Colombo Grand Mosque

The Colombo Grand Mosque, situated in Hulftsdorp, is known as the first mosque to be built in Colombo. The history of the mosque can be linked to the Arab traders who engaged with the Orient and European ports in the Mediterranean between the first and sixteenth centuries. It was redesigned by a Malay architect in the early 19th century, expanding the space available for congregational prayers. A new wing built in 1897 houses the Hameedia Boys’ English School. A landmark of the mosque is a canon installed in 1897 which used to be fired to indicate the start of Eid festivals and times related to fasting during Ramadan.