As a diplomat’s wife, I often get the fun yet daunting task of taking visitors of the embassy around KL. Fun, because I love playing tour guide. Daunting because sometimes, people I need to show around KL have already been here before so I need to find a new place to take them. I wouldn’t want them bored, repeating the same sights and activities they’ve done before.
This is where the Masjid Wilayah Persekutuan comes in. The husband and I actually saw it from afar months ago – during our first excursion to Publika.
It’s a gorgeous, imposing structure that really had us wanting to visit for the longest time. However, we never got around to doing it – until recently.
I had the absolute pleasure of being the ‘tour guide’ of former Bb Pilipinas Universe Karen Agustin-Ostrea and her family while they were in KL. We actually invited Karen to conduct a personality development and etiquette seminar for embassy personnel and some members of the Filipino community. But more on that later. Back to the mosque.
We went on a weekday at around 2:30 pm, which is a great time to be there. It’s not so busy and not as hot despite the heat wave Malaysia is currently experiencing.
We entered the mosque through Entrance B where the office is nearest. From there, we were able to ask for the free tour and we were ushered into the cloak room where Karen and I were lent head scarves and a long dress that you pin on top of your outfit.
Personally, I like this more than the cloaks they give at the Pink Mosque in Putrajaya. Those are made of hot, heavy fabric and since it’s been worn by several people before you that day… It may not be at it’s best state when it’s your turn to borrow it.
The head scarves and dresses in Masjid Wilayah are made of light fabric, allowing for some air to keep you from sweating like crazy. Not to mention, the colours are light and rather pleasing to the eyes.These things really matter to me because having to wear something so hot and heavy in Malaysian weather can be a bit of a torture.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BDikNUEiqQx/
The tour is free of charge and on that day, our tour guide was Anwar. He’s a very informative guide with such a pleasant aura. He also seemed genuinely enthusiastic about having guests and was telling us so many stories about Islam. He talked about some common misconceptions as well as some interesting trivia about their religion.
He also asked a bit about Catholicism and we had a great and respectful discussion on how different we are yet still the same.
He says he wants more people to come see their mosque as it is quite a gem.
And he’s right.
Each room, nook, and cranny of the whole mosque boasts of intricate, well thought-of details that caught my eye. It actually leaves you in awe.
A lot of the mosque’s designs come from different structures all over the world but it actually reminds me of the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque in Turkey the most.
Anwar told us that Masjid Wilayah’s domes were actually modelled from Istanbul’s Blue Mosque – not just in shape but in actual size as well. The mosque’s complex is also a melting pot of Islamic art incorporating designs from Persian, Egyptian, Ottoman, Malay, and Moroccan architecture.
Karen, her husband, and their 7 month old baby Lila Raven
We were also able to explore the prayer rooms – both for male and female. Something we weren’t able to do at the Pink Mosque in Putrajaya since visitors are only allowed in a certain area of the main (male) prayer room.
Our guide also told us that visitors are allowed to observe how Muslims pray during their service – another thing that isn’t allowed in other mosques I’ve visited.
The main dome
If you’re looking for something new to visit in KL or if you want a mosque that you can tour quite peacefully (we were the only ‘tourists’ there!), Masjid Wilayah is a great choice. It’s only a 10 minute drive from the KL City Centre and is near Publika mall where you can grab a bite after.
At the end of our tour, Anwar brought us back to their office where we were given some water, information material on Islam, and even a fridge magnet of the mosque (great for those who collect magnets during their travels).
I really recommend this place. A lot more peaceful and less touristy than the other, more popular mosques. Will definitely be back with the husband as he’s kinda jealous we went here while he was at the office. 😉
More later.
Love,
Carol
