Sultan Mosque (Masjid Sultan)

Everyone photographs the gold. The detail worth seeing is the glass bottles underneath it.

Sultan Mosque rewards anyone exploring Kampong Gelam who wants more than the view down Bussorah Street, provided you come at the right time and dressed for it. Walk-in visits run Saturday to Thursday, 10am–12pm and 2pm–4pm, and not on Fridays. The detail to look for isn't the gold: around the base of each dome runs a band made from glass bottle ends, which, according to the National Heritage Board, were collected and donated by the poor as their contribution to the building, a way for everyone to have a hand in it, whatever they could afford.

The mosque's roots go back to 1824, when Sultan Hussein Shah of Johor signed the agreement that effectively ceded Singapore to the East India Company, and land was set aside for a royal mosque near his palace, Istana Kampong Glam. The first mosque was finished in 1826, with Raffles contributing $3,000. By 1924 the building had deteriorated, so between 1925 and 1932 it was rebuilt in stages, so that prayers never had to stop.

The architect was Denis Santry, an Irishman at Swan & Maclaren, whose other work includes the Cenotaph and the former Tanjong Pagar Railway Station. His design leans on the Indo-Saracenic style, and the building was gazetted as a National Monument in 1975. The mosque's own site says the prayer hall holds up to 5,000 people.

This is a working mosque, and visiting it well means following its rules. Numbers are limited per session. Enter through Gate No. 5, facing Bussorah Street, and take your shoes off. Robes are available at the counter, but in the mosque's words it's "first come first serve", so dress for it: sleeved tops and long trousers for men; long sleeves, no cleavage and ankle-length bottoms for women; nothing see-through.

Inside, the main prayer hall and the second-floor prayer hall are off limits unless a mosque official is with you. Photos without flash are fine, but video needs prior approval. Keep your voice down, keep your belongings with you, and ask the counter staff if you're unsure. The mosque's homepage shows the day's prayer times; plan your visit around them.

How to do it well: come mid-morning on a visiting day, dressed for it, from Bugis MRT. Walk up Bussorah Street for the view first, then go round to Gate No. 5 and find those bottles. Groups need to arrange a tour at least two months ahead.

Good to know Sultan Mosque is at 3 Muscat Street, a short walk from Bugis MRT. Walk-in visits run Saturday to Thursday, 10am–12pm and 2pm–4pm, and stop on Fridays; enter by Gate 5 on Bussorah Street. Group tours need at least two months' notice via visit@sultan.mosque.sg.

Sultan Mosque (Masjid Sultan) | 3 Muscat Street, Singapore 198833 | Nearest MRT: Bugis