Kuala Kangsar's Ubudiah Mosque (photo-essay)

I have one of those jobs where I have to think, plan and work ahead; so that today, I was working for the most part on something that will only see the light of day on Sunday (September 14). For all this, though, there's no way that those of us who were living in the US on September 11, 2001, can't be aware that today's (a) September 11 and that seven years ago, certain attacks occurred that changed America.

Part of these changes involved a belated awareness that the world contains Muslims. Sadly, along with this awareness came an emphatic mistaken equation that Islam = destruction and ugliness. The thing is: although I'm not Muslim (and not particularly religious -- period!), I do hail from a country with a majority Muslim population.

Consequently, I'm in a position to know full well that not all Muslims are evil and, also, that there is such a thing as Islamic art along with beautiful Islamic architecture -- just one example of which I am devoting much of this photo-essay to showing: i.e., the impressive Ubudiah Mosque in Kuala Kangsar, the royal town of my countrywoman Michelle Yeoh's homestate of Perak, which I visited along with a couple of Muslim friends on my most recent trip back to Malaysia:-

Exterior view of the royal mosque
(For those who are wondering,
Perak has a sultan as its official head of state)

View of the ceiling
underneath the mosque's main dome

View of a few of the walls of the main prayer area

A close-up shot that allows one
to appreciate the internal decorative details

The marbled area of the mosque that's
halfway between enclosed and open air

View from within that area (and yes,
non-Muslims, including females like myself, are allowed
there --albeit covered up more than may be usual)

Another beautiful close -up view

A final close-up view
-- this time of the mosque exterior