The mirror lagoon
Water rings the mosque so it seems to float.
CEphoto, Uwe Aranas — CC BY-SA 3.0 · CEphoto, Uwe Aranas — CC BY-SA 4.0 · CEphoto, Uwe Aranas — CC BY-SA 3.0 · CEphoto, Uwe Aranas — CC BY-SA 3.0
People call it the Floating Mosque, because it stands on the edge of Likas Bay ringed by a man-made lagoon, so in photographs it seems to float on the water. It opened officially in February 2000, the day Kota Kinabalu became a city, and its design draws on the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, with a blue dome traced in gold. It holds around twelve thousand worshippers. Its finest moment is just before and after sunset, when the dome is lit and mirrored in the lagoon, one of the best-known and most photographed sights in all of Sabah. By day it is worth going inside for the vast prayer hall and the calm of the place beside the sea. Non-Muslims visit at set times outside prayers, in the morning and the afternoon until five, for a token fee of about five ringgit; robes are rented at the entrance to anyone not modestly dressed, and the mosque is closed to visitors on Fridays. Muslims, of course, may come in to pray at prayer times as at any mosque. It lies about four kilometres north of the city centre, close to the Kota Kinabalu Wetland Centre, so the two make an easy half day. If you miss the visiting hours, the view from outside at sunset is worth the trip on its own.
Water rings the mosque so it seems to float.
A design inspired by the Prophet's Mosque.
The lit dome reflected in the lagoon.
Likas Bay, about 4 km north of the city centre
Just before and after sunset, when the dome is lit and reflected in the lagoon. Photographs from outside the walls are possible at any time, even when visiting hours are over.