Blue Hop on Hop Off bus little bit squeak in braking when entering a bend that leads this tourist bus into a worship building which is full of charisma. “Nash(ә)n(ә)l mäsk”…. My mouth spelled a black marble with gold alphabet.
“Ladies and gentlemen, who want to visit the mosque, please get off here. Have a good visit”, beautiful tour guide smiled while holding her microphones.
Not listed in my itinerary, It didn’t make me turn and I chose it to be a bonus destination on my last day before returning to Jakarta.
Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj is a nobleman who played an important role in its construction until naming this mosque. The initiator of the construction of National Mosque as an expression of gratitude for Malaysia’s independence from British colonialism without spilling out Malaysian blood.
I slowly entered main building after performing ablution to fulfill Asr pray. A room under a great dome auspices and high-quality soft carpet. I almost didn’t want to move from its comfort which trapping me.
Eighteen ornaments which alternately pronunciation of Allah and Muhammad symbolize 13 states in Malaysia’s constitutional monarchy and 5 pillars of Islam as foundation of Islamic religion which is embraced by more than 60% of Malaysians.
The extent of building….Indeed, it can’t be doubted if some statements state that National Mosque can hold up to 15,000 worshipers at a time. Incredibly, that’s half capacity of Patriot Stadium in Bekasi (a stadium near my home).
At front door before main worship room, you will find a white tower which stands in one corner of a pool which makes this mosque more elegant.
Also pay attention when you enter this mosque. Then at far left, there is a building which is separated by a short corridor from mosque’s main building. Its white roof is in the shape of seven stars and below it, there are tombs of country’s great heroes. One of the famous heroes who buried here is Tun Abdul Razak. Bugis descendant who played an important role behind Malaysian independence.
National Mosque itself was inaugurated and opened to public about 8 years after Malaysia’s independence day. Do you know, when was Malaysia independent?…Yup, 1957.
Had become the largest mosque in Malaysia before this title was seized by Blue Mosque in Shah Alam area.
National Mosque is architecturally connected to Old Railway Station building through an underground passageway. The train station itself is located adjacent to Malayan Railway Administration Building which is currently used as headquarters of KTM (Keretapi Tanah Melayu).
Going to KL….Let’s stop by at National Mosque!
Istiqlal-nya Malaysia ya ini, Mas? 😀
Boleh dibilang begitu…..di kawasan hijau Taman Tasik Perdana. KL jg punya masjid legendaris ” Masjid Jamek”.
Oh iya… Masjid Jamek yang lokasinya strategis itu ya, Mas? Stasiun andalan kalau mau ke Petaling Street itu 😀
Yup pas dibawah stasiun LRT…..itu masjid klasik banget. Kesana lah mas
Iya keren banget diliat dari stasiun. Kayaknya ada beberapa payung raksasa juga to di sana? Wah… Nanti saja kalau sudah azan, Mas. 😀
Oh bener mas…musti adzan dulu yakss….hahaha
Saya belum pernah ke National Mosque mas 😀
Taunya cuma Masjid Jamek yang fenomenal, tapi itu pun hanya selewat 😆
By the way ternyata di Malaysia ada banyak wisata masjid yaaa ~
Malaysia negara mayoritas moslem…..wajar mbak kalau banyak wisata masjid. Kalau bisa memahami historis masjid yang bersangkutan, maka akan lebih menarik.