It was already noon when, together with my guide, a taxi driver, arrived at the mosque grounds. It was just hot and humid and the heat unbearable. But then you see this oasis in the masjid grounds complete with palms, a pool, canal and modern Islamic architecture in the form of this beautiful mosque capped with a traditional dome.
There is more to visit in Alor Setar and outside the main capital center is the sprawling Al Bukhary Foundation complex. Within the 18 hectare sprawl with a souk/mall, university, among other structures is the impressive Masjid Albukhary (Al Bukhary Mosque) that tantalizes with its beautiful white buildings topped with lazuli domes.
The mosque and the complex, built by one of its local sons and Malaysia’s richest men, Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al Bukhary under his charitable arm, the Al Bukhary Foundation.
Though smaller in scale when compared to the state mosque, the Masjid Zahir, it nevertheless impresses with its plainer architecture but beautiful blue domes. As far as I can remember, my taxi driver/guide told me that craftsmen from a former Soviet Union state were brought in and worked on the dome with lapis lazuli.
I did not enter the buildings, said to have a 10,000 people capacity as I was already too tired and the heat was just too oppressing but I did had a great time photographing the place and was in awe of the architecture.
This trip made possible by Tourism Malaysia and AirAsia Zest.