Back in March Troy’s parents came to visit and one of the places we took them was Putra Mosque with a boat ride around Putrajaya Lake.
Putra Mosque is absolutely beautiful. Construction began in 1997 and completed in 1999. The building was designed with influences from the Middle East and Persia as well as traditional Malay architecture. The mosque is made from rose-colored granite and it cost about RM250 million, which is about $76,277,750 USD. The mosque was named after Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al Haj, who was the first Prime Minister of Malaysia.
One item to note is that part of the mosque is on solid ground while over half of it has been built over the water. This is a favored technique with mosques as it gives the image that the building is floating on the water. We have seen several mosques built over lakes and even the ocean and the effect is quite stunning.
As for the specific details, I couldn’t find out how tall the actual building is, but the highest point below the dome is 250ft. The minaret was inspired by the one at Sheikh Omar Mosque in Baghdad and stands 380ft tall. That height makes this minaret one of the tallest in Southeast Asia. The dome at the top of the mosque is 118 feet in diameter and is supported by 12 columns inside the main prayer hall.
As you can see in the picture the minaret is divided into 5 sections. Each of those sections represents one of the 5 Pillars of Islam, which are:
- Shahadah: declaring there is no god except God and that Muhammad is God’s Messenger
- Salah: ritual prayer five times a day
- Sawm: fasting and self-control during the blessed month of Ramadan
- Zakat: giving 2.5% of one’s savings to the poor and needy
- Hajj: pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime if he/she is able to do
The interior of Putra Mosque is vast and can accommodate 15,000 worshipers. There is a prayer hall, auditorium, lecture room, dining hall, funereal chamber and library inside the mosque.
Visiting the mosque is welcomed and there is no entrance fee. They just ask that visitors who are non-Muslim only come outside of prayer hours. The visiting schedule is:
Saturday-Thursday: 9:00am-12.30pm, 2:00-4:00pm, 5.30-6:00pm
Friday: 3:00-4:00pm and 5.30-6:00pm
There is also a strict dress code that is enforced. Women must wear a skirt that goes down to the ground and a loose, long-sleeved shirt. I wore pants and a long sleeved shirt that was a bit tight and they made me wear a robe to go in because my clothes were too tight. So if you want to avoid wearing the robe (it’s heavy), wear a skirt and bring a headscarf. Troy’s mom wrapped a scarf around her head and I wore a headscarf I’d bought here. They were fine with both.
Another thing to keep in mind when visiting the mosque is the Muslim preference that women who are menstruating stay away from their holy places. There is a sign in front of the mosque that says:
Females who are menstruating are requested not to enter the Main Prayer Hall.
Visitors are requested to respect the mosque by maintaining cleanliness and upholding its purity.
Smoking is strictly prohibited.
