Melaka Straits Mosque

Masjid Selat Melaka was completed in 2006 on Pulau Melaka, a reclaimed island off the city, and it is built out over the water on piles so that at high tide the base disappears and the building reads as floating on the Strait - which is the entire reason it has become one of the most photographed mosques in the country. The style mixes Middle Eastern forms with Malay elements, in cream stone with a gold-toned dome and a minaret that doubles as a lighthouse-like marker; the stained glass is modern and the interior is comparatively plain. Sunset is the moment, with the sun going down over the water directly behind it, and there is usually a crowd of photographers on the walkway for it. At low tide the illusion disappears entirely and the piles are exposed.

What you actually see

• A mosque over the water - built on piles into the Strait off the reclaimed island.
• The floating effect - visible only at high tide, gone at low water.
• Sunset over the Strait - the sun setting directly behind the building.
• A gold-toned dome and minaret - the marker visible from the shore road.

When to go

All year; high tide at sunset for the effect. An hour.

Honest expectations

At low tide it plainly stands on stilts and the photograph does not work - check the tide. Closed to visitors at prayer times. Sunset brings crowds and traffic on the causeway.

Nearby

Malacca old town and the river are a short drive east.