Steel architecture
Around seventy per cent of the building is steel.
Trebz — CC BY 2.0 · Marufish from Alor Setar, Malaysia — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Marufish from Alor Setar, Malaysia — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Marufish from Alor Setar, Malaysia — CC BY-SA 2.0
Malaysians call it the Iron Mosque, because around seventy per cent of it is steel, some six thousand tonnes of it, with concrete for the rest. Completed in 2009 beside the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya, it holds about twenty-four thousand worshippers and is one of the finest examples of contemporary Islamic architecture in Southeast Asia. What strikes you is its lightness: walls of fine metal mesh worked in geometric patterns instead of solid walls, letting air and light through, so the vast prayer hall feels bright and open. The mihrab is glass engraved with Quranic verses, and reflecting pools and gardens surround the building. It was built as a mosque for the area's civil servants, so it is quiet most of the time, unlike the busy Putra Mosque. For Muslims it is open for prayer at prayer times; non-Muslims visit outside prayer times, with robes lent at the entrance to anyone not suitably dressed. Entry is free. It is about two kilometres from the Putra Mosque, so the two fit into one Putrajaya outing, and for anyone interested in architecture the Iron Mosque may be the lovelier surprise.
Around seventy per cent of the building is steel.
Patterned metal mesh letting air and light through.
Glass engraved with Quranic verses.
Precinct 3, Putrajaya, about 25 km south of Kuala Lumpur
Millennium MonumentA soaring modern obelisk close to seventy metres tall, raised to commemorate Mal6 minutes walk
Seri Wawasan BridgeA cable-stayed bridge that from a distance looks like a tilted sail or a futuris13 minutes walk
Putra Square and Perdana PutraThe broad central square at the heart of Putrajaya, laid out as a great star and25 minutes walkThe Putra Mosque is more famous and prettier on the lake; the Iron Mosque is quieter and more modern in design. They are close together, so see both on the same outing.