Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque

The Selangor state mosque at Shah Alam, finished in 1988 and known to everyone as the Blue Mosque, was built at a scale intended to be unmissable: the aluminium dome spans about fifty-one metres and stands nearly a hundred metres high, which put it among the largest religious domes anywhere when it opened, and the four minarets at 142.3 metres were the tallest in the world at the time. The blue and silver colouring comes from the dome finish and from the enormous areas of blue glass and pierced screens, which carry Quranic calligraphy in a continuous band and throw coloured light across the prayer hall. Capacity is around twenty-four thousand. Visitors are received at a side entrance with robes provided, and guided walk-throughs are usually offered free by volunteers.

What you actually see

• A 51-metre dome - among the largest religious domes built anywhere.
• Four 142-metre minarets - the tallest in the world when completed in 1988.
• Blue glass and calligraphy screens - throwing coloured light into the hall.
• Volunteer guides - free walk-throughs offered at the visitor entrance.

When to go

All year, outside prayer times; late afternoon for light in the hall. An hour.

Honest expectations

Closed to visitors at prayer times and around Friday midday. Robes and headscarves are required and lent. Shah Alam is a drive from Kuala Lumpur and awkward without a car.

Nearby

The Shah Alam lake gardens and the Selangor state museum are close.