The Jame' Asr Hassanal Bolkiah Mosque, a photo from Brunei and Muara, West

Photographer's Note

腺andar Seri Begawan - The Jame' Asr Hassanal Bolkiah Mosque�

Borneo is the third largest island in the world and the largest in Asia.
The two larger islands are Greenland and New Guinea. (BTW, Australia is considered a continent.)
Broadly speaking, the island of Borneo is divided among Indonesia and Malaysia. However, there is still a third independent state, Brunei, which is in its entirety located on Borneo.

The full official name of the country is Negara Brunei Darussalam, meaning: Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace.
In the country you can find inscriptions / signposts in two writings: in Malay, with the Latin alphabet and in Jawi, an Arabic script for writing Malay (and several other languages from the larger region).

Brunei is only 5.765 kmｲ (equivalent to the size of two Belgian provinces together).
In 2018 the country had 428.963 inhabitants.
This small country consists of two parts, each located on the South China Sea and further completely surrounded by Malaysia.

The government is an absolute monarchy under the sultan which implements sharia law and directs Islamic practices.
I heard that from May 2019, the Penal Code of the Sharia Law is not imposed on non-Muslim residents or foreigners visiting or living in the country.

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah is considered the richest man in the world.
In 2019 there were international protests when Bolkiah wanted to change the legislation to introduce the death penalty for homosexuality and adultery. Ultimately, this was canceled.

I wondered what kind of country I would end up in. But met very friendly, helpful people who are mostly strict Islamic but a lot more open minded that one would suspect given the reputation of their sultan.
In the country of the richest man in the world, it seemed to me that the wealth was not evenly distributed, but on the other hand I saw no extreme poverty.
Just clarify: like so many visitors, I was only there for a few days, more precisely three.
But I enjoyed my visit very much.
On the three pictures here you see the Jame' Asr Hassanal Bolkiah Mosque in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei.
It is the largest mosque in the country. The construction began in 1988 and the inauguration was on 14 July 1994.
Together with the Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque it痴 the most famous building of the country.

ikeharel, jean113, holmertz, jhm, Fis2, PiotrF, COSTANTINO, jemaflor, Royaldevon, Charo, Ilonka1974, pajaran, worldcitizen, adramad has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Gerrit (62042) 2020-04-28 7:13

Dag Paul,
Dat is een imposante moskee, een beetje protserig om te laten zien dat de sultan niet op de centen hoeft te letten, maar je hebt hem smaakvol neergezet in de groene omgeving tegen de blauwe lucht.
groet, Gerrit

jean113 (27819) 2020-04-28 7:33

Hello Paul, the largest mosque in the country, it certainly looks impressive with its beautiful golden domes.
The sunlight has enhanced all the colours and textures of your scene.
I like the close up of one of the minarets, amazing tile work!
Very interesting notes.
Thanks for sharing, regards Jean.

holmertz (102604) 2020-04-28 8:14

Hello Paul,
Towards the end of the note I received the confirmation that this mosque didn't exist at the time of my visit to Brunei in 1976. It was unknown to me. I was quite happy with the Ali Saifuddin mosque, where I had the pleasure of going by elevator to the top of the minaret. I wonder if that is still permitted. I have the impression that Brunei is following Muslim rules more strictly these days. Is it still possible to enjoy a beer in a hotel bar?
As usual you present a number of photos with good colours and clarity. The compositions are also very appealing. The close view in the WS of the minaret shows us a very nice pattern.
Best regards,
Gert

mesutilgim (0) 2020-04-28 8:28

Hello Paul,
Another nice and interesting capture/entry from Brunei in your gallery taken with perfect pov and ligth as well as sharpness.
Many good and usefull notes.
TFS and best regards
MESUT ILGIM

jhm (211736) 2020-04-28 8:57

Dag Paul,

Ik moet bekennen dat dit een volwaardige foto betreft.
Het onderwerp is mooi opgedeeld.
Het groen in de voorgrond, zorgt voor een aangenaam contrast.
Maar de koepels zijn heel mooi, tegen de blauwe hemel.
Prachtig foto werk, bedankt.

Groeten uit Oost-Vlaanderen,
John

Fis2 (170639) 2020-04-28 10:12

Witaj Paul!
Wonderful view, the mosque is impressive.
I like gold domes and palms.
Excellent composition and framing.
Superb colors.
Well done.
Good evening my friend.
Keep safe.
Krzysztof

emka (158030) 2020-04-28 10:49

Hello Paul, I was considering going also to Brunei, but there was something that I didn't like, I do not remember what. Maybe this idea of the death penalty. Finally, it was not possible anyway. Beautiful presentation of this mosque with so many golden domes large and small. They look magnificent against the blue sky. was it possible to go inside? The palms here are high but very thin.
Interesting note. It reminds me of my trip to Saudi Arabia. I had no idea how it would be. Also a very strict Muslim country, rich (but it was not so obvious), and the people were very friendly. Were there any tourists in Brunei? In AS, I was the only one but I felt safe.
Stay healthy

MAlgo

ikeharel (113241) 2020-04-28 11:23

Good evening Paul,
A perfect picture of the shining golden domes and the edifice surrounded by green vegetation and trees.
Picture is clear and distinct, blue sky under the bright daylight.
My best regards,
Ike

lousat (139170) 2020-04-28 12:30

Hi Paul,magnificent mosque from Brunei,i like the 2 different views made in a top quality to show the bright gold of the top,great sharpness too on the patterns truly elegant. Have a nice evening and thanks,Luciano

Miguel82 (47110) 2020-04-28 12:42

Hallo Paul, the mosque golden domes appear majestically through the equatorial and luxuriant vegetation. Brunei should be a fascinating small country to explore. It produces oil and has a higher standard of living than most of other south asian countries except Malaysia and Singapore. Fine colors, good sharpness, interesting photo note, regards.

Tue (92302) 2020-04-28 12:56

Hallo Paul,
Een uitstekende foto van deze moskee. Het licht is prachtig helder en zorgde voor mooi, duidelijke kleuren. Vooral de vele grotere en kleinere gouden koepels steken mooi af tegen de blauwe lucht, maar ook het groene van onder andere de palmbomen is aantrekkelijk.
Lars

PiotrF (54538) 2020-04-28 14:02

Hello Paul,
A very nice view of The Jame' Asr Hassanal Bolkiah Mosque�. Interesting picture in WS.
I like good cmposition , nice colours and good sharpness.
Thank you for informative note.
Fine presentation.
Regards
Piotr

SteveH (8220) 2020-04-28 17:55

Hi Paul, for someone living in a temperate region this looks very exotic and tropical; domes and minarets framed by palm trees and all bathed in bright sun - very nice. Cheers, Steve

COSTANTINO (116377) 2020-04-28 23:04

Hello dear friend and have a nice time
and a happy new day
interesting and impressive capture of the
jame Asr Hassanal Bolkiah Mosque
thanks for your useful notes
welldone
regards
costantino

jemaflor (147018) 2020-04-28 23:53

Salut Paul,
Une r馮ion peu souvent pr駸ent馥 et un monument bien mis en valeur par ta prise, un bon angle et un parfait rendu des couleurs sous ce soleil, bien fait, int駻essant.

ifege (47957) 2020-04-29 0:07

Hi Paul
A good photo of the domes framed by the palms.
cheers
Ian

Silvio1953 (221463) 2020-04-29 1:45

Ciao Paul, great view of fantastic Golden domes, fine details, wonderful colors and splendid clarity, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

Royaldevon (85862) 2020-04-29 4:18

Hello Paul,

I have learned a lot, today.
I had no idea about the size or the divisions of the island.
It was good to learn that there is no extreme poverty but, what can a single person do with so much wealth! Surely it is fulfilling for him to be able to improve conditions and experiences for the poorest of his subjects!

That said, this is a very beautiful mosque, proudly displaying its golden domes.
To see it surrounded by such a wealth of greenery, makes me think that this is a very rural country. Am I right?
The exposure is excellent, as is the composition, the tree anchoring the f/g, as a starting point to the mosque.

Keep safe,
Bev :-)

Ilonka1974 (10289) 2020-04-29 15:56

Hi Paul,
Beautiful picture,
Excellent presentation.
Lovely composition.
Well done.

Best regards
Janusz

pajaran (115779) 2020-04-30 5:24

Pozdrav.
Lepi pogledi, interesantan i dobar tekst ...
Lepo zeleno drvece i arhitektura. Lepa Jame' Asr Hassanal Bolkiah Mosque.
Lepo pokazano sa fotografijama u radionici, lepe boje.
Zelim vam sve najbolje.
Paja.

Greeting.
Nice views, interesting and good text ...
Beautiful green trees and architecture. Beautiful Cave 'Asr Hassanal Bolkiah Mosque.
Beautifully shown with photos in the workshop, beautiful colors.
I wish you all the best.

worldcitizen (16048) 2020-04-30 12:11

Hello Paul,
It's nice to see photos from Brunei; they rarely show up on TE. I like how this beautiful mosque is framed by all the greenery. Your photos always have such rich colors. The gold domes are especially eye-catching.

mkamionka (74311) 2020-05-02 12:38

Hi Paul,
it seems you may have ticked off several new countries on the list, terrible that TrekEarth maps don't work anymore. I guess Brunei being so little would not show on the map of the world but other probably would.
Spectacular view. Very picturesque, postcard style photograph.
I like the golden domes which look so good against the blue sky. The vegetation so lush and with attractive palm trees to decorate it.
Excellent capture,

I see you are very productive ob TE these days, I am on the other hand too busy.

M

adramad (72934) 2020-05-03 12:13

Hello Paul.
Splendid composition of this beautiful mosque, with those golden domes, which together with beautiful palm trees, which attract attention for their fine trunks and the final fan of its leaves.
A fantastic photo, with beautiful natural colors, very good lighting and excellent sharpness.
Well done. I love.
Enjoy, the end of Sunday.
Very best regards.
Luis.

P.S. Paul the figure of Don Quixote is to the left of the upper window with a long sword, which happens to be such an unconventional painting that it is difficult to identify him.

jmdias (115046) 2020-05-09 12:47

paul

these golden domes remind me the orthodox churches in russia. nice angle catching well the blue sky, the shapes of architecture and the intense colors. I remember once M.Jackson sang here in a special private event.

take care

jorge