A red-and-white striped mosque built in 1909, designed in a mix of Indian and Islamic architectural styles, rising abruptly from the dense market streets of Pettah. It remains an active place of worship and one of Colombo's most photographed buildings thanks to its candy-striped facade. At 20-30 minutes and free entry, it works well slotted between larger visits rather than as a standalone destination.
What It Is
You step off a crowded market street into a quiet courtyard, climb a short staircase past the striped minarets, and enter a plain prayer hall that contrasts with the ornate exterior.
Why Visit
The striped facade is one of Colombo's few recognizable landmarks and a 5-minute stop that bridges the chaos of Pettah Market. It is not the first thing you should see in Colombo, but with two or more days it fills a gap the major sights leave. It pairs naturally with Dutch Period Museum and Pettah Market - add it before or after without rearranging your day. Mornings are quieter if you want to take your time.
More on Colombo
It is in the Pettah part of Colombo. See where it ranks among the things to do in Colombo. The Colombo guide covers transport, costs and when to go.
We plan trips to Colombo and the rest of Sri Lanka. Tell us your dates and we will put a route together. Our routes are on the tours page.
Nearby Places
4 min walkDutch Period Museum
It's one of the oldest surviving Dutch buildings in Colombo, and the courtyard offers a rare quiet pocket inside Pettah's otherwise chaotic streets.
Free5 min walkPettah Market
This is Colombo's commercial engine, unfiltered for tourists, and the fastest way to understand how the city actually functions day to day.
Free16 min walkDutch Hospital Shopping Precinct
It's the easiest place to see colonial-era architecture repurposed rather than left to decay, and a reliable spot for a proper meal in the Fort area.
Free16 min walkColombo Lighthouse (Old Lighthouse)
It's a two-minute marker of how far Colombo's coastline has shifted since the 1850s, slotted between two other colonial buildings worth seeing anyway.
Free21 min walkGalle Face Green
It's the one spot where Colombo's working-class evening life, colonial architecture, and ocean all meet in one frame.