Masjid Bang Luang

The Masjid Bang Luang, also called Kudi Khao, meaning "The White Cloister", is one of the most unique mosques in all of Thailand. With its pointed roof, columns, and painted eaves, it is the only mosque in the world that is built in the style of a Thai temple.

I had visited the neighborhood a few weeks back in preparation for leading a group walk through Thonburi for early morning fresh air and exercise. On the morning of the walk, my group and I were passing by the mosque and had stopped to take photos. An older man, communicating with us via Google Translate, approached and introduced himself as the mosque's caretaker. He asked us if we would like to go inside and of course, we said yes! How could we pass up such an opportunity?

The interior of the small mosque was quiet and cool despite the heat of the morning. The marble floors were stripped with green carpets for Muslims to sit and pray, and the shutters, like the exterior gables, were also painted green, the symbolic color of Islam.

The most outstanding feature of the mosque's interior was the elaborately carved mihrab, the requisite wall niche which faces towards Mecca and the Kabba, towards which Muslims are supposed to face whilst performing their daily prayers.

The mihrab is designed in a traditional Thai style and would not look at all out of place holding a shrine inside a Buddhist temple. According to local lore, it was carved by a local woman named Fatima from a single piece of wood.

The minbar, the raised platform from which an imam (leader of prayer) addresses the congregation, is located to the right of the mihrab as per tradition and is made from marble.

A pair of lanterns hang to either side of the mihrab, a gift given to the mosque by King Rama VI after representatives from the Bang Luang community attended the funeral and cremation of King Rama V. This is one of many instances of the kings of Thailand living up to their ceremonial title as "Defender of Religions" plural.

I had heard that the temple's Quran was also quite special and asked the caretaker if he would be allowed to see it. He opened up a large and ornate wooden box and carefully withdrew a very old booklet, one of many containing each of the 114 surahs, or chapters of the Quran.

The Quran at the Bang Luang Mosque is very old - dating back some 200 years - and very fragile. It is handwritten on pages made from rice husks and certain pages are illuminated with delicate calligraphy drawn in golden ink.

We were very lucky to have been given the opportunity to see this very old and unique artifact up close.

After about twenty minutes, we said our farewell and were on our way. This was one of those rare experiences that you just can't plan for where you are invited to get an inside look at a community purely through the welcoming nature and generosity of a stranger, and I'm so grateful for it.