Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque is a histroci mosque in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is situated in the second-cross street in the heart of Pettah. The mosque is one of the oldest mosques in Colombo and a popular tourist site in the city.
Construction of the Jami-Ul-Alfar Mosque commenced in 1908 and the building was completed in 1909. The mosque’s designer and builder was Habibu Labbe Saibu Labbe (an unqualified architect), and was based on details/images of Indo-Saracenic structures provided by South Indian traders, who commissioned him. The mosque was commissioned by the local Indian Muslim community, based in Pettah, to fulfill their required five-times-daily prayer and Jummah on Fridays. It is a distinctive red and white candy-striped two-storey building, with a clock tower, and is reminiscent of the Jamek Mosque in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (constructed in 1910).
The opening hours of the mosque is from 09:00 AM – 05:00 PM, and the visitors must visit the mosque at 9.30 AM and should leave before 11.00 AM (Time to visit 1 hour 30 mins). The unique architecture of the mosque is been admired by everyone who visits the mosque. Muslims and non-Muslims can visit the mosque, one can take snaps from outside the mosque but to take snaps of the inside, visitors must ask for permission from whoever in-charge of the mosque. It is better to avoid visiting the mosque on Fridays as it is crowded by Muslims who come for Jummah prayers.
