MosqueFree entryClosed Friday (for general visitors, due to Jumu'ah prayers)

Sultan Mosque

#4of 8 places to visit in Singapore CitySingapore City, Central Region, Singapore

Also known as Masjid Sultan

Quick answer

Opening hours: 10:00–12:00 and 14:00–16:00, closed Fridays. Entry is free. Allow 40 min. Best time: 10:00 - 11:30.

Updated 18 September 2026 · Compiled by Traveliac, AI-assisted · 5 min read

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Photo: M. Adrian Jurhami / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

Opening hours: 10:00–16:00; Closed Fridays
Entry fee: Free
Time needed: 40 min
Best time of day: 10:00 - 11:30
Best months: Feb – Apr, Jul – Aug
Address: 3 Muscat Street, Singapore 198833

About Sultan Mosque

Sultan Mosque stands on Muscat Street in Kampong Glam as Singapore's largest mosque and one of its oldest, its golden onion dome and twin minarets visible above the low shophouse skyline of the surrounding Arab Street district. The current building, completed in 1932, was designed by Denis Santry of the architecture firm Swan & Maclaren in an Indo-Saracenic style blending Classical, Persian, Moorish, and Turkish elements, a deliberate departure from the simpler original structure it replaced. The dome's base is ringed with the glass bottoms of thousands of donated bottles, contributed by poorer members of the congregation during the 1920s fundraising drive when cash donations were scarce, a detail the mosque still highlights as part of its community-built history. The mosque takes its name from Sultan Hussein Shah of Johor, the local ruler who signed the 1819 treaty permitting Stamford Raffles to establish a British trading post in Singapore, and who was granted this site for a mosque as part of the surrounding settlement laid out for him and his court.

Best time of day: 10:00 - 11:30. The mosque's short daily visiting windows around midday and early afternoon are strict, so arriving right at 10:00 avoids both prayer-time closures and the narrower afternoon slot.

Sultan Mosque timings

Sultan Mosque is open 10:00–12:00 and 14:00–16:00. The weekend is no different: Saturday and Sunday follow the same times.

Opening hours: 10:00–16:00; Mon–Thu 10:00–12:00 and 14:00–16:00
Friday Closed
Sat–Sun 10:00–12:00 and 14:00–16:00; Visiting hours Saturday-Thursday 10:00-12:00 and 14:00-16:00; closed to non-worshipping visitors on Friday and during all five daily prayer times
Closed on: Friday (for general visitors, due to Jumu'ah prayers)

Mon–Thu	10:00–12:00 and 14:00–16:00
Friday	Closed
Sat–Sun	10:00–12:00 and 14:00–16:00

Opening hours compiled from muis.gov.sg and public records, last updated 18 September 2026. They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides

Sultan Mosque ticket price

Entry fees for Sultan Mosque
Ticket	Price
Standard ticket	Free
Concession (student / senior)	Free
Children	Free

Free entry, as of 2026; robes and headscarves are provided free of charge for visitors without modest clothing.

Prices compiled from muis.gov.sg and public records, last updated 18 September 2026. They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides

Best time to visit Sultan Mosque

Quiet
Moderate
Busy

10:00 - 11:00
Morning Visiting Window
First of two daily visitor windows; independent travellers and small tour groups move through the courtyard and prayer hall exterior.
Moderate
12:00 - 14:00
Midday ClosureBest time to go
Mosque is closed to general visitors around Zuhr prayer time; only worshippers are present.
Quiet
14:00 - 16:00
Afternoon Visiting Window
Second and typically busier visiting window of the day, as day-tour groups routed through Kampong Glam converge on this slot.
Busy
16:00 onward
Evening Closure
General visiting hours end; the surrounding Bussorah Street and Arab Street shops remain open and busier than the mosque itself into the evening.
Quiet

History of Sultan Mosque

The original Sultan Mosque was built in 1824-1826 with funding assistance from the British East India Company, on land granted to Sultan Hussein Shah following the 1819 treaty that established Singapore as a British trading settlement. That first structure, a modest single-storey building, served the growing Muslim community of Kampong Glam through the 19th century as the surrounding area developed into Singapore's Malay and Arab quarter.

By the mosque's 1924 centenary the original building had deteriorated and could no longer accommodate the growing congregation, prompting a rebuilding campaign led by community leaders. Architect Denis Santry of Swan & Maclaren was commissioned to design a larger replacement in the Indo-Saracenic style, and construction ran from 1928 to 1932, funded substantially through public donation, including the glass-bottle-base detail on the dome contributed by congregants unable to give cash. The rebuilt mosque was gazetted a national monument in 1975, one of Singapore's earliest such designations, recognising both its architectural significance and its role as the historic centre of the Kampong Glam Malay-Muslim community.

Rules & etiquette at Sultan Mosque

Visiting hours for non-worshippers are restricted to 10:00-12:00 and 14:00-16:00 on Saturday through Thursday; the mosque is closed to general visitors on Friday because of the weekly Jumu'ah congregational prayer, and access is suspended briefly around each of the five daily prayer times even within the visiting window.

Shoulders and knees must be covered for both men and women, and women are asked to cover their hair; free robes and headscarves are available at the entrance for visitors who arrive without appropriate clothing. Footwear must be removed before stepping onto the prayer hall carpet, with shoe racks provided at the entrance.

Photography is generally permitted in the courtyard and prayer hall outside active worship, but visitors should avoid photographing people mid-prayer and should keep voices low throughout, as the mosque remains an active place of worship rather than a museum.

Tips for visiting Sultan Mosque

1
Kampong Glam's Arab Street and Haji Lane, both a short walk from the mosque, hold Singapore's densest run of textile shops, independent boutiques, and shisha cafes, making the area worth a half-day rather than a single-stop visit built around the mosque alone. The mosque's short and specific visiting windows mean it pays to plan the Kampong Glam walk around the 10:00-12:00 or 14:00-16:00 slots rather than arriving at random and finding the doors closed for prayer.
2
Bussorah Street, the pedestrianised approach leading directly to the mosque's main gate, is lined with cafes and souvenir shops and offers the clearest unobstructed view of the golden dome; it is also one of the more reliably photogenic streets in the district in early morning light before shop awnings and crowds fill the frame.
3
No tipping is expected at the mosque or in the surrounding Kampong Glam food and retail stalls, though a growing number of restaurants in the area add a service charge to the bill in line with broader Singapore dining norms.

How to reach Sultan Mosque

The red star is Sultan Mosque; the numbered pins are the 7 nearest places in our guides, each showing its rank in its city. Tap a pin for details.

3 Muscat Street, Singapore 198833Directions in Google Maps

From Singapore Changi Airport (SIN)
18 km · 30-35 min
S$2-3 by MRT; S$28-36 by metered taxi
From Bugis MRT Station
0.6 km · 8 min walk
Included in standard MRT fare from prior journey
From Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple
1.6 km · 20 min walk, 8 min by taxi
Free (walking); S$8-10 by taxi

Nearest airport

From Singapore Changi Airport (SIN)

18 km, approximately 30 minutes by taxi or MRT via the East-West and Downtown Lines.

Nearest station

From Bugis MRT (EW12/DT14), Exit C

approximately 8 minutes on foot.

Sultan Mosque FAQs

Can visitors enter Sultan Mosque any day of the week?

No. General visiting hours run Saturday through Thursday, 10:00-12:00 and 14:00-16:00. The mosque is closed to non-worshipping visitors on Friday because of the weekly Jumu'ah congregational prayer.

Is there an entry fee for Sultan Mosque?

No. Entry is free, as of 2026, and the mosque provides free robes and headscarves at the entrance for visitors who need modest clothing to enter.

Why does the mosque's dome have glass bottle bases around its rim?

Yes, this detail is real. During the mosque's 1928-1932 rebuilding, congregants too poor to donate cash contributed glass bottles instead, and their bases were set into the dome's rim as a lasting record of the community-funded construction.

Who was Sultan Mosque named after?

Sultan Hussein Shah of Johor, the ruler who signed the 1819 treaty allowing Stamford Raffles to establish a British trading post in Singapore. He was granted the surrounding Kampong Glam land for his court and this mosque.

Compiled with AI assistance from official sources and public records, and published only after the checks in How we write these guides. Nobody from Traveliac has visited this place. Last updated 18 September 2026. How we rank and check places