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Since book cafes have become a global craze, bookworms nowadays have some of the coolest venues to hang out while enjoying their books. Malaysia is no exception. There are a myriad of book cafes in Malaysia that will definitely persuade those literary-minded people to leave their favourite reading nooks at home. Here are five places perfect for the bibliophiles:

Hedley Books Cafe @ Kota Bahru, Kelantan

Who would have thought that there is a Harry Porter inspired book café in the middle of the state that is steep in culture and tradition? Believe you me, Hedley Books and Cafe is one café that you should look for whenever you find yourself in Kota Bahru, Kelantan. With logos of Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin adorning its wall, and Harry Porter’s robes, as well as his magic wand, you will feel like you have stepped into Hogwart and become part of Harry Porter’s world.

There are more than 1,000 book for you to read. Just choose one from the bookshelves and enjoy your reading while sipping your favourite coffee; or maybe you can try the pie that the book café is famous for while re-reading a book from the Harry Porter’s collections; or take a selfie of you wearing Harry Porter’s robe and scarf, complete with a magic wand.

So, what are you waiting for, head to the east coast and search for this gem of a café.

Opening hours: Daily, 10am – 10pm

Photos are courtesy of Hedley Books and Cafe

Contact Details:

Hedley Books and Cafe
PT 1667 Tingkat 1, Jalan Raja Perempuan Zainab 2, Kubang Kerian,
16150 Kota Bharu
Tel: 012-988 1997

Instagram: www.instagram.com/hedleybookscafe
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hedleybookscafe

BookXcess’s Madeleine Café, The Starling, Selangor

Madeleine Café – BookXcess’s first in-store café – which offers a range of coffee-based drinks, herbal and regular teas, as well as a limited food menu is just perfect for book lovers who can’t wait to read their newly-bought book. BookXcess is bookstore where you can get a good selection of new books at a discounted price.

With a bookstore that measures some 10,500 square feet, The Starling BookXcess is considered one of the chain store’s largest outlets. You will definitely need to stretch your leg, quench your thirst, fill your stomach at the attached Madeleine Café after spending hours hunting for books at such large book store.

Business Hours: 10am-10pm every day.

Contact Details:

BookXcess
T-331A, T-331B,
The Starling Mall, Uptown, Damansara Utama.
Telephone No.: +603 5614 4554
Website: www.bookxcessonline.com/

The Wood Second Hand Book Store Café, Gajah Berang, Melaka

The Wood Second Hand Book Store Cafe at Jalan Gajah Berang Melaka is a little hidden gem for book lovers looking for a place to read books written in Mandarin.

At this book café, the smell of old books that mingles with the scent of a freshly-brewed coffee will really make you feel a bit nostalgic. Grab a rattan chair and lose yourself in the world of beautifully-written words at The Wood Second Hand Book Store Café.

Opening hours:

11am – 8pm (Mondays – Sundays)
Closed on Wednesdays

Contact Details:

Address: No. 35 Jalan Gajah Berang, Melaka
Tel: +6012 616 7128
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewoodsbookstore

The Nook Books Coffee, George Town, Penang

The Nook Books Coffee is a used bookstore and coffee shop, which is located at Khoo Cheow Teong Court along Fish Lane (Lorong Ikan) in George Town, Penang. This is the place to go for both book and coffee lovers. Here, if you fell in love with the book that you are reading, you can keep the book at a reasonable price.

The Nook Books Coffee is so warm and cosy that this place will make you forget that you are at a book café. All you want to do is find a corner and curl up with a good book.

This book cafe is open daily except for Tuesdays, from 9 am till 6 pm.

Contact Details:

The Nook Books Coffee
4 Khoo Cheow Teong Court
George Town, Penang

Tel: 012-525 2762

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/thenookgeorgetownpenang

Lit Book, Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Founded and managed by a husband and wife duo who are former journalists and ardent bibliophiles, Lit Books specialises in English literary titles. From collector’s editions of classics to modern and contemporary reads and of course, exciting new releases, Lit’s handpicked titles are sure to appeal to avid and casual readers alike.

More than just a bookseller, Lit was conceived to be a haven for book lovers, where conversation and discourse are encouraged and welcome. On top of books, there’s also the Lit Bar, a beverage station and a corner where readers can enjoy some coffee with their books.

Opening hours: Wednesday-Sunday: 11am-9pm, Tuesday: 1pm-9pm. Closed on Mondays.

Contact Details:

Lit Books
P-01-11 Tropicana Avenue, 12 Jalan Persiaran Tropicana, Petaling Jaya
Tel: 03-7886 6988

Website: https://litbooks.com.my/

For many countries, places of worship are part of their tourist attractions. Part of the reasons people travel to other country is because they want to learn and understand other people’s culture and way of life. For example, when we go to Turkey, it will not be complete if we didn’t visit its mosques because many of the beautiful Mosques there are the symbol of the great Ottoman Empire.

Malaysia also have a huge list of Mosques that are architectural wonder but for now I am going to focus on one mosque that is rated among the top five most visited tourist attractions in Kuala Lumpur.

By Any Other Name

The mosque is called Masjid Wilayah Persekutuan but it is also known as Mosque in the Garden. Its location within a well-manicured garden and surrounded by a moat, makes it a sight of behold The mosque is also dubbed Jewel of Kuala Lumpur because its many domes are like turquoise gemstones amidst the lush greeneries surrounding it. Among the locals, the name of the mosque is shortened to Masjid Wilayah.

Architecture Wonder

Masjid Wilayah is one of Malaysia’s largest and most modern of mosques. Visiting Masjid Wilayah will make you feel as if you are travelling into the best parts of the world and exploring the beauty of their artworks. This is because various designs, patterns and colours that had been adopted as the primary adornments of the mosque are from Turkey, India, Iran, Morocco and Malaysia

Masjid Wilayah managed to blend the exquisite and refined beauty of art and architecture with pragmatic sophisticated modern technology, making it one of the most photographed mosques in Kuala Lumpur.

The arch is decorated with woodcarving arts from Kelantan and Terengganu. The three beautiful carved wooden doors are based on floral motifs. If you look closely, you will see that the flower used in the motifs was lotus, a flower that shrinks in the morning and gradually opens during the day.

When you take a stroll at the courtyard, you will notice that the verandahs are influenced by Moroccan architecture.

The prayer hall, which can house 17,000 people at a time, has significant Islamic designs and features. The mehrab (a semi-circular wall that indicates the direction of Mecca or qibla) has inlays of semi-precious stones embedded into carved marble. It was skillfully crafted by the descendants of artisans who built the Taj Mahal.

Inspired by the Sultan Ahmet Mosque in Istanbul and the Masjid Imam of Isfahan; the turquoise-glazed tiles which cover all 22 domes will definitely mesmerise the visitors of the mosque. The overall design, when viewed from below, has a very humbling effect.

Masjid Wilayah also come equipped with seminar rooms, a library, a banquet hall, a multipurpose hall, wedding hall, accommodation for students, as well as guest rooms.

There is a Tourist Information Centre located within the Mosque Complex named after the Islamic World’s most prolific traveler, Ibnu Batuttah, that caters to both local and international visitors.

There are five major entrances as named Anjung A, B, C, D and E, which is similar to the layout of the Blue Mosque, Istanbul. Multiple entrances and directional signage is all to ensure maximum accessibility and convenience to congregants and visitors.

Mosque Tour Programme Masjid Wilayah

Many visitors to Masjid Wilayah have given testimonies that they have entered the mosque with curiosity and left enlightened. This is because the dedicated volunteers treat them just like friends. The volunteers share not only about the beautiful architectural designs of the mosque but also the Islamic beliefs and culture. It is a knowledge-based tour, which can ignite your intellect, and it is free of charge. I must warn you though that even if your original plan to tour the mosque is about 10 minutes, you might find yourself staying for two hours or more.

For those volunteers, taking the visitors on the tour is like an act of worship, thus, they gave nothing but the best as it is a service to God himself. At the moment, Masjid Wilayah has volunteers who can do tours in French, Japanese, Tamil, Mandarin, English and Malay.

Location

Masjid Wilayah is not in the routine tourist routes and there is hardly any public transport facilities to go there. So, we have to find a way to visit this special mosque. As such, special arrangement has to be made by the visitors to visit the mosque. Nothing worth having comes easy, anyway, eh!

Contact Details

Masjid Wilayah Persekutuan
Jalan Khidmat Usaha, Kompleks Kerajaan,
50480 Kuala Lumpur,
Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur

Tel:+603 6201 8791 / 8767 / 8780
Fax:+603 6201 8790 / +603 6201 8779
E-mail: admin@masjidwilayah.gov.my
Website: http://masjidwilayah.gov.my/v1/

Photo by: Fahrul Azmi @fahrulazmi