The Pink Mosque of Putrajaya

Kuala Lumpur is the official national and royal capital of Malaysia, but in 2001, the federal and administrative capital of the nation was moved to the new, planned city of Putrajaya. Putrajaya is located about 53 kilometers from central KL. As a matter of fact, you pass the city on the way from the airport! I decided to take a day trip from KL to visit Putrajaya, which is home to the office of the Prime Minister, several government ministries, and the word-famous Masjid Putra - the Pink Mosque.

Masjid Putra

I took a train to Putrajaya, arriving in late morning. Putrajaya is kind of a strange city. Unlike Kuala Lumpur, or most other cities in the world, Putrajaya is a "planned city", meaning that it was built for a specific purpose rather than growing organically. As such, it's meticulously planned out, picturesque, and almost entirely empty. Though it's the federal capital, the population is under 100,000, with most workers commuting from Kuala Lumpur.

the government office 

Besides the government ministries and the office of the Prime Minister, there's not a lot in Putrajaya except for acres and acres of lake and green parkland. It's actually a really beautiful city, it's just weird how empty it is. I arrived at the city's main square, which is home to both the office of the Prime Minister, which looks something like Agrabah from Disney's Aladdin, and the Pink Mosque, all surrounded by manicured wetlands. Putrajaya has even won awards as an "intelligent garden city", and one of the world's greenest and most eco-friendly cities.

a bridge in Putrajaya 

intricate designs on the bridge

The main attraction that would bring a foreign tourist to Putrajaya is the Masjid Putra, or the Pink Mosque of Putrajaya. This world-famous mosque is one of the most impressive in the world, and one of the finest and most breathtaking examples of Malay Islamic architecture. That's what brought me to Putrajaya on that bright, sunny, and very hot afternoon.

Putrajaya Promenade 

Unfortunately, I didn't time my visit very well. I arrived too late to visit the mosque in the morning and ended up having to wait for three hours. Foreign visitors, even non-Muslims are allowed and even encouraged to visit the mosques in Malaysia, but can only do so during certain vising hours. I arrived right before the midday prayer, and had to wait. There's a shady promenade just outside the mosque with lots of shops, restaurants, and cafes, so I got a cool drink and sat down by the water. Eventually, I took a walk around the wetlands at the nearby lake as the sounds of the midday prayer rang out over the silent city.

the Pink Mosque

At 2pm the mosque opened once again for visitors. It's free to visit, but of course there's a fairly strict dress code. To make sure that anyone who wants to visit the mosque can, they lend out these maroon hooded robes to all visitors before they go inside. I collected my robe, took off my shoes, and stepped onto the surprisingly cool marble tile on the plaza outside of the mosque.

tourists visiting the Pink Mosque

The awe-inspiring dome rises high above the ground, the breathtaking pride of Malaysia. The mosque is relatively new, built in 1999 for the consecration of the new capital. It's made out of beautiful pink granite, which keeps the massive building cool year round. The dome rises 50 meters above the ground, but the minaret, at 116 meters tall, is the most impressive feature. It's the third-tallest minaret in the world.

the minaret

The mosque is huge; big enough to hold 15,000 worshipers at any given time.

I entered the mosque. There was an exhibition hall set up in front of the main prayer hall with information about Islam and the Quran. There was also a special exhibition with verses from the Quran condemning terrorism, as well as exhibitions about the Muslim belief in Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. While I was reading the info boards, the woman who worked for the mosque's tourism office came up to me and began talking with me. I obviously stood out, since most of the other tourists were Asian. Her job, as an official English-language curator at the mosque, is to help foster understanding of Islam and interfaith relations.

inside the Pink Mosque

She asked me if I, as an American, knew much about Islam. I told her that it was actually one of my focus areas in university! I had studied comparative religion, Islam studies, modern Middle Eastern history, Arab studies, and more. I had even visited the mosque in Waco several times as part of my class trips. She seemed really impressed by that. She told me all about the amazing architecture of the mosque, then told me that I was free to take as many photos as I would like.

"Islam means 'submission to God', and a Muslim is a follower of Islam", she told me. "Islam is perfect, but Muslims are not." She also told me how she hoped that creating interfaith relations and fostering understanding would help make the world a more peaceful place.

in the main prayer hall

These are the sorts of interactions that stick with you when you travel. The people that you meet can give you a lasting impression of a place. While I was annoyed that I had to wait in the hot sun for three hours, sitting in the shade and drinking my iced coffee while listening to the sound of the midday prayer turned out to be a really beautiful experience. Standing under the great dome of the Pink Mosque while talking about architecture with the mosque's curator is something else that I'll never forget.

the interior dome of the Pink Mosque