I read somewhere that the best time to see Putrajaya is at night. So I set out to see the lights, together with some friends, on our last night of stay (courtesy of Nuffnang Asia Pacific Blog Awards). Indeed it was a breathtaking sight. They certainly did not scrimp on anything when it comes to lighting their buildings and bridges.

We started our night foray from Putra Mosque (where else!). The mosque figures in every poster of Putrajaya, and its close proximity to Perdana Putra (Prime MInister's office) further reinforces the idea that its at the center of everything in the city. I would not contest this, the mosque simply is iconic and recognizable.

lower level (with the food courts)

After a hearty meal (read: carbo loading) in one of the food court adjacent to the mosque we waited for the sunrise. The colors I imagined never came. The weather had been lousy for the few days we were there. However the brilliance and colors of the city lights more than made up for the lack luster sunset.

Masjid Putra after sundown

The best way to go around Putrajaya, especially at night (and a weekend night), is via car. If you are simply sightseeing then a taxi is a good choice. However, if you plan to take photos where each take can be several minutes long, then be prepared to pay a hefty taxi fare if you want your cab to wait for you at each location. Otherwise, do the next best thing: walk. Its good for your health, and your pocket.

Seri Wawasan bridge 

From Putra Mosque, we walked to the nearby Seri Wawasan bridge. "Nearby" is a very debatable word. I swear the bridge looked very near when viewed from Masjid Putra. Its not as if we had a choice, so walk we had to.

Putra Mosque and Perdana Putra

The view from under the bridge was worth all the burned calories (which is a good thing actually!). It also offers a good view of Perdana Putra and Putra Mosque. There are benches where one (or two if you have a date) can spend hours just enjoying the night scene. Surprisingly the nearby park was empty.

After having our fill of the bridge, we decided to proceed to the nearby Iron Mosque (take note of the "nearby" word). I think they purposely made everything big, shiny, and colorful in Putrajaya to make them appear closer than they seem.

Iron Mosque with Seri Saujana Bridge (background)

After a good amount of walking we reached the Iron Mosque, aka Masjid Besi, or if you are fond of memorizing long names: Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin Mosque. We found out that although it looked really good from a distance, its quite overwhelming at close range. This mosque is simply huge! Its capacity of about 25,000 people overshadows the 15,000 capacity of Putra Mosque. (Wikipedia has some fancy description of the mosque)

shot by the lake side (over the railings)

All in all we walked for more than 3 hours and covered 3 Precincts (1 - 3). We were worn out by the time we reach Iron Mosque that I think nobody even bothered to take photos anymore. I went inside the mosque, asked one of the locals to help us get a cab using my phone, then waited by the curb side for our ride. It was quite a night.

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