Jamek Mosque is one of the oldest mosques in Malaysia, also making it the most-visited place in KL. This is the right place to expand your horizon and knowledge. Since the country has a major Moslem population, this mosque will give you an idea about the local culture. You can also know more about how religion affects the lives of local people in this country. Overall, this mosque will give you a whole magnificent architecture to enjoy and definitely a new experience.
Location of Jamek Mosque and How to Get There
Jamek Mosque is located in the heart of Kuala Lumpur City. It is a walking distance of other touristic destinations such as the Merdeka Square and China Town. It even has its own metro station which has the same name as the mosque. However, it is an hour’s drive away from the International Airport of Kuala Lumpur. You can take KLIA Express for a faster 30 minutes ride. To access the Jamek Mosque location in Google Maps, click here.
The mosque was built at the junction of two rivers. That is why there are concrete walls built around the mosque to enhance the view of the mosque. The wall was an effort of the city to beautify the looks of the river and to prevent people to throw rubbish into the water.
Opening Hours
As the mosque decided to open for public in 1965, it was first designed by Arthur Benison Hubback, a British architecture. An outstanding result of his hand is these 3 grand domes on the top of the mosque which is roughly 20 meters high. They are open from Sunday to Thursday with certain opening hours. In the morning, they are open at 08:30 – 12:30 and then at 14:30 – 16:30. The reason is that the building still serves as a holy and sacred place for the local communities to pray daily. It does not open admission on Friday because of the Friday Prayer held weekly with a huge amount of people coming in. Overall, it does not have an admission fee which is amazing.
What to wear
Before visiting a religious place especially the holly mosque, keep in mind that you should dress appropriately. Wear something that covers your shoulder and your knees generously. But if apparently you wear something revealing anyway, they will let you borrow a robe and headscarf to get inside.
Strolling Around the Jamek Mosque
After wearing the headscarf and the robe from the kind people in the entrance who is apparently volunteers, you can start going inside and gaze at the amazing architecture. The style of the building is more to the Moorish style, which is very unique. Moorish style usually found in Spanish-Moslem populations. The building is dominated by white and red bricks on the outside. But once you go inside, you’d be able to see the Grand and Majestic praying halls. There is also a beautiful pool for the prayers to take wudhu or to clean themselves before praying started. If you have any questions regarding the building, the history, or even the tiniest question, ask the volunteers and they’d be very happy to answer it for you.
Salsabila Nasution