From the archive record
Sri Lankan muslims offer namaz at Colombo's Red Mosque. In the hustle and bustle of Pettah, Colombo’s core commercial district, is situated a most striking building, a spiritual haven called Jamiul Alfar Masjid. This mosque is remarkable because the architecture is Indo-Saracenic, incorporating pomegranate-shaped domes. But the most extraordinary feature is that each brick is painted red or white and used in contrasting designs, which gave rise to its common name, the Red Mosque. During the 7th Century CE, Arab dhows with their distinctive lateen sails filled with monsoon wind began in earnest to sail south-eastwards across the Indian Ocean. Aboard were traders whose destination was the Island they called Serendib—“Island of Rubies”—in search of those precious gems, but also pungent spices