Islamic - 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 2

Erin — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 09:58:19 +0000

Welcome to Part 2 of my Top Historic Sites in Europe series! I’m glad you came back to check out some more fantastic sites. Europe is a region that has had human activity for over 37,000 years and is just full of history. Last week we looked at 10 famous sites in Europe and why they’re worth visiting. Today we’re looking at 10 more of the amazing places around Europe that you really shouldn’t miss. England – Tower of London The Tower of London has had a lively history in the thousand years it has been standing and has been used for a variety of purposes over the years, ranging from a royal residence, a prison for the elite, an armory, a menagerie, home of the Royal Mint, a public record office, home of the Crown Jewels, and, most recently, a museum. The hill on which the Tower of London sits was first settled in 1066 when the Norman’s, led by William the Conqueror, conquered England. The White Tower, the most prominent building in the fortress and where the fortress draws its name, was built around 1078. The buildings around the White Tower was added during the 1190s by Richard the Lionheart, and a wharf was built in 1285 by Edward I. The Tower of London was the home of England’s royalty until the year 1547. After that, the Tower of London was only used by royalty during the few days before the coronations of Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I. By the time Charles II was crowned in 1660, the castle fortress’s royal accommodations were in such disrepair that he opted to forgo the tradition of staying in the Tower of London the night before his coronation, then ending the tradition. After the royal residence was moved from the fortress, the most famous use of the Tower of London began: that of a prison and execution ground for nobility. Though, the Tower prison was a bit more comfy than our modern view of a medieval prison. The prisoners here were mainly members of the royal family and wealthy nobility who were able wander the grounds at times and to also purchase comforts such as tapestries and higher-quality food. There were cases of torture during the Tower’s reign as a prison, but during the roughly 200 years the Tower was used as a prison, there are only 48 documented cases of torture being used. As for executions, only 7 people are known to have been executed inside the fortress walls between 1066 and the First World War. The 112 other known executions took place on a hill adjacent to the fortress, which is known as Tower Hill. And then there are all those who went ‘missing’ from the Tower, but that’s another story. Another famous use for this site is as the home of the Crown Jewels. The Crown Jewels have been housed at the Tower of London since the reign of Henry III in the 13th century. The Jewel House was destroyed in 1669 and the Crown Jewels were moved to Martin Tower, where Colonel Thomas Blood constructed an elaborate, but failed, plot to steal them. The Crown Jewels have been housed in various locations around the Tower of London until 1994, when the Crown Jewels were moved to the Jewel House inside the Waterloo Block, which is behind the White Tower. The most unique and unknown historic fact about the Tower of London is that a Royal Menagerie was once kept inside the fortress. King John first brought lions to the Tower during the late 12th or early 13th century and until 1830, a wide range of exotic animals, such as leopards, hyenas, baboons, wolves, bears, elephants, and tigers, were kept on the grounds. Now, all that is left are wire sculptures of wild animals and six live ravens. These are kept due to a prophecy that says the city of London will fall once ravens leave the Tower. Erin Tracy is the owner and author of this blog, Traveling Thru History, which she uses to share her love of history, culture, and travel with her readers. You can also find stories and pictures of her travels on her Facebook page. Slovakia – St. Elizabeth’s Cathedral Often described as the easternmost Gothic cathedral in Europe, St. Elizabeth’s Cathedral in Košice is Slovakia’s largest church and, together with the nearby St. Michael’s Chapel and Urban’s Tower, a National Cultural Monument. Construction of the cathedral was done in five staves beginning in the late 14th century and finishing in the early 16th century, at which time it was dedicated to a Hungarian saint (today’s Slovakia was part of the Hungarian empire). The cathedral consists of five naves, two towers, and three chapels, and is adorned with some of the finest Gothic stonework, altarpieces, windows, and frescoes. The main St. Elizabeth altar includes one of Europe’s largest sets of Gothic paintings, of which there are 48 total. The church’s architectural significance rests in how the central nave and the transept have the same length, forming a Greek cross. This also creates a large indoor space, and allows for three large decorative gables outside. St. Elizabeth follows the style of many other medieval cathedrals in that it has its own crypt, which houses many famous remains. The most famous are the remains of Francis II Rakoczi, the Hungarian nobleman and national hero who led an 18th century independence uprising against the Habsburgs. The cathedral also boasts several legends. The most popular holds that somewhere within the walls there is a hollow building stone, which, if removed, would cause the entire cathedral to collapse. Another says the only non-zoomorphic gargoyle, that of a woman holding a goblet and a bottle, is the alcoholic wife of a builder who immortalized her thusly in revenge for her tarnishing his name. Yet another legend has it that the St. Matthias lantern has the power to absolve the criminal guilt of anyone who can climb into it. St. Elizabeth’s is very dear to the people of Košice. They view this cathedral as the city’s crown jewel and unofficial symbol. It was the first of its Seven Wonders, as voted by a poll of the city’s residents in 2009. The best time to visit are outside of mass, which times can be found here. On sunny days, climbing to the top of Sigismund Tower rewards visitors with a 360-degree view of the historic Košice downtown and surrounding areas. Peter Korchnak is a Košice native and an author. He blogs at Where Is Your Toothbrush?, a food travel website, and several other outlets while sharing his adventures on Facebook. Latvia – Riga Cathedral Located in the heart of Riga’s Old Town, Riga Cathedral stands proudly for all to see. The Cathedral is the biggest medieval church and one of the oldest religious buildings in Latvia and also the whole Baltic region. While the original foundation stone was laid in 1211, the actual construction wasn’t get underway until 1215. Riga Cathedral was originally envisioned as a basilica, but the design was later changed and a hall church was built instead. One of the most unique construction features for this cathedral is that the materials changed over time from natural stone to brick. At the beginning of the 15th century, the hall church was enlarged by building the western cross-nave and side chapels. The tower of the Cathedral can be first seen in a cosmography dating back to 1559, so it is estimated the tower was added during the early . According to records, Riga Cathedral Tower was the highest spire in the whole city of Riga at that time. The cathedral was damaged by a city-wide fire in 1547 and the Gothic spire burned down entirely. A new tower was built in 1595, and the famous Riga Cathedral Rooster, which visitors today see a replica of, can be dated back to this post-fire reconstruction. The Gothic spire was demolished in 1775 due to structural concerns and was replaced with the Baroque style present-day tower. Riga Cathedral has undergone numerous renovations throughout the 20th century. At one point from the late 1950s, the Cathedral was converted into a concert hall as religious ceremonies were prohibited under Soviet rule. The Cathedral has since been restored to replace the altar and the seating. Today, visitors can appreciate the beautiful brick architecture combining Romanesque, early Gothic, Baroque, and Art Nouveau influences. The Cathedral serves as a busy cultural hub for performance, worship, and art – and don’t forget to wave to the Rooster high atop its perch! Lisa and Eric of Penguin and Pia are a German and Canadian travel couple brought together by Instagram. Now, they travel the world, inspire others to waddle, and tell stories in two languages, which you can follow on their Facebook page. Turkey – Hagia Sophia The Hagia Sophia in Istanbul has quite a history, both culturally and architecturally. It was first a Greek Orthodox patriarchal basilica, then it was a Roman Catholic cathedral, then it was a Greek Orthodox patriarchal basilica, again, then an imperial mosque, and now it is a museum. Hence, if there was one place in Istanbul that combines the different stages of Turkish history, it is definitely the Hagia Sophia. Constructed in 537 AD, Hagia Sophia was once the seat of the Patriarch of Constantinople. For a short period between 1204 and 1261 it was converted into a Roman Catholic cathedral by the invading Crusaders, but after they left it resumed its function as a Greek Orthodox patriarchal basilica. In 1453, Hagia Sophia became an Ottoman mosque and remained a mosque until 1931, when it underwent renovations to make it into a museum. The museum opened in 1935 and, since then, has been a popular site for tourists travelling to Istanbul. Not only is Hagia Sophia located in an area that is perfect for anyone who would like to visit mosques and get an insight into Istanbul’s history, but it is also a truly magical place. One of the most striking features of Hagia Sophia is the massive dome. This feature is striking both the interiorly and exteriorly. Such a feat was considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture and is said to have literally “changed the history of architecture.” That’s just the exterior. The interior of the dome is striking in its adornment of beautiful mosaics and stunning marble pillars. When visiting Hagia Sophia, visitors can explore two floors. When entering through the Imperial Gate, visitors will be wowed by Byzantine relics and stunning mosaics. Then, as you start making your way into the upper gallery, you will enter the nave and find several mosaics and runic graffiti. This is the best place to have a look at the dome. The dome is one of the most interesting parts of Hagia Sophia and still drives many art historians, architects and engineers crazy as it has a very innovative way compared to what the original architects actually envisioned for the dome. The first few domes placed on top of Hagia Sophia collapsed due to poor design and natural disaster, but ancient architects finally found a way to make this one stay, in spite of natural disasters, which continues to baffle those who study it. Aside from the dome, Hagia Sophia has other unique design elements. Apart from typical elements that you can find in most churches or mosques, such as Christian mosaics and Islamic minarets, the Hagia Sophia hosts some very special features: figurative decorations of Christ, prophets, and historical figures that were added during the second half of the 9th century. The list of things to see at Hagia Sophia is endless you’ll want to set aside several hours to take it all in properly. Clemens Sehi and Anne Steinbach found the online travel magazine, Travellers Archive, which combines detailed travel documentaries and in-depth travel guides to mostly unexplored destinations. You can follow their adventures on Facebook. Bosnia & Herzegovina – Mostar Bridge The Mostar Bridge (a.k.a Old Bridge/Stari...

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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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