OBSERVING BATAM FROM THE TOWER OF THE MOSQUE

26th JANUARY 2020 ~ At Sultan Mahmud Riayat Syah Mosque in Batam, people could go up to the building tower with a small sum of money (I could not remember the exact price). There was a viewing deck up there, similar to what you could find in other touristy towers like the KL Tower or Tokyo Sky Tree. I think that was a brilliant idea as this could generate some income for the mosque.

At one spot of the viewing deck, you could even the skyscrapers on Singapore Island.

Make sure you go up the tower when you visit this mosque when you are in Batam.

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VISITING SULTAN MAHMUD RIAYAT SYAH MOSQUE IN BATAM

26th JANUARY 2020 ~ The latest addition of places to see when in Batam is the brand new Sultan Mahmud Riayat Syah Mosque. We were told by our guide that this mosque is the biggest in the Sumatera area.

The mosque looked very majestic and could be seen from afar. There were busloads of people visiting the holy building when we arrived.

The construction of the mosque started in 2017 and was opened for its first Friday prayer on 12th September 2019. The building could accommodate a congregation of about 24 000 people. The whole project bore the cost of IDR 260 852 456.

At the back part of the mosque, there were eight gigantic umbrellas that could be the canopy to 8100 people sitting under them in the open area.

If you are wondering who Sultan Mahmud Riayat Syah was, he was the eighth and the last in line of the Melaka sultanate and the Sultan of Johor-Riau-Lingga from 1761-1812. He led the fight against the Dutch in Tanjung Pinang during his reign.

I was truly impressed with the new and modern mosque. I really hope the authority will carry out good maintenance work from time to time.

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