Sultan Mosque: Visiting Hours, Dress Code and What to See

ExploreKampong Glam2 March 20267 min read

Visited in March 2026. Verified by an STB-licensed tourist guide.

A Sultan Mosque Guide

TL;DR

Worth it? Yes. It is free and takes 15 to 20 minutes

Location: 3 Muscat Street, Kampong Glam

Getting there: Bugis (EW12/DT14)

Price: Free

Best photo spot: Bussorah Street, facing the dome

Good to know: Closed to visitors on Fridays

The golden dome of Sultan Mosque (Masjid Sultan) rising above the shophouses and pedestrians on Bussorah Street in Kampong Glam, Singapore — Sultan Mosque, seen from Bussorah Street.

The Gold Dome at the End of Bussorah Street

Sultan Mosque, or Masjid Sultan, is the mosque with the gold domes in Kampong Glam. It is a working place of worship and a national monument, and it is free to visit.

Come for the architecture and the history. The visiting hours are short and there is a dress code. Both are set out below, along with how the mosque came to be built, the details worth finding on it, and the streets around it.

The Origins of Sultan Mosque

The building in front of you is the second mosque on this site. In 1824 Kampong Glam was set aside for Sultan Hussein Shah and his family, after he signed the treaty that ceded Singapore to the British East India Company. The Sultan asked for a mosque near his istana, the Malay word for palace, and Sir Stamford Raffles pledged 3,000 Spanish dollars from the Company towards it.

That first mosque, completed in 1826, was a single-storey brick building with a two-tiered roof.

The golden dome and cream facade of the historic Sultan Mosque against a clear blue sky in Kampong Glam, Singapore — A gold dome above the cream walls of the mosque.

By 1924 the mosque was almost a century old and in need of repairs, and its trustees proposed a new and larger building. The design came from Denis Santry, an Irish architect at the local firm Swan & Maclaren, and Muslims from the different communities in Singapore gave money for it. The new mosque went up in phases, partly for lack of funds and partly so that worship could carry on. It was completed in 1932.

Muslim pilgrims from the region also stopped here on their way to Mecca for the hajj. The mosque was gazetted as a national monument on 8 March 1975. The newer annexe beside it opened on 10 July 1993.

What to Look For on the Building

Sultan Mosque is built in the Indo-Saracenic style, which combines traditional Indian and Islamic elements with European ones. Two gold onion-shaped domes sit above the east and west sides, and each is topped by a crescent moon and star. A minaret stands at each corner.

The mosque faces Mecca, so it sits at an angle to the grid of streets around it.

The Glass Bottles Under the Domes

Look at the base of each dome. Under the gold is a dark band, made of the ends of glass bottles. The bottles were collected and donated by the poor, as their contribution to the building of the mosque.

Close-up of a golden dome of Sultan Mosque in Singapore, showing the dark band of glass bottle ends at its base — The dark band under the dome is made of glass bottle ends.

The Main Prayer Hall

The prayer hall is two storeys high, with 12 octagonal columns and a gallery on the second storey. It can hold 5,000 worshippers. When we visited, the arches were painted green and the floor was covered in a patterned red carpet.

The mihrab is the niche in the wall that shows the direction of Mecca. Here it is framed by a pointed arch with gold-plated floral motifs, and a panel of calligraphy sits above it.

The mosque asks you to stay out of the main prayer hall and the second-floor prayer hall unless a mosque official is with you.

Visiting Hours and Dress Code

Sultan Mosque is open to walk-in visitors from Saturday to Thursday, in two sessions: 10am to 12pm and 2pm to 4pm. It is closed to visitors on Fridays. We checked these hours in October 2026.

The mosque has a dress code. Men wear sleeved tops and long trousers. Women wear long-sleeved tops and bottoms that reach the ankle, with no low necklines. See-through clothes are not allowed. If you arrive underdressed you will need a robe. Robes are available at the mosque counter, first come, first served.

Before you go

Take off your shoes before you go in.
Keep your voice down. People come here to pray.
Photography without flash is allowed. Video recording needs approval from the mosque.
Keep your belongings with you.
Walk-in visitors tour the permitted areas of the mosque on their own.
Schools, companies and organisations can arrange a group tour of 30 minutes to one hour, from Monday to Thursday, 10am to 12pm. Write to visit@sultan.mosque.sg at least two months ahead.

The MRT station for the mosque is Bugis (EW12/DT14). Buses stop on North Bridge Road, Victoria Street and Beach Road.

Fridays and Ramadan

The mosque holds five prayers a day. The times for each day are on its website. If Friday is your only day in the area, keep it for the streets around the mosque.

During Ramadan, the fasting month, the streets behind Masjid Sultan light up each evening with stalls selling Malay food, gifts and clothes. Our photos are from that season. Screens in the prayer hall carried notices for iftar, the meal that breaks the fast. A bazaar named Gemilang Kampong Gelam had rows of food stalls under white tents.

Crowds at the Gemilang Kampong Gelam bazaar in Kampong Glam, Singapore, with food stalls under white tents and string lights overhead — The Gemilang Kampong Gelam bazaar, with food stalls under white tents.

What to Do Around Sultan Mosque

Kampong Glam was once the seat of Malay royalty in Singapore. It takes its name from the gelam tree, and it has been a conservation area since 7 July 1989. After the mosque, give the streets around it some time.

Bussorah Street

Bussorah Street runs straight to the mosque, lined with palm trees and shophouses. Stand on it and face the dome for the photograph at the top of this guide. The street is now known for its restaurants. Signs along it warn against touting, and one board tells diners to watch for fake discounts.

Arab Street and Haji Lane

Arab Street lies between Victoria Street and Beach Road, and it is known for its traditional textile and handicraft shops. One shopfront we passed in the area was hung with mosaic lamps, rugs and bags.

A colourful shop display in Kampong Glam, Singapore, with lit mosaic lamps, patterned rugs, bags and souvenirs — Mosaic lamps, rugs and bags outside a shop in Kampong Glam.

Haji Lane is a narrow street of shophouses painted in bright colours. It is lined with small boutiques, lifestyle shops and cafes, and it was busy when we walked through. For more places to eat in the city, see our food guides.

Crowds of people walking past colourful boutiques and street stalls on the narrow Haji Lane in Singapore — Haji Lane, busy with people.

People walking down Haji Lane in Singapore, lined with colourful boutiques and cafes under overhead sun shades — Shade sails strung over Haji Lane.

Street Art and Gelam Gallery

Gelam Gallery is Singapore’s first outdoor art gallery. You will find it in the back alley next to Muscat Street, with over 30 artworks by local and international artists. Elsewhere in the area we came across a mural of village life on a green wall.

Heritage street art on a bright green wall in Kampong Glam, Singapore, showing village life and textiles above mosaic arches — A mural in Kampong Glam, above a row of mosaic arches.

Malay Heritage Centre

The Malay Heritage Centre is housed in the former Istana Kampong Gelam, a 19th-century palace that is now a national monument. It closed for a revamp and reopened on 25 April 2026 with six permanent galleries. The address is 85 Sultan Gate. Check its website for hours and admission before you go.

Do These as a Pair

Sultan Mosque, then Zam Zam. For a meal after your visit, Zam Zam Singapore is directly across North Bridge Road from the mosque. It has served murtabak and briyani since 1908. Read our Zam Zam Singapore guide.

The Verdict: Is Sultan Mosque Worth It?

Go to Sultan Mosque for the building, and for the story behind it.

The detail we would point out to anyone is the band of glass bottle ends under each dome. It is a gift from the poor of the community, set at the top of the building.

The mosque suits first-time visitors to Singapore, and anyone who likes architecture or history. It is free and it does not take long. We spent 15 to 20 minutes inside. If you are curious about what a mosque is like, this one is very tourist friendly, so it is a good opportunity.

It fits into a day in Kampong Glam, along with Bussorah Street, Arab Street and Haji Lane. You do have to work around the hours. There are two short sessions a day and none on Fridays, and the main prayer hall is off limits unless a mosque official takes you in.

We went inside the mosque and walked the streets around it ourselves. For the history we relied on the National Heritage Board and the National Library Board. The visiting rules are the mosque’s own.

Come dressed for a mosque, on any day but Friday.