Kota Kinabalu City Mosque

The city mosque at Likas was completed in the late 1990s on a man-made lagoon, so that at high water it appears to float and reflects almost completely. The design follows the Nabawi mosque at Medina in general form: a large central dome in blue and gold, four minarets, and rows of smaller domes over the surrounding galleries. It holds several thousand worshippers and serves as the city mosque, distinct from the larger state mosque a few kilometres away. Visitors are admitted outside prayer times and lent robes at a counter near the entrance. The best view is not from inside but from the far bank of the lagoon, where the reflection is complete and Mount Kinabalu occasionally shows behind on clear mornings.

What you actually see

• The lagoon reflection - the whole building mirrored in still water when the level is high.
• The blue and gold dome - the central dome above the prayer hall, flanked by four minarets.
• The arcaded galleries - rows of small domes over the covered walkways around the courtyard.
• The far bank viewpoint - the standard vantage across the water, best in early light.

When to go

Sunrise and the hour after are the reason to come, when the water is still, the light is soft and the reflection is clean. Visiting hours for non-worshippers are limited and exclude prayer times and Friday midday. Reflections depend on the lagoon level, which varies. Cover shoulders, legs and hair; robes are available at the entrance.

Honest expectations

The interior is plain and modern, and the visit is really about one photograph taken from outside. Access times are short and change, so a taxi ride can end at a locked gate. The lagoon is sometimes drained or low, which removes the reflection entirely. Rubbish along parts of the bank spoils the foreground, and the surrounding roads are busy.

Nearby

Likas Bay, the Sabah state museum and central Kota Kinabalu are all a short drive south.