Masjid Omar Ali Saifuddien, or the Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, named after the 28th Sultan of Brunei Darussalam, HM Sultan Haji Sir Muda Omar Ali Safuddien Sa'adul Khairi Waddien.
Built in the early 1950's, one of the most oldest, if not the oldest, mosque in Brunei.
This is also one of the most photographed structures in Brunei, coming to Brunei without seeing or having a photo of the mosque can be considered as incomplete, as it is situated at the very heart of the capital of Brunei, Bandar Seri Begawan.
Masjid Omar Ali Saifuddien, was built within the vicinity of Kampung Ayer (Water Village), whereby, during that era, more than 50,000 people were still living in Kampung Ayer hence the location.
With a classic Islamic architectural design, dome made of gold plated mosaic, marble flooring, hand-made stained glass windows, handcrafted carpets and minaret of over 50m in height, it is indeed a magnificient piece of structure, and considered among one of the most magnificient in Asia, if not the World.
The mosque is also surrounded by a lagoon, but there are water outlet flowing to and from the Kedayan River.
In the middle of the lagoon, one cannot miss to see a concrete ship which resemble a "Royal Vehicle" during the 16 century. This concrete ship was once used for the competition of the recital of the holy Al-Quran.
The main hall of the mosque can accomodate about 3,000 worshipper at one time, but I still remember the time back in the early 1980's or even before that perhaps, when the water villages were still heavily populated, and especially during festive seasons e.g. Hari Raya Aidil Fitri (Eid Mubarak), people will throng the mosque in thousands, where the main road behind the mosque was covered with praying mat, and those praying on the grass under the trees can consider themselves "fortunate" ;).... and during these times, the number can easily be more than double of that above.
BTW, some tips for those who wanted to visit the mosque:
1. Shoes/slippers/sandal or any footwear are not allowed inside the mosque, please leave your footwear outside the mosque (there are special areas allocated for storing the footwear)
2. Wear decent clothing which covers your body and down till your knee. Shorts, mini skirts are not allowed. (But If I am not mistaken, robes are available at the mosque if one need them)
3. Please do not disturb any worshipper who are in their prayers, unless they say hi to you first. :).
4. Smile and not to worry, visitors are welcome anytime, except during prayer times, (Please consult the tour guide, or the mosque notice board, or the mosque personnel regarding the permissible time)
Well, I guess with that, I will leave you with some images of the mosque from various angle and different time of the day. ;)
... solitude....
.. ablution area...
... the "concrete ship" ...
... the golden domes...
... reflection....
... at nite ....
...view from the nearby shopping complex... and in the foreground The Beatles wannabe.. crossing the road... Abbey Road... naaaaah... they are just crossing the Bandar Road......
eeerrr.. speaking of road crossing ..... so why did the chicken cross the road? (Highlight below for the answer)
Granny : "In my day, we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Someone told us that the chicken had crossed the road, and that was good enough for us."
... another different mosque at the other side of the river...
Golf ... one of the most talk about sports nowaday.... families & friends are continuously persuading me to go the green with them .. though I managed to go to numerous driving ranges in Brunei & Australia, be it the real turf, man-made turf or even those multi-storeys driving range... and also hit some balls .. but I still have not got the chance to go the actual green hehe .. I dunno.. not now perhaps... furthermore thinking of the actual cost of owning the club sets etc.. etc .. and with my photography interest.. Huahahaha that will gonna cost me a fortune .. unless I can make some money out of them.. then that will be a different case... btw name me some people who are really into golf and photography... if u can tell me.. they must have some big income.. and I'd love to do "business" with them ...Anyway if anyone of u are wondering just how much each of them cost these are the rough figures...GOLF: A simple golf set will cost u somewhere in the region of BND1000++ ... but it is just a very basic set, the cost will be much more higher once u indulge into a branded and ultra modern set with those carbon fibre shaft or even "Tailor-Made" , hehe excuse the pun.PHOTOGRAPHY: A simple digital point & shoot camera can cost u few hundred dollars, but if u really fiddle with some knobs, then the cheapest Digital SLR can cost u around the B$2k +/- ... and with additional lens, speed flash, memory cards etc etc .. can get u easily to more than B$5k and if U are a pro. then the equipment can be in the 5 digit zone hehehe ... Well enuff of that.... the Golf Asian Tour, the 1st Brunei Open was held in 2005 and this year around end of August 2006, it will also be held in the prestigious Empire Hotel & Country Club.The superb golf course was design by world known Jack Nicklaus. This venue (Brunei Open) was pick as "The Venue Of The Year Award 2005" by the Asian Tour! Well done!
The players were really enjoying their tournament in Brunei as they felt that the course was very challenging, the view was magnificient and of course the accommodation was 1st class. Many top golfers were in the Brunei Open: Danny Chia, Jarrod Lyle, Rick Gibson, Thaworn Wiratchant, and the Malaysian's Pro Alwi Kamaruddin, just to name a few, were there for the tournament.Terry Pilkadaris won the 1st Brunei Open. and this year (2006) we'll see another Asian Tour in Brunei with the prize money of USD500,000!With that I'll leave u with these photos which I took during the Asian Tour.
*Click on the image for a larger version
The magnificient venue...
The official photographer I presume... Hmmm... look at those huge L Lens ... wish I could get hold of 'em ... two sets even ... man .... cool ...
.. baby spectator... future Michelle Wie ...?
... " So how's your game? " ..... "crap... but the venue's great ..."
.... weeeee.... look at me ... just one hand ......
... at another corner of the venue... ... cheap .... BND$10 for 100 balls ....
0600 hours, ... yeap ... 6:00am ...that was the time when we went to the beach to capture some photos, just trying to get the ambience of the early morning... beautiful weather it was ...Fishermen... going out to the sea.. to catch what might me their living for that day, while some for their living for the whole week.. depending on the size of the boat use and the amount of fish caught.Not all of them do this for a living, some do it just for the fun of it... to release stress from their day job.Standing from one corner of Jerudong Beach, one cannot miss seeing the magnificient Empire Hotel & Country Club, one can also see the Jerudong Park Medical Centre, one of the most executive medical centre in Brunei, as it is situated along the beach, facing the South China Sea.Some people go to the beach just to relax..., some go to the beach to watch the people... while some go to the beach to buy some stuff.. some fish.. some food... (coz there are also food stalls along the beach)... n yea... some go to the beach to date ... hehe
The above photos show what it looked like during the very early morning hours.... eeerkk.. well that's what photographer gotta go thru in order just to capture some photos..... it ain't easy I tell u one...
... the reflection of the sun in the sea ... it made u reflect what u have gained.. or lost during the past years....
.. getting ready to go ashore....
.. boats ahoy!...
.. " we are the king of the world....." eeerr.. let's go fishing then ...
... wooooaaa... which way to go dude ... left or right ....?
..." woooho.... yo Alonso ... eat my shorts ... at the sea.. I'm the champion! "...
... quite a peaceful scene isn't it..?
The Empire Hotel & Country Club can be seen at the background....
Below are just something to ponder... found at the beach ...
... as what the wise man said... "...leave only your footprints.... and don't take anything... except pictures...."
