National Mosque of Malaysia, Main Islamic temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The site is a modern Islamic building in Kuala Lumpur with a tall minaret and a star-shaped concrete roof. The grounds include water features around the prayer hall and lawns with palms that provide shade.
The government commissioned the construction after the country's independence to symbolize the new national direction. The site had previously been a Christian church since the early 1920s.
The temple serves as a main gathering point for Friday and festival prayers that draw worshippers from all parts of the city. Visitors can enter the open prayer hall and see the reading corners with Arabic calligraphy on the walls.
The prayer hall can be visited between prayer times, with women required to wear a headscarf and long clothing needed for both genders. A separate entrance leads visitors to the outer courtyards, from where the building can be viewed well.
The entire design adopts the form of umbrellas, with the main roof resembling an open umbrella and the top of the minaret a folded one. This visual language repeats in smaller structures and canopies throughout the complex.
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