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As an expression of Malaysia’s unique multicultural heritage the Mosque of Steel is unlike mosques elsewhere in the country. The architecture draws on Chinese and German influences, without abandoning what Malaysians consider to be their traditional values, virtues and practices.
By ISMAIL LAGARDIEN
I had three days left in Kuala Lumpur before I returned to South Africa. After two years of back and forth, between South East Asia and South Africa, with brief stop-overs in Western Asia, I had concluded most of the research I set out to undertake for the book I should complete by the end of 2025.
It was a Saturday, and I was on the way to enjoy a few hours of lepak (hanging out) with friends before I left for Western Asia three days later. I made an unscheduled stop, at the Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin Mosque in Putrajaya, Malaysia’s capital (thanks to the generosity of Aminul Yani) to visit the Masjid Besi, the Steel Mosque, its colloquial name.
The Mosque of Steel is an architectural marvel that stands somewhat unobtrusively on a lake, close enough to the pink-domed Putra Mosque, to remain in view, but far enough to stand on its own, and display its daring and inventive architecture and design. The architecture of the Steel Mosque was not on my list of topics and sites of visit and exploration; the vernacular architecture of the Minangkabau of Sumatra (and the Malaysian state of Negeri Sembilan) was what captured my interest, and which I will explore further in the book.
Putrajaya’s Steel Mosque was named after the country’s 13th King, the Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin.
Upon entering the mosque there is an overwhelming sense of vastness, lightness, of open spaces, and an atmosphere which is quite unlike traditional mosques, that can at times be dark and cavernous with its deep reds, yellow, blue, and other dark hued coloured carpeting, and walls with quite explicit Arab motifs. There is a lightness about the Steel Mosque, which was built with of 6000 tonnes of reinforced stainless steel, which makes up about 70% of its structure.
As an expression of Malaysia’s unique multicultural heritage – in this sense it is probably vernacular in its architecture and design – the Mosque of Steel is unlike mosques elsewhere in the country, or in East and South East Asia, for that matter. The architecture draws on Chinese and German influences, without abandoning what Malaysians consider to be their traditional values, virtues and practices.
In its interiors you appreciate the uniqueness of its design. The mihrab, a glass structure, reaches up, and leads one’s gaze to a magnificent dome. The mihrab wall carries an inscription of Surah Al-Baqarah and Surah Ibrahim. I was hesitant to take pictures inside the mosque while people were at prayer.
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It was an especially hot and humid day, with the sun concealed by threatening dark rainclouds – a defining feature of the tropics. There is no air-conditioning in the Steel Mosque. The faithful at prayer are cooled by air flowing through large openings, semi-transparent stainless-steel mesh, with large, windowless openings for the flow of fresh air to protect worshippers from panas dan hujan; the heat and rain, or hot rain of the tropics.
The official description has it that the mosque’s natural ventilation and an air-cooling technology ‘employed a “light, airy and transparent” design concept’, that relies on natural ventilation, and an air-cooling technology – district cooling – which ensures that the air within the building stays cool without the use of fans or air conditioners. All the while, lattice screens of stainless steel along the walls of the main prayer hall allows air to flow freely – and ultrasonic technology is used to keep out pesky pigeons and other birds.
The mosque’s filigree facade flows seamlessly, visually at least, into rectangular openings of the mosque’s walls, crevices, nooks and the modular meandering structure. The structure is held in place with discreet bolts, and projects the transparency and openness that the designers of the mosque set to achieve.
The insides of the mosque, most notably the prayer hall, appear light grey and monochromatic – almost transparent in places – without being bland or uninspiring. The overriding architectural (social and spiritual) intent design is to emphasise harmony and co-existence. I did not stay for sunset, but the story goes that purposefully staged lighting brings the place to life in an air of openness and transparency ‘in a burst of illumination’.
I did not spend enough time at the Steel Mosque, nor have I made time to study its architectural details. When I left the mosque, I turned back to look, once again, for a minaret’s design. The Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin Mosque has no minaret. This sets the Mosque of Steel apart, even more, from traditional mosques around the world.
The minaret is one of the distinctive features of mosques across time and place. It serves as a focal point for local Muslim communities, and has traditionally been the place from whence the athaan is recited.
My visit to the Steel Mosque was memorable. I should, probably, have spent more time at the mosque, but it was not on my list of topics and sites for exploration, and anyway I was at the end of my visit to South East Asia.
