Colombo, capital of Sri Lanka and has many places of interest including several places of religious worship. The attractions of Colombo draw hordes of visitors and many options are available for visitors seeking a hotel in Colombo. For those seeking up city accommodation such as Ramada Colombo, which is conveniently located near iconic Galle Face Green, would be a good option.
Pettah is one of Colombo’s oldest sections and is a maze of narrow streets criss-crossing each other. The unique Red Mosque or the Jamiul Alfar Masjid lies at the end of Second Cross Street near the junction with Bankshall Street. Its domes and minarets can be seen even from a couple of miles away. This Mosque derives its name from its predominant colour red and is known as the Samman Kottu Palli in Tamil.
The land for the Mosque was bought by Muslims of Indian Origin and the work on the building inclusive of a clock tower was started in 1908 and finished in 1909. The designer and builder H.L. Saibo Lebbe was influenced by the Indo Saracenic form of architecture – a style developed by the British in India in the late 19th century. It is a hybrid style combining elements of Indo-Islam, Indian, Gothic revival and Neo Classical styles. The red bricks have striped, chequered, spiral and jagged white designs. The mosque’s domes have a pomegranate shape and the flat roof on the top gives a good view of the surroundings. Another unusual feature is the use of four huge teak trees from Puttalam as supporting columns. Expansion work has been undertaken to enable the Mosque to house 10,000 worshippers. The old section of Colombo’s National Eye Hospital resembles the architecture of the Red Mosque.
The National Trust of Sri Lanka states “Despite being located in one of Colombo’s most congested commercial districts, the building’s strong architectural form and the unusual color combination make the mosque dominate Pettah’s narrow streetscape. The building also displays a clever and astonishing architectural solution in a tight urban site.”
Auburn Silver is a travel writer who has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world. Google+