Masjid Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin

A Mosque With Almost No Walls Steel Mesh Instead Of Masonry Over Much Of Its Envelope, So The Wind Blows Through It And The Light Comes In As Pattern · Putrajaya, Putrajaya

PUTRAJAYA'S FAMOUS MOSQUE IS THE PINK ONE ON THE LAKE. THIS IS THE OTHER ONE, AND IT IS A BETTER BUILDING. MASJID TUANKU MIZAN ZAINAL ABIDIN IS KNOWN AS THE IRON MOSQUE, and the name undersells it: MUCH OF THE ENVELOPE IS NOT WALL AT ALL BUT ARCHITECTURAL STEEL MESH, engineered so that the structure is largely open to the air. THE WIND BLOWS THROUGH IT. THE LIGHT COMES THROUGH AS PATTERN, shifting across the floor as the sun moves, and there is NO AIR CONDITIONING IN THE MAIN PRAYER HALL because the building does not need it - the mesh and the water features around it do the work. Quranic calligraphy is set into the mesh itself so the verses are read in shadow. IT OPENED IN 2009, IT IS FREE, IT PROVIDES ROBES, AND ALMOST EVERY VISITOR TO PUTRAJAYA DRIVES PAST IT TO PHOTOGRAPH THE PINK ONE INSTEAD. Take one of the volunteer guides, because the engineering is the whole point and none of it is obvious, and come mid-morning or late afternoon when the mesh throws its pattern furthest across the floor.

Precinct 3, Putrajaya, Putrajaya, Putrajaya, Malaysia

THE MOSQUE IS IN PRECINCT 3, a short drive from PUTRAJAYA SENTRAL on the KLIA Transit line - like everything here, IT IS NOT WALKABLE FROM THE OTHER SIGHTS and you will need a taxi or a car. IT IS OPEN TO VISITORS FREE OF CHARGE OUTSIDE PRAYER TIMES, WITH ROBES PROVIDED AT THE ENTRANCE; shoes are removed, modest dress is required, and FRIDAY MIDDAY IS PRAYERS when visitors should stay away. THERE ARE USUALLY VOLUNTEER GUIDES who will walk you through and explain the mesh, the calligraphy and the ventilation - take one, because the engineering is the point and it is not obvious. THE BEST LIGHT IS MID-MORNING AND LATE AFTERNOON, when the mesh throws its pattern furthest across the floor. Ramadan changes the hours considerably.

Masjid Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin on Spottos · Explore more places on Spottos