Friday prayers at the Muhammadi mosque

Continued from A more relaxed look at Kota Bahru.

After parking the car at a clearer area a distance away I walked to the main mosque of Kota Bahru, the Muhammadi mosque.

It was soon raining as I relaxed at the roofed pathway just outside the mosque's compound.

From here I could see some rushing to get inside the mosque. Wait a minute. Is this fella rushing to the men's instead? :]

By then the mosque was almost full.

With the sermon still in full blow coming out from the speakers I knew I still have some time to walk around. Here's view from the main entrance to the compound.

I took time to enjoy the scene outside with the hawkers before rushing back to mosque immediately upon hearing the final call to prayer.

Here's a picture after the Friday prayers.

Some of the crowd getting out.

Others prefer to take their time enjoying the peaceful atmosphere of the mosque.

As for me it's time to snap more pictures without the crowd blocking...

The praying hall. This is actually the second praying hall. I understand it is for women but as Friday prayers are compulsory for men but not for women it is used for men on Fridays.

The men's hall which is the main praying hall lies inside the main building besides.

Going into the main hall...

A more relaxed look at Kota Bahru

Continued from A quick look of the Kelantan river from the Kota Bahru bridge.


While the bridge was busy the city of Kota Bahru itself was very quiet in contrast.

You see Fridays are holidays in Kelantan along with Saturdays, not Sundays.

In fact Fridays were holidays for all Malay states before the British (or rather the English) colonialists came and brought the concept of weekends which start with Saturdays and end with Sundays.

This is because the compulsory congregational prayers for men is conducted on Friday afternoons. Thus the day is made a rest day so the men can converge in peace without any rush to conduct businesses.

There. I could see cars lining up near the main mosque for the prayers.

But it was still more than an hour before the actual prayers start.

So I still have time to drive around and enjoy the quiet streets. Contrast this to when we arrived in Kota Bahru 6 days before when it was getting dark. Look at the article Rushing through Kota Bahru made almost 2 months ago.

Mind you in Kelantan most shops are closed on Fridays.

For those who conduct business on Fridays they close shop in the afternoon for employees to attend the Friday prayers and have lunch.

My wife wanted me to drop her and the kids somewhere before I join the prayers.

She wanted to shop for clothes for the kids and I have to go around to find the right place.

Thank God there was a textile shop open. So I dropped them there before heading back to the mosque.

A quick look of the Kelantan river from the Kota Bahru bridge

Peace be upon you all. Continuing (again?) stories on the trip to the East Coast.

Friday 31st December 2010 after spending the night at Kutan and going to places around Tumpat and Wakaf Baru in the morning we crossed the bridge to get to the city of Kota Bahru.

The bridge offers a superb look at the Kelantan river. Unfortunately there is no place for stopping cars and it was very busy. Nevertheless I tried to snap pictures as a I drove across. Here's a look upriver which is to the south.


The bridge is quite long as the Kelantan river is wide...


Here's a look downriver which is to the north. Notice the tall buildings? It was near there that pictures inside the article The Kelantan river near the royal jetty at Kota Bahru were taken.