The following post will provide both background and practical information about Taman Tamadun Islam at the Islamic Heritage Park.

In Malay Taman Tamadun Islam translates to Islamic Civilisation Park in English so that’s what I’ll refer to the tourist attraction as.

What Is The Islamic Civilsation Park?

The welcoming sign you can see near the waterfront

Having started as a little community in the Arabian Desert, the idea of Islam as a religion has spread too every continent. The communities found in different pockets around the world come together at mosques where people, regardless of their ethnicity, share the same faith.

There are 1000’s of mosques around the world, but at the Islamic Civilisation Park (one of the attractions in the Islamic Heritage Park), 23 of them are celebrated with a miniature model (scaled at 1:1.7 to 1:22 the original size) for you to see.

Not Muslim? No worries, everyone is welcome to enjoy the park.

What Are The 23 Mosques?

The Great Mosque of Samarra, Iraq.

Note: I took photos of most of them which you can see at the bottom of the post along with the name of the mosque in the caption.

• Mosque of Mohamed Ali, Egypt
• Nabawi Mosque, Saudi Arabia
• Suleyman Mosque, Turkey
• Great Mosque of Qairawan, Tunisia
• The Palace of Al-Hambra, Spain
• Kalyan Minaret, Uzbekistan
• Kul Sharif Mosque, Russia
• Grat Mosque of Agadez, Niger
• Xian Mosque, China
• TTI Waterwheel
• Sultan Mosque, Singapore

My Experience At Taman Tamadun Islam

Aleppo Citadel, Syria

Arriving at the Islamic Heritage Park little after 1 pm on a sweaty Saturday afternoon I was expecting weekend chaos. Turns out everyone was avoiding the heat besides me and a few other crazies. I went to the Crystal Mosque first (more below) and it felt like all the suns rays were reflecting off the crystal and straight into me. So if you’re going to visit this place avoid going in the middle of the day!

They give you this little booklet/passport thing when you buy a ticket. A nice touch.

After the Mosque I purchased my ticket to enter the TTI monument park and they give you a cool passport/booklet thing.

Turns out an adult ticket gets a free meal at the nearby food stand which has a buffet type set up. For most, you’ll be eating chicken and rice, but I did get one vegetable dish (mediocre). Time to enter the park,

I was walking around on my own, though there is a golf buggy option and even a train as above which costs extra to take you around the path that loops around the lake in the center

At first glance, I couldn’t see any of the monuments which was confusing. That’s a good thing it turns out as the property they’re on is spacious and they haven’t squeezed monuments in everywhere. I found a couple and my first impressions wasn’t great. They weren’t as immaculate as I was expecting, and there were electricity boxes next to them giving a tacky look.

But as my expectations lowered, I started to enjoy all the details on the momuments. I’m not overly familiar with Islam so most of the details on the information boards (they are in English, Malay, and Arabic) by each monument was overwhelming (that’s not a bad thing).

The midday sun made it tough to take photos (coming from a photography noob), but I enjoyed having the park to myself most of the time. There were a few people here and there but I was enjoying myself and wishing I could stay longer. Some of them are on raised pieces of land and you can climb stairs upto the larger mosques.

Oh yea, there are some areas where you can sit and relax as you work your way around. Toilets? There are lots.

I was in a rush and left after an hour of walking around. If you were taking your time you’ll spend at least 90 minutes here as there are a few interactive mosques as well. You essentially go into the mosques and learn more about the history and the see some artifacts (I believe). That’s a nice addition.

Did I learn anything? Not really. But it was cool to see all of the different mosques. Compared to other attractions in Malaysia, it felt a little bit overpriced but not enough for me to recommend you not to go.

RELATED POST: TWO WEEKS IN PENINSULAR MALAYSIA

What Is The Islamic Heritage Park Entrance Fee?

The rates mentioned on the TTI website are accurate as of June 2018.

Where Is The Park?

How To Get To The Islamic Heritage Park

Grab: You can get a Grab for around 10 RM from downtown. A much quicker and convenient option.

Public Bus: This bus station in the middle of the city is the terminal destination to get there. The bus journey costs 1 RM each and you can view the timetable here. The journey took exactly 50 minutes to get there as it says on the timetable, and maybe 25 minutes for the return journey.

You could also get a water taxi, but that seems a bit extreme.

What Else Is There To Do Nearby?

The Crystal Mosque is unique for sure.

Visit The Crystal Mosque: A few hundred metres from the Islamic Civilisation Park entrance is one unique mosque. Completed in 2008 the mirror like effect you see in the photos above is because of the steel, glass, and crystal coating. Unfortunately the interior was under renovations during my visit but apparently the illumination of the crystals on the inside is a magical experience. Perhaps the interior being closed was why I was mediocre on the enjoyment of this. Sure it was cool, but not thaaaat cool.

Terengganu State Museum: It’s a short walk from Taman Tamadun Islam is the biggest museum but in Southeast Asia. I’ll refer you straight here for more on the museum.

The photos are below. I am missing three mosques as my phone died. If you have any questions about visiting the park, let me know by email or in the comments below.