The Federal Territory Mosque or Masjid Wilayah Persekutuan, is a major mosque in Kuala Lumpur. The beautifully-designed mosque is also commonly known as Masjid Wilayah to the locals. It is the 44th mosque built by the Government within the Kuala Lumpur city limits.
The mosque is located on a 13.4 hectare piece of land near the MATRADE complex and the Federal Governmental Complex of Jalan Duta. Masjid Wilayah was built by the Public Works Department, JKR at a cost of RM255 million. Masjid Wilayah construction began on 15 March 1996, and was opened on 30 August 2000. The mosque has a floor area of 47,000 square meters and can accommodate 17,000 devotees at one time.
The mosque bears Muslim influences from the Middle Eastern culture, especially in the architecture of the Blue Mosque of Istanbul, Turkey. It features 22 domes comprises of a main dome, a few half-domes, a semi-circular vault and other small domes.
The domes are made from composite material which comprises glass fibre fabric that is mixed with epoxy resin harderner to make it durable and light. Unlike conventional concrete domes of previously-constructed mosques which could possibly “crumble or crack” over a period of time, composite domes are constructed in the form of separate panels that are bolted together during assembly.
The Beautiful Masjid Wilayah
The Federal Territory Mosque Kuala Lumpur is definitely one of the grandest mosques in the world. The mosque’s soaring twenty-eight metre-high entrance gateway is a masterpiece of white marble inlaid with dark green granite calligraphy from the Qur’an. Inside the Masjid Wilayah, you can see a dazzling mihrab prayer wall carved in a carved marble floral arabesque, inlaid with semi-precious stones.
The carved marble at the Mihrab and the gateway of the main entrance are specially flown in from India (similar to those used in the building of the Taj Mahal) and carved by Indian carvers (descendants of the original carvers of the Taj Mahal).The Muqarnas at the Mihrab is Iranian in design. It is made from the Makrana marble originating from India.
The Cascading Man-Made Waterfall At The Federal Territory Mosque
The Federal Territory Mosque embraced the landscape concept of a mosque within a garden, reminiscing the past palatial garden of the Islamic realm. The garden, complete with walkway and fountains, compliments the mosque as the center of learning, research, and recreational. Facilities for community service includes a multi-purpose hall and a dining hall for the public. Educational facilities includes nursery, pre-school, school, hostel, library and computer room.
There is an Islamic school within the Masjid Wilayah compund. There is a pre-school for five and six year olds and the main school is for seven to 12-year-olds. The children attend Islamic school for two hours daily as well as the usual day school.The school teaches children how to pray, how to take their ablutions, moral education and Arabic for reading the Quran.
The multi-purpose hall holds 1,200 people and is used for Islamic forums, conferences and exhibitions. The dining hall caters for 750 at weddings and social occasions. A large library is available for Islamic research.
There is a beautiful VIP room, with luxurious soft furnishings and Islamic art features, this being reserved for the King, visitors from overseas and VIP explorers! Separate greeting areas are for ladies and men. A separate conference room is available for press reporting.
The Federal Territory Mosque is the first mosque in Malaysia with air-cond and the first with a reversible escalator, adapted for bare feet! It is also the second mosque with a central chandelier with no bulbs.
Almost everything about the Federal Territory Mosque is fascinating! From the calligraphy carved in Egyptian plaster with gold leaf by Iranian workers, to the beautiful hardwood doors featuring local plants & flowers motifs carved by thirty traditional carpenters from Trengganu and Kelantan — you’re bound to be awed by the grandeur of this mosque.
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