Bandar Seri Begawan

17 Apr 2015 – Brunei’s Capital

Thu: Yashreen, one of the attachments had to make a presentation at school in town. Took the opportunity to see a bit of the capital, app 70km and an hour drive on the highway from the farm.

These 2 mosque were on my list to see.

Jame’Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque locally known as the Kiarong Mosque, built in 1992 and is Brunei’s largest mosque is to celebrate the 25th year of the current sultan’s reign.

I wonder how many tons of marble is used for the entrance stairs and the 30+outdoor benches??

A mosque that is indescribable! The architecture is amazing! There are 29 gold domes, all of 24K gold-plated! Boy, do they ever shine in the sun! The fence posts are 18k gold. The fountains are beautiful.

The long hall to hold shoes is unbelievable. If you go, ladies must have a scarf for her head. No shorts. Pix not allowed indoors.

Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque is an Islamic mosque, considered as one of the most beautiful mosques in the Asia Pacific, a major landmark and a tourist attraction of Brunei.

Built in an artificial lagoon on the banks of the Brunei River at Kampong Ayer – the ‘village in the water. The mosque has marble minarets and golden domes, a courtyard and is surrounded by a large number of trees and floral gardens. A marble bridge leads to a structure in the lagoon meant as a replica of a 16th Century Sultan Bolkiah Mahligai Barge.

The barge itself was completed in 1967 to commemorate the 1,400th anniversary of Nuzul Al-Quran and was used to stage the Quran reading competitions.

Kampong Ayer, or the Water Village is situated over Brunei Bay. 39,000 people live in there, roughly ten percent of the nation’s total population. All of the Water Village buildings are constructed on stilts above the Brunei River.