My Fascination With Mosques

Posted by : foongpc | Friday, June 11, 2010 | Published in

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Last year, I flew to a few countries in search of something. Something that you will never be able to guess. Despite not being a Muslim, I traveled all over the world in search of mosques!!

Would you believe me if I tell you that I have a certain fascination with these Islamic places of worship?

I was in Lahore, Pakistan visiting the Badshahi Mosque.



And then, I flew to Turkey to visit the Suleyman Mosque.



Can you guess where this mosque is located?



See those Hindu-Javanese "pagoda" style minarets? Don't they resemble the meru I talked about during my Bali trip? Yes! This is the Kudus Minar Mosque in Central Java, Indonesia.

I even went to Egypt famous for their pyramids in search of mosques! Here is the photo I took of Mohammed Ali Mosque in Egypt!



From Egypt, I flew to Mecca in Saudi Arabia for this famous Al-Haram Mosque.



Inside this mosque lies the Ka'bah - the holiest place in the world for all Muslims!

Do you like the fine architecture of this Al-Haram Mosque?



Believe it or not, I even went to Iran for the blue coloured Sheikh Lutfallah Mosque!



Closer to home, I took a photo of our famous National Mosque in KL.



OK, I have a confession to make.



I did not fly around the world in search of mosques. No, I am not that obsessed with mosques.

But I swear I took these photos. They are all genuine photos and not photos I stole from the Internet or elsewhere.

If you look at the photos carefully, you might or you might not detect something suspicious about them.

I have tried my best to cover them up. Any evidence to show that these mosques are not what they seem were carefully taken out.

Oh, these mosques exist all right. However, they are all a fraction of the sizes of the real, actual mosques.

And they are all contained in this place called Taman Tamadun Islam in Kuala Terengganu. Heard of the place? Well, that's where me and my friend went to kill time while waiting for our delayed flight back to KL.

In case you do not know what I am talking about, read my previous post.

In my next post, I shall show you more photos of mosques from China, Thailand, Iraq, India and Niger just to name a few. Oh! Also don't miss the famous Crystal Mosque of Terengganu, which I shall also blog about next!

Meantime, have a great weekend, everyone! : )

FIRST COMMENTER

(124) Comments

  1. Cloudia said...

    Salaam!




    Aloha from Waikiki

    Comfort Spiral

    June 11, 2010 at 5:04 AM
  2. manglish said...

    amazing architectural designs eh....

    June 11, 2010 at 5:29 AM
  3. Anonymous

    I thought u really flew to all these places! haha. nice one bro. ;)

    June 11, 2010 at 6:11 AM
  4. Bengbeng said...

    u omos had me fooled. i actually believed the tale u spun

    June 11, 2010 at 7:31 AM
  5. Reanaclaire said...

    foong, they allow u to go in and snap? or it is just the exterior? :P

    June 11, 2010 at 8:07 AM
  6. Anonymous

    I knew the flying all over the world to view mosques sounds untrue...haha.

    I have only visited the Blue Mosque in Turkey.

    June 11, 2010 at 8:12 AM
  7. Caroline said...

    lol u traveled around the world for MOSQUES?!

    Amazing PANDA huh?! LOL

    June 11, 2010 at 8:29 AM
  8. wenn said...

    How i wish all those replicas existed when i was doing my assignment for tamaddun islam..

    June 11, 2010 at 8:35 AM
  9. khengsiong said...

    Look like real ones... at least on photos.

    But, non-Muslims are not allowed to enter Mecca.

    June 11, 2010 at 8:38 AM
  10. lina said...

    yeee..... you almost had me fooled.

    As always, there's a catch to Foong's post. Can never believe you oredi! ;)

    June 11, 2010 at 8:45 AM
  11. lina said...

    I have no idea there's something like this in Terengganu.
    I shoulkd definitely go and visit when we go back to Zaini's hometown someday.... :)

    June 11, 2010 at 8:46 AM
  12. Tekkaus said...

    You flew to a few countries? Really? :p

    June 11, 2010 at 9:08 AM
  13. Tekkaus said...

    How come you have this fascination with islamic places of worship? Because of the architecture? :)

    June 11, 2010 at 9:09 AM
  14. Tekkaus said...

    So that is the replica of Badshahi Mosque? :p Or is it the real thing?

    June 11, 2010 at 9:10 AM
  15. Tekkaus said...

    Wow...so soon you were already in Turkey? :p Suleyman Mosque aye.

    June 11, 2010 at 9:11 AM
  16. Tekkaus said...

    So the next one is like the one in Bali? :p Looks a little bit weird ler.

    June 11, 2010 at 9:11 AM
  17. Tekkaus said...

    Wow....you even flew to Egypt ha. :p But the Mohammed Ali Mosque looks more like a place than a mosque. :)

    June 11, 2010 at 9:12 AM
  18. Tekkaus said...

    I love the Al-haram Mosque. But why it is called Haram? Any idea bro? Since you are so fascinated with mosque? What's with that name? :/

    June 11, 2010 at 9:13 AM
  19. Tekkaus said...

    Ouh...so you also traveled to Iran peeked at Sheikh Lutfallah Mosque? This is gorgeous. All in blue. :)

    June 11, 2010 at 9:13 AM
  20. Tekkaus said...

    Hahaha :D I know from the start they were replicas. :p Because....in all your photos...there is no one at all. :p

    June 11, 2010 at 9:14 AM
  21. hotels seminyak said...

    hi can we exchange links

    June 11, 2010 at 10:16 AM
  22. Anonymous

    Tekkaus: Haram in Arabic means Holy. So by means here it means Holy Mosque. Foong, hope u dont mind I replied to Tekkaus. :)

    Churces has good architecture too. Especially those built hundreds of years ago. :D

    P/s: Foong, 1st of April already passed for 2 months. LOL!

    June 11, 2010 at 10:42 AM
  23. Isley Chang~ said...

    when you say you flew to mecca from Egypt to snap Al-Haram. I know this is not true dy. haha...

    anyway, thanks for the T.T.I info

    June 11, 2010 at 10:49 AM
  24. xin said...

    LOL. nice pics nonetheless :P

    June 11, 2010 at 11:17 AM
  25. Becklee said...

    I stopped believing you when you mentioned you flew to Mecca in Saudi Arabia because non-muslims are not allowed to go there.

    June 11, 2010 at 11:23 AM
  26. Caroline said...

    aiya.. been so busy n now only got time read back. WTH!! NOT TRUE ONE!! grrr!!

    June 11, 2010 at 12:09 PM
  27. Caroline said...

    anyway, love those pictures ! =D dnt worry i bet u sure have the chances to visit all the mosques around the world! =D

    June 11, 2010 at 12:11 PM
  28. HappySurfer said...

    Beautiful structures. I've read about this museum in Terengganu. Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to the others.

    I've only visited the mosque in Putrajaya.

    June 11, 2010 at 2:24 PM
  29. A said...

    Hahahaha!!! You got me! I thought for sure you were a jet setter! :D What an awesome job you did of editing the photos to make it seem like you were there! :)

    June 11, 2010 at 3:09 PM
  30. A said...

    It's my first time to be here on your very first blog! :) Yay me! :)

    June 11, 2010 at 3:10 PM
  31. A said...

    If you don't see me here often I hope you don't think I have forgotten you, I won't.. :) Just know that I'll be busy selling viagra and ghost writing for other people.. LOL

    See you on twitter! :)

    June 11, 2010 at 3:11 PM
  32. Unseen Rajasthan said...

    Simply Beautiful,lovely and fantastic !!I loved the post !!Thanks for sharing !!Unseen Rajasthan

    June 11, 2010 at 3:20 PM
  33. web development services said...

    Thanks for the clarification otherwise i was seriously wondering that you went all around the world in search of Mosques.Do come to India if you are really fascinated with mosques.You won't be disappointed.

    June 11, 2010 at 3:30 PM
  34. iamthewitch said...

    Wah almost got me there! I KNEW you wouldn't be so adventurous as to fly all over the world just for mosques! :P

    June 11, 2010 at 4:23 PM
  35. Merryn said...

    chey! i almost wanted to say that in ur past life, the panda must have been sembahyang-ing to the kiblat direction.. hence ur fascination with mosque... tapi, rupa-rupanya... :P

    nice shot though.. i'd be fooled :D

    June 11, 2010 at 9:44 PM
  36. Che-Cheh said...

    Adui I thought you betul2 fascinated with mosques!

    June 11, 2010 at 9:54 PM
  37. [SK] said...

    hahaha, as i read through, i already know you are trying to fool around with those photos..

    June 11, 2010 at 11:52 PM
  38. [SK] said...

    i really don't believe you've been to so many countries.. the 1st couple of photos may have made me believe, but as i scroll on, uh-uh, it just can't be real..

    June 11, 2010 at 11:52 PM
  39. [SK] said...

    but you very good huh, the photos look very real.. can't really sense they are not the real ones.. the way you capture them make them look like the real thing..

    June 11, 2010 at 11:54 PM
  40. [SK] said...

    ok, i think i know the trick.. to shot from the bottom to the top, so the "building" looks more erected.. haha!!

    June 11, 2010 at 11:55 PM
  41. [SK] said...

    i didn't know there's such a place in kuala terengganu at all.. hmm, maybe i've not been to kuala terengganu actually, hahaha!!

    June 11, 2010 at 11:55 PM
  42. [SK] said...

    actually i think mosques do have nice architectural structure.. the moors design is so significant and so characteristic..

    June 11, 2010 at 11:57 PM
  43. [SK] said...

    but where is the famous Sofia Mosque in Turkey?? i think that's a very nice structure.. i want to go there and see..

    June 11, 2010 at 11:58 PM
  44. [SK] said...

    ok, so the Crystal Mosque in your next post.. is it a real thing, or just one of the models in the Taman??

    June 11, 2010 at 11:59 PM
  45. foongpc said...

    cloudia, aloha! : )

    June 12, 2010 at 1:45 AM
  46. foongpc said...

    manglish, yes amazing indeed : )

    June 12, 2010 at 1:45 AM
  47. foongpc said...

    husni zm, you fell for my trick? Haha! Btw, thanks for visiting my blog! : )

    June 12, 2010 at 1:46 AM
  48. foongpc said...

    bengbeng, you believed me? Haha!

    June 12, 2010 at 1:47 AM
  49. foongpc said...

    reanaclaire, yes you are allowed to go in but some are too small for you to go in. Haha!

    June 12, 2010 at 1:48 AM
  50. foongpc said...

    mei teng, oh you have visited the mosque in Turkey? Cool!

    June 12, 2010 at 1:49 AM
  51. foongpc said...

    caroline ng, yeah I am an amazing panda! LOL!

    June 12, 2010 at 1:49 AM
  52. foongpc said...

    wenn, a little too late for you? Haha.

    June 12, 2010 at 1:50 AM
  53. foongpc said...

    khengsiong, haha they do look real don't they? And yes, you are right about non Muslims not allowed to enter Mecca : )

    June 12, 2010 at 1:51 AM
  54. foongpc said...

    lina, haha! You also kena tricked? Yes, you should go visit this place when you go back to Zaini's hometown : )

    June 12, 2010 at 1:52 AM
  55. foongpc said...

    tekkaus, about the Al-Haram Mosque, please refer to the answer by Husni Zm above! : )

    Oh so smart of you to know it's all a trick - but then usually when I take photos, I avoid taking photos of people so that explains the empty surroundings : )

    June 12, 2010 at 1:55 AM
  56. foongpc said...

    hotel seminyak, sure : )

    June 12, 2010 at 1:55 AM
  57. foongpc said...

    husni zm, no I don't mind at all, in fact thanks for your reply to Tekkaus' question!

    I know now is June and no longer April 1st, but if I were to put up this post on April Fools Day, no one will fall for it! LOL!

    June 12, 2010 at 1:58 AM
  58. foongpc said...

    isley chang, haha! Smart! : )

    June 12, 2010 at 1:58 AM
  59. foongpc said...

    xin, thanks! : )

    June 12, 2010 at 1:59 AM
  60. foongpc said...

    becklee, haha! Good for you! : )

    June 12, 2010 at 1:59 AM
  61. foongpc said...

    caroline ng, haha, you also kena tricked? Sure la only 12 years old! LOL!

    Thanks for loving those pictures! : )

    June 12, 2010 at 2:00 AM
  62. foongpc said...

    happysurfer, yes I've visited the Putrajaya Mosque too. Next post coming up soon! : )

    June 12, 2010 at 2:01 AM
  63. foongpc said...

    ane, thanks for visiting my blog! So you got fooled by me too? Good! Haha! Enjoy your viagra selling and ghost writing! : )

    June 12, 2010 at 2:02 AM
  64. foongpc said...

    unseen rajasthan, you are welcome! : )

    June 12, 2010 at 2:02 AM
  65. foongpc said...

    web development services, haha! Oh, India has a lot of mosques? I know I want to visit Taj Mahal!! : )

    June 12, 2010 at 2:03 AM
  66. foongpc said...

    iamthewitch, haha! Almost got you there! LOL!

    June 12, 2010 at 2:04 AM
  67. foongpc said...

    merryn, OMG! Praying in the kiblat direction in my past life? That's very imaginative of you! LOL!

    June 12, 2010 at 2:05 AM
  68. foongpc said...

    che-cheh, haha! Kena tricked? : )

    June 12, 2010 at 2:06 AM
  69. foongpc said...

    SK, haha so as you scrolled further down, my story became less and less believable right? LOL!

    Yes, the mosques do have nice architectural structures. Actually, I did not really lie when I said I am fascinated with them.

    The Crystal Mosque is the real thing and not a model like all the mosques in these photos here. Haha!

    June 12, 2010 at 2:09 AM
  70. Monica said...

    hahahahah i don't believe u when u said u traveled all over the world in search of mosques :D

    June 12, 2010 at 2:24 AM
  71. Monica said...

    hmm i've never been to Terengganu..

    June 12, 2010 at 2:26 AM
  72. Cloudia said...

    Thank you for that link! I would love for new people to order my story at Amazon.com and to feel the love & wisdom of Hawaii as YOU, Foong, show us such a wonderful country!

    Salaam & Aloha from Waikiki

    Comfort Spiral

    June 12, 2010 at 2:54 AM
  73. [SK] said...

    yeah, you know i am a smart guy and think logically right?? so when you say you see every one of those mosques as if you've travelled around the globe, i started to suspect already..

    June 12, 2010 at 12:46 PM
  74. [SK] said...

    haha, i suddenly imagine if you also show your hair legs with those model, sure we know it's fake one.. kekeke :p

    June 12, 2010 at 12:46 PM
  75. [SK] said...

    ok ok, looking forward to the Crystal Mosque, the name is already very attractive..

    June 12, 2010 at 12:47 PM
  76. [SK] said...

    ooopsss, make sure you didn't drop your leg hair on the crystals, it'll just ruined the beauty of them~~ :D

    June 12, 2010 at 12:48 PM
  77. Ayie said...

    hi foong!!

    happy weekend!

    I'm finally here again =)

    June 12, 2010 at 1:04 PM
  78. Ayie said...

    we used to draw a lot of mosques before during college...there are some that are great in terms of architecture and design

    June 12, 2010 at 1:05 PM
  79. Ishmael F. Ahab said...

    You got me there oh Panda. ^_^

    Mosques' architecture are really great. Especially those that were built during Islam's golden age.

    June 12, 2010 at 6:37 PM
  80. David Funk said...

    LOL! You got me as well being a world traveler. Living in America, these mosques are things I don't see much except for those that post them on the internet. Still, they are fascinating to look at! The architecture for them are amazing!

    Thanks for posting!

    June 12, 2010 at 11:58 PM
  81. bluecrystaldude said...

    Hi Foongpc,

    Yeah! Finally I managed to squeeze my time to drop a comment here. Hehe. Hey, beautiful mosques you have here :)

    June 13, 2010 at 1:51 AM
  82. bluecrystaldude said...

    Oh and I already link your site (this site) in My Little Black Pot and also under Malaysian Blogroll in Hot Shit Form Here. If you have any sites/blogs that I haven't linked yet, please drop me a comment :) I will link you ASAP :)

    June 13, 2010 at 1:52 AM
  83. bluedreamer27 said...

    wow... they are so nice...

    June 13, 2010 at 9:25 AM
  84. bluedreamer27 said...

    i never been in any mosque...

    June 13, 2010 at 9:25 AM
  85. bluedreamer27 said...

    wow this is only a sign that you travel in so many places already... cool

    June 13, 2010 at 9:27 AM
  86. eiling lim said...

    wah that is quite a number of mosques! I'm impressed!

    June 13, 2010 at 9:47 PM
  87. இ Baŋäŋaz இ said...

    Last year you were talking so much about Guilin and no word mentioned about even a Mosque in China and all of a sudden flying in out up down visiting Mosques? No way..Panda!! haha. My very first experience in visiting a Mosque was in Cairo. Oh unable to find a better word to describe the feelings I had while standing right in front of the qiblah wall. Awesome..tQ.

    June 13, 2010 at 11:30 PM
  88. Rithun said...

    Thanks for the post especially for those lovely pictures. I also belong to a non-Muslim community but I have interest in Muslim architecture. The outside decoration of Al-Haram Mosque is superb. Thanks once again. Bye.

    June 15, 2010 at 5:52 PM
  89. Nabil Fikri said...

    I just came back frm Terengganu!! hehe. I went to the same place also. Interesting! =)

    June 15, 2010 at 5:58 PM
  90. Instantdocs said...

    First of all I must thank you for your effort. Might the pictures be gathered from the Internet, still I must praise your effort. The architectural style of the Kudus Minar Mosque is a unique combination of the Hindu-Javanese style with the Mughal style. This type of mosque is few in number and found only in certain parts of Indonesia.

    June 15, 2010 at 7:35 PM
  91. LifeRamblings said...

    i've visited the Taj Mahal and a few mosques in Turkey. they are magnificent.

    June 15, 2010 at 8:57 PM
  92. LifeRamblings said...

    i also refused to believe you travelled all over the world in search of mosques, sounds untrue.

    June 15, 2010 at 9:01 PM
  93. foongpc said...

    monica, I'm sure you don't! Haha! Never been to Terengganu? You should go there! : )

    June 16, 2010 at 3:26 PM
  94. foongpc said...

    cloudia, you are welcome : )

    June 16, 2010 at 3:27 PM
  95. foongpc said...

    SK, smart guy? Haha! Please don't flatter yourself. LOL!

    Haha, don't worry no hair on those crystals! LOL!

    June 16, 2010 at 3:29 PM
  96. foongpc said...

    ayie, welcome back!! Oh you used to draw a lot of mosques? Interesting!

    June 16, 2010 at 3:29 PM
  97. foongpc said...

    ishmael, did I get you? Haha! Yes I am quite fascinated by the architecture and this is the truth! : )

    June 16, 2010 at 3:30 PM
  98. foongpc said...

    david funk, hi David! Thanks for dropping by! : )

    June 16, 2010 at 3:31 PM
  99. foongpc said...

    bluecrystaldude, thanks for dropping by! Sorry have not linked yours yet! Wait let me do it now : )

    June 16, 2010 at 3:32 PM
  100. foongpc said...

    bluedreamer27, never been to any mosques? You should go visit one!

    Actually, the above photos are replicas not the real thing! So no, I did not travel to all those places! : )

    June 16, 2010 at 3:33 PM
  101. foongpc said...

    eiling lim, I hope you did not think I visited the real mosques or did you? These are replicas! : )

    June 16, 2010 at 3:35 PM
  102. foongpc said...

    bananaz, haha! Didn't get you did I? LOL! Wow! Cairo! I haven't been there before!

    June 16, 2010 at 3:36 PM
  103. foongpc said...

    rithun, you are welcome : )

    June 16, 2010 at 3:36 PM
  104. foongpc said...

    nabil, Hi Nabil!! Thanks for dropping by my blog! So you went there too? Haha! I saw your tweet and quickly tweeted you that time - hope you enjoyed yourself in Terengganu! : )

    June 16, 2010 at 3:37 PM
  105. foongpc said...

    instantdocs, no the pictures of these mosques were taken by me using my own camera. The mosques here were all replicas : )

    June 16, 2010 at 3:38 PM
  106. foongpc said...

    life ramblings, oh! I wish I can go visit Taj Mahal one day! Haha! I'm sure you don't believe me, it sounded too far-fetched right? : )

    June 16, 2010 at 3:40 PM
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  108. Bobby said...

    Excellent photos. Nice architecture.
    Thanks for sharing such nice photos specially blue coloured Sheikh Lutfallah Mosque is so beautiful.National Mosque in KL is amazing.
    Happy Weekend.

    June 19, 2010 at 4:07 PM
  109. foongpc said...

    hanging lamps, you are welcome! Thanks for dropping by : )

    June 22, 2010 at 1:40 AM
  110. foongpc said...

    bobby, thanks! Happy weekend to you too : )

    June 22, 2010 at 1:40 AM
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