The Grand Mosque of Cotabato

The Largest Mosque In The Philippines, Paid For By The Sultan Of Brunei, In A Province Most Filipinos Have Never Visited · Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte

THE GRAND MOSQUE AT DATU ODIN SINSUAT IS THE LARGEST IN THE PHILIPPINES - golden domes, four minarets, a prayer hall for thousands, set on open ground outside Cotabato City. IT WAS PAID FOR BY THE SULTAN OF BRUNEI and completed in 2011, and it carries his name. THE SCALE IS THE POINT: IN A COUNTRY THAT THINKS OF ITSELF AS CATHOLIC, THE BIGGEST PLACE OF WORSHIP IS A MOSQUE, and it stands in a region most Filipinos have never been to and many would not consider going to. MAGUINDANAO IS THE HEARTLAND OF THE MAGUINDANAON, people of the flood plain, whose sultanate was one of the great powers of the pre-colonial archipelago and which the Spanish never subdued. SEVERAL GOVERNMENTS MAINTAIN TRAVEL ADVISORIES for parts of this region. Check current advice, dress modestly, and understand that this is a working mosque rather than a monument. Ask at the gate rather than walking in, and do not come at Friday midday.

Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Masjid, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte, Philippines

CHECK YOUR GOVERNMENT'S CURRENT TRAVEL ADVICE BEFORE PLANNING - several states maintain advisories for parts of central Mindanao and the position changes. THE MOSQUE IS IN DATU ODIN SINSUAT, a short drive from COTABATO CITY, which has an airport with flights from Manila, Cebu and Davao. IT IS AN ACTIVE MOSQUE AND ENTRY IS FREE; VISITORS ARE GENERALLY WELCOME OUTSIDE PRAYER TIMES and should ask at the gate rather than walking in. MODEST DRESS IS REQUIRED - shoulders, arms and legs covered; women cover their hair; SHOES ARE REMOVED. FRIDAY MIDDAY PRAYERS FILL THE MOSQUE and are not a time to visit. RAMADAN CHANGES THE HOURS ENTIRELY. THE GROUNDS ARE OPEN AND LARGELY UNSHADED. Photography of the exterior is generally fine; ask before photographing inside or photographing people.

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