Floating Mosque and Kahaani Melaka

We made it to Melaka after about 3 hours drive, including stops to stretch legs, drink and check the GPS.

The Kahaani Melaka

We had booked a night at a wonderful looking place called the Kahaani Melaka in Ayer Keroh about half an hour out of the town of Melaka. This incredible location was once the home of the Malacca State Governor. If we had realised how amazing the place was, we would have tried to stay longer. We didn't even know it had a pool until the following morning when we were taking breakfast.

The pool

The staircase up to the room

Once we had checked in, we were back on the bike to head into the Melaka town itself, about half an hour away. I found I even remembered most of the way without the GPS.

Floating Mosque at night

I first discovered the Masjid Selat Melaka in 2013 when I was marooned in Melaka for a few days. Off in the distance was an amazing tower (the minaret) but I could not get to it until I replaced the battery in my motorcycle. It certainly was in better condition back then and now the paint is flaking on the outside and it looks as if it might have been the target of vandalism since.

The rear of the mosque

The "Floating" mosque is built on the artificial island of Pulau Melaka on stilts over the sea of Melaka and opened in November 2006. When the water is high, it looks as if the mosque is floating on the water. The mosque mixes cultural building techniques with the Middle Eastern central dome and the four Malaysian turrets around the perimetre.

On sunset

I noticed when I first visited that the mosque was being surrounded by some sort of Arab City and I was hoping to see it populated and vibrant, but it seemed to just be in a more advanced state of building. I am sure when it is completed, it will be a wonderful cultural icon, but it just seems to be taking so long. I will drop back in again to see how it is going when I pass through next time.