The pink dome
Rose granite reflected in the lake, best from the opposite bridge.
Azuladnan — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Muhammad Faqih — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Dlinemedia — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ariyanto — CC BY-SA 4.0
A pink mosque, its dome and walls clad in rose-tinted granite, standing on the edge of a man-made lake in Putrajaya, the administrative capital Malaysia built from scratch in the 1990s. Completed in 1999, it holds about fifteen thousand worshippers, and its minaret is among the tallest in the region. Most people simply call it the Pink Mosque. The architecture blends Persian, Malay and Arab styles, with touches borrowed from the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque in Isfahan, while the courtyard and gateways recall Moroccan mosques. The best view is from the bridge or the far bank of the lake, where the pink dome is reflected in the water, and a boat cruise on the lake shows it from the water. The mosque is open to non-Muslim visitors at set times and closes to them during prayers: Saturday to Thursday mornings until 12:30, then 14:00 to 16:00, then half an hour before sunset, and on Fridays in the afternoon only. Muslim visitors can enter to pray at any time. Entry is free; women are given a pink hooded robe at the entrance at no charge, and men need long trousers. It is about a forty-minute drive from central Kuala Lumpur, or take the KLIA Transit train to Putrajaya station and then a bus or taxi. It stands beside Perdana Putra, the prime minister's office, and the two share one photograph.
Rose granite reflected in the lake, best from the opposite bridge.
A boat around the mosque and Putrajaya's buildings from the water.
Persian, Malay and Moroccan touches in one building.
Putra Square, Putrajaya, about 25 km south of Kuala Lumpur
Yes: Muslims may enter to pray at any time; the restricted visiting hours apply to non-Muslims. Praying Dhuhr or Asr here is a lovely experience, and the mosque is spacious and only crowded on Fridays.