Masjid Negara: Kuala Lumpur’s National Mosque
Going to Kuala Lumpur? Add Masjid Negara to your plans!
Even though I don’t have much content about Kuala Lumpur to share, it was a real surprise gem for me. One of my favourite memories from Kuala Lumpur was visiting the stunning Masjid Negara, Malaysia’s national mosque.
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After getting sick in Siem Reap, I fulfilled my fantasy of going to the airport and buying a ticket at the counter without any prior plans. The first flight out that was within my budget was a very cheap flight to Kuala Lumpur on Air Asia. Sold! My original round the world trip plans did not include Malaysia. Alas, I needed to change my environment after getting sick so off I went to KL.
After paying for my ticket, I waited for my flight. Luckily for me, there was free wi-fi at the Siem Reap airport. While I was waiting I reserved a couple of nights at a hostel in central Kuala Lumpur. I also reached out to my brother’s friend Barry and a couple of travel friends who were based in Kuala Lumpur. I was set for a few days at least.
One of the first things I did in the city was to visit Masjid Negara or the Central Mosque. Roughly 65% of Malaysia’s population is Muslim. The mosque is set on 13 acres. The original structure was built in 1965 and designed a group of one British and 2 Malaysian architects.
The mosque is quite modern in style, has a 73-meter high minaret and a 16 pointed star concrete main roof. There are reflecting pools and fountains throughout the compound as seen in some of my photos below.
When you go to a mosque, like most places of worship, you have to be appropriately dressed. I was well aware of this. Even though it was extremely hot (40 Celsius / 104 Fahrenheit) and humid, I wore long pants, covered my shoulders, and brought a scarf to cover my head and neck with. If you do come improperly dressed, they have outfits they loan to tourists. See below!
Photos from my visit to Masjid Negara!
I was not amused by the intense heat
Inside the mosque, we could not enter as we were not worshipping
Purple smurf outfits for those inappropriately dressed
Reflecting pools at Masjid Negara
I loved this patterned wall at Masjid Negara
Even though I only spent a few days in Kuala Lumpur, I wound up really liking it. One day I will go back to Malaysia and explore more of the country. My visit to Masjid Negara was a great experience and I also recommend a visit to the Islamic Museum next door.
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