MY MANDALAY GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE - HAVING DINNER AT KAUNG THANT CAFE

16th DECEMBER 2019 ~ There were just too many halal eating places around the mosque area in Mandalay, either proper restaurants or stalls. We finally sat down outside Kaung Thant Cafe, at the table by the roadside. The criteria that was taken into consideration: there were a lot of people eating there, then the inference made was the food should be good.

I must say milk tea in Myanmar should be the best I had ever had. And I ordered two cups of this at this cafe, but the size of the cup was actually very small compared to the one we have back home.

I thought I ordered chapati [a kind of Indian flat bread] but what arrived at the table was "murtabak", flat bread filled with ground beef and chopped onions. But it was good.

Our tummies were full and we were so ready to get onto the bus that would take us back to Yangon after 9 hours.

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VISITING JOON MOSQUE IN MANDALAY

16th DECEMBER 2019 ~ While we were roaming the streets of Mandalay that evening, we found another mosque which was actually very near to the first mosque where we went to perform our prayers. Joon Mosque looked much bigger and more spacious than Mandalay Central Mosque.

It was after the Maghrib prayer (performed after the sunset), and there were not many people in the building or the front facade. However, it was bustling with activities and we could hear voices of people reciting the verses of the holy Qur'an. There were groups of people reading the holy books at the ground floor of the mosque, which was below the main prayer hall.

At the same time, next to the mosque, there was another building from which voices of children could be heard. That should be some sort of religious school and they were having night classes, I guess.

the school

A HISTORICAL SUMMARY OF JOON MOSQUE

The Joon Mosque the gift offered by Haji U Pho and his beloved wife Hajima Daw Ei, A purveyor by royal appointment and comrade to His Majesty King Mindon, founder of the city and palace of Mandalay, and to his successor King Thibaw, was erected in the year 1224 Myanmar era (1862AD) together with two plots of land, Joon compound and Ulla Im compound with the intention of raising fund for the mosque.

During the Second World War, the mosque suffered damage on 4th April 1942. The administrative committee built the new mosque in the year 1951 with the contribution donated by the devotees of the Islamic faith from all walks of life.

Again in the year 1984, the mosque was partly gutted in the Great Fire of Mandalay. Unfortunately in the wake of the fire, the mosque deteriorated into near collapse during the earthquake in 1989.

The resolution to build the mosque was passed at the mass meeting held on 1st October 1992 by the administrative committee. Under the aegis of nine members of the admin committee, a construction committee comprising of 48 members was formed to rebuild the mosque for the third time. The work of rebuilding the mosque with the donation contributed by the devotees of the Islamic faith from all walks of life was fully completed in the year 1995. By the blessing of the Almighty Allah, may this mosque exist till the last day of universe.

[text from the carved stone at Joon Mosque]

ablution area

I always feel welcomed as if I am at home every time I visit a mosque in a foreign land where the Muslims are the minority. The feeling is just indescribable. May Allah grant me with good health to visit more mosques in other places for many more years to come.

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ROAMING THE STREETS OF MANDALAY IN THE EVENING

16TH DECEMBER 2019 ~ After we were done with our Maghrib and Isya' prayers at the mosque, it was time to explore Mandalay a bit on our own. Actually, we were on the lookout for a halal eating place but we found many until we could not decide which one to choose.

The street near Mandalay Central Mosque was quite busy when we first arrived at about 5.00 p.m. People were getting out of their work places most probably. However, the traffic was more bearable after 7.00 p.m.

We could not find anything interesting enough except there were many halal eating spots around the area. If I were to make a return trip to Mandalay one day, I would not worry anymore where to get my meals.

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SEARCHING FOR MANDALAY CENTRAL MOSQUE, AND FOUND

16th DECEMBER 2019 ~ We managed to find a mosque after our guide had dropped us at the bus station, and we successfully performed the four prayers of the day there. In Mandalay, you could always use your Grab apps to get people to ferry you around town.

Mandalay Central Mosque was just a small building located by the side of a busy street in the heart of the city, but the place was clean and well taken care of.

The mosque was full with people coming for the Maghrib prayer [the prayer after the sunset].

I did not take a lot of photos as I could feel people eyeing us. It must be quite obvious we were wearing our tourists' hats.

Another thing, there were a lot of halal eating places around this area too.

There was another mosque that we found, so do come back for the report soon.

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