National Mosque of Malaysia

Masjid Negara opened in 1965 as a national statement about what an independent Malaysia would look like, and the architects went deliberately modern rather than reaching for Moorish or Mughal forms: the main roof is a folded concrete star of eighteen points, read as the thirteen states and the five pillars, the minaret is a plain seventy-three-metre shaft, and the whole thing sits in gardens with reflecting pools and long open colonnades that keep it cool. It holds fifteen thousand people. The Makam Pahlawan, a mausoleum under a seven-pointed roof, holds the graves of several national figures. Visitors are welcome outside prayer times and robes are lent at the entrance; the interior of the main prayer hall is generally viewed from the edge rather than entered.

What you actually see

• A folded eighteen-point roof - the concrete star that replaced a dome.
• A 73-metre minaret - a plain shaft rather than a decorated tower.
• Reflecting pools and colonnades - the open gardens the mosque sits in.
• The Makam Pahlawan - the mausoleum of national figures alongside.

When to go

All year, outside prayer times; mornings are quietest. An hour.

Honest expectations

Closed to visitors during prayers and on Friday around midday - check the posted hours. Robes and headscarves are required and provided. The main hall is usually viewed from the doorway, not entered.

Nearby

The Islamic Arts Museum, Perdana Botanical Gardens and the old railway station are adjacent.