Thailand's Taj Mahal
White domes and slender minarets.
26 Ramadan — CC BY-SA 4.0 · mohigan — CC BY-SA 3.0 · 26 Ramadan — CC BY-SA 4.0
Southern Thailand's most beautiful and largest mosque, nicknamed by many the «Taj Mahal of Thailand» for its likeness to the famous Indian monument: a broad white building crowned by a large dome, smaller domes and slender minarets, standing before a wide lake that mirrors it, on a road between Hat Yai and Songkhla city. It is the central mosque of Songkhla province and seat of its Islamic council. Inside is a spacious, light-filled prayer hall with restrained decoration and large windows; the mosque holds thousands of worshippers and fills for Friday prayers and Eid. Around it are wide courtyards and parking, and the gardens by the lake are a pleasant place to sit before sunset. The mosque is open for prayer at prayer times, and visitors are welcome outside them. Modest dress is required, a headscarf for women, and shoes off before entering. Rains are heaviest in the south-east from October to December, and the city can flood. It is an important stop for Muslim visitors to Hat Yai, both to pray and to photograph by the lake. The best light is just before sunset, when the white glows gold.
White domes and slender minarets.
Loveliest before sunset.
Thousands of worshippers.
Lopburi Ramet Road, Khlong Hae, north of Hat Yai
Yes, outside prayer times, with modest dress, a headscarf for women, shoes off and quiet inside the prayer hall.