choose to live, but one thing that is indisputable is the beauty of their mosques. Masjid Negara is one of the more plain mosques, but it is still beautiful. The prayer room is just absolutely beautiful. The stained glass, the use of the lighting, the openness of the space. I really enjoyed this room. We weren’t allowed to enter it since it is a sanctified room set aside for Muslims to pray in, but even just looking around at the room is worth the visit. I’m kinda kicking myself for not taking zoomed in pictures because the design on the walls is just beautiful and the stained glass is quite intricate. *sigh* I guess that means I have to go back to Malaysia. When we were waiting in line to get a picture of the prayer room, a man walked over to us and asked if we were Muslims. When we told him we were Christians, he was shocked. Seriously, he did the whole opened-mouth staring thing for a few seconds. He asked what I was doing dressed as a Muslim if I was Christian. We explained to him that we wanted to be respectful of their holy place by wearing what they are required to wear. He shook both our hands and told us he really appreciated our respect. He said most people come to mosques wearing inappropriate clothing and some argue about needing to cover up before coming inside. We didn’t see any of that while we were there, but I don’t doubt it. We saw many people argue about needing to cover up when visiting Buddhist temples. I don’t understand why it’s so hard to respect other cultures, but I won’t get into that here. After thanking us for respecting his religion he went into a long discussion with us about the misinformation about Muslims and what they believe. He explained how Islam is a peaceful religion and then went on to start talking about how the US needs to stop meddling in the Israel and Palestine dispute. Well, he wasn’t really talking to me. He was mostly talking to Troy, so I listened for a few minutes and then wandered around taking pictures. I felt bad ditching Troy like that, but they weren’t even talking to me and Troy thinks that whenever I talk politics with people that an argument is going to begin, so I don’t think he minded too much. Troy has a fairly diplomatic temperament when he wants, so he maintained a neutral and non-committal response to our new friend’s commentary. By the time I wandered back over a few minutes later, the guy and Troy were back to talking about the general misunderstand of Muslims and Islam. We agreed with him because after having lived in a Muslim nation for a year, we have grown to understand that most Muslims are quite nice, peaceful people. After speaking for a few more minutes, we indicated that we needed to be going. We didn’t want to be rude, but we were both kinda hungry since it was about dinnertime. He didn’t seem to mind that we wanted to get going. Earlier he’d told us he was a volunteer who spends his free time at the mosque talking to visitors and answering any questions they had about Islam, so he was probably used to people chatting for a few minutes and then saying goodbye. Before he would let us walk off, though, he requested a picture with us. He said he wanted to show his friends that he had met some Christians who dressed as Muslims to visit a mosque and to prove to his friends that not all Christians hate or fear Islam. And he thanked us again for showing respect to his religion. It was touching how much my wearing a hijab and being dressed appropriately meant to him. It also makes me sad that so many people think Islam is a violent, hate-filled religion. Just because some members of a religion act a certain way does not mean the entire religion is so. If you want to put things into perspective, look at the Westboro Baptists or those Catholic clergymen who hurt children. We all know that not all Baptists agree with the actions of those from the Westboro congregation. We also know that the Catholic church does not teach priests to act as those errant clergymen have been. Since we are willing to give these religions the benefit of the doubt, maybe we should also do so when it comes to those of the Islamic faith. Not all Muslims are bad and to be feared. The actions of a few do not define the whole. Anyways, back to our visit to the mosque. If you want to read more about my opinions on the above subject, check out this post. During our wanderings around the complex, we discovered a pathway that leads a little ways past and behind the mosque. In it we found a beautiful room with headstones. This room is called Makam Pahlawan, or Heroes’ Mausoleum. This is where some of the most prominent leaders and politicians in Malaysia are buried. This section of the mosque complex was started in 1963 and completed in 1965. Like the mosque, the mausoleum is is covered by a star-shaped concrete roof, though this one has 7 points instead of 16. Aside from the space inside, there are several tombs on the grounds surrounding the main mausoleum. We didn’t go see those because it was raining outside. Aside from the beautiful architecture inside the mosque buildings, there are also lovely grounds surrounding it. It was raining almost the entire time we were at the mosque, so we didn’t venture around the grounds very much, but we did see some of it from inside the mosque. When we left the mosque, it was raining quite heavily, as you can see in the picture above. We waited by...

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Al-Hana Mosque

Erin — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 21:31:34 +0000

When we went to Langkawi for New Year’s, the only thing we planned out was a day of snorkeling and then watching the fireworks on the beach. Other than that we had no set plans. This was probably our most relaxed trip and we ended up having a good time just wandering around Kuah, the town we stayed in, and checking out other parts of the island. The first thing we did after our day of snorkeling and swimming was to visit Al-Hana Mosque. We’d only been living in Malaysia for about two months and hadn’t visited any yet, so when we saw a mosque just down the street from the hotel we decided to walk down there after breakfast and check it out. The proper Islamic term for a mosque is Masjid. Mosque is just the English equivalent, so the proper name for this mosque is Masjid Al-Hana Langkawi. But I’m going to keep calling it Al-Hana Mosque because it’s feels more natural for me. Al-Hana Mosque was built in 1959 and inaugurated by the first Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman. From the time it was built until now it has been the largest and most popular mosque on the island. The structure combines Islamic motifs from Uzbekistan with Malay-style architecture and follows conventional mosque design by having a large gilded main dome surrounded by several smaller ones. Visiting the mosque was nice. There was nobody else there when we were there, so we just wandered around and took our time. The first room we visited was the Prayer Hall. This room is the central room of a mosque is called musalla, which means “place for prayer”. There is no furniture in the prayer hall since worshipers sit, kneel, and bow directly on the floor. Chairs can be brought in to assist elderly or disabled worshipers who have difficulty with mobility. The carpet in most mosques will have lines or some form of design that is in a straight line so that worshipers can arrange themselves in orderly rows. Along the walls and pillars of the prayer hall, there are usually bookshelves to hold copies of the Qur’an, wooden book stands (rihal), other religious reading material, and individual prayer rugs. The curtained area in the corner is the area set aside for the female congregants to pray in private, though most women pray at home where they are unencumbered by their formal outerwear. While the furnishing may be sparse, the decor is quite lovely. The main prayer hall has abstract floral patterns and selected verses from the Quran etched into the walls along with beautiful stained glass. I learned in my Art History class last semester that Islamic art does not depict actual floral themes nor do they paint or carve animals and humans because Muslims believe that it violates the Second Commandment regarding graven images. So, basically, they avoid any type of decor that represents anything that can be found in nature. I’ve found it very interesting that the artists have created such beautifully abstract vegetal designs that don’t actually depict plants, but are clearly inspired by them. It’s quite beautiful. And then at the back of the prayer room are both the mihrab and the minbar. The mihrab is an ornamental indentation in the wall of a mosque, which marks the direction of the qiblah, which means “direction of the Ka’aba”. The Ka’aba, the most sacred site in Islamic culture, is located in Mecca, which is why most people think Muslims pray to Mecca. The Ka’aba is their religion’s House of God. Muslims are required to pray facing in the direction of the Ka’aba and the mihrab marks the exact direction for them. Mihrabs vary in size and color, but are usually shaped like a doorway and elaborately decorated to make the space stand out. Next to the mihrab is the minbar. The minbar the place from which sermons or speeches are given. The minbar is usually made of carved wood, stone, or brick. It includes a short staircase leading to the top platform,. This was by the mihrab. At first I thought it was a list of prayer times for that day, but there are 7 clocks and Muslims only pray 5 times a day. My other theory is that the top 5 clocks are the prayer times an the bottom 2 are sunrise/sunset times, but I can’t find anything to support that. I really think it’s the prayer times with the sunrise/sunset times, but don’t quote me on that because I have nothing other than my own thoughts to back that up. For all I know, it could be a list of different time zones around the world. ***EDIT: Many thanks to Nazifah for leaving a comment explaining the clocks. This is what she said, “The 5 clocks above is the five daily prayers. From the right, it shows the afternoon prayer, late noon prayer, sunset prayer, night prayer & morning prayer. Each prayer normally takes about 7-10 minutes. In the second row; the clock on the left is the imsak time which is few minutes before the morning prayer begins. This time is important for fasting, we should stop taking meals and start fasting. And the clock on the right is the syuruk time which means the end time for morning prayer.” Once we left the prayer room we wandered around the rest of the mosque. It’s not quite as fascinating as the prayer hall, but it still has some neat things to see. Outside we found this water font. Before praying, Muslims must wash their hands, mouths, arms, feet, face, heads, necks, nostrils and ears. This is one of the sites at the mosque where this is done. This is an overflow area for when there are too many people to fit in the main prayer hall. This one isn’t as comfortable and I’m betting this is done as incentive for people to arrive early for prayers. Found a mirror and decided to take a picture of myself. We went to a local shop the night before so I could purchase a headscarf. The ladies in the shop said it would be too difficult for me to learn how to put the scarf on correctly myself without someone to walk me through it in the morning, so they just told me to wear it like this. They giggled a bit when I modeled it for them and said I would make a lovely Muslim. haha. I love how the windows are shaped like the onion dome on the top of the building. It really makes everything so cohesive. This reads: Official (i think it’s the office). Council Meeting. Seminar Hall. Refectory. Prayer Hall. Male Toilets. Men’s Ablution. Health is a shared responsibility. And because there is a Islamic children’s school just next to the mosque, it also says: Children are forbidden to wash clean in this ablution. Please remove your shoes below. Wouldn’t you just love to have an outdoor table like this in your backyard? I know I would. It’s pretty fantastic. Even the fences match the mosque. I’d love to have this around my yard, except without the onion domes. Maybe just a ball or dish. Here you can see some of the speakers that broadcast the call to prayer 5 times a day. This is the other cleaning area. It looks much more modern than the other area and able to accommodate more people, so I’m assuming that this area was added several years after the original mosque was built. This is the Islamic school next to the mosque. I love how bright and happy all the colors are. Before we left, a taxi pulled through the gates and drove over to us. The driver spoke decent English and asked us if we needed a ride anywhere. Since our hotel was just down the street and the next place we were going was within walking distance, we told him no, thank you. He then started asking us where we were from. He actually thought we were Syrian, since we were white. But after he found out we are Christian Americans, he was completely floored. He wanted to know why I was dressed like a Muslim woman and we told him that we wanted to visit the mosque in a respectful manner. He was delighted and said he couldn’t wait to tell his wife about us. And then he gave us his card, saying said he’d love to drive us around if we needed a taxi while we were in town. We were quite surprised, actually, about the whole conversation. That had never happened before. This was our first time visiting a mosque and it was nice to see that our desire to dress respectfully had made a positive impact on someone. We left the mosque feeling quite happy and glad we’d made the time to go there. Opening Hours: 24 hours Location: Lencongan Putra 2 (located beside the Kuah Tourism Information office) Dress: Shoes must not be worn inside the mosque. Women should be modestly dressed (clothing that covers the body from the wrists to the ankles). Note: Visitors are required to remain quiet as a sign of respect to those in prayer. I’d recommend not visiting on a Friday since that’s when the most locals will be there. We were there about 8:30 am and there was nobody there, so going first thing in the morning would be a good idea if you want to avoid other people.

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