The Jami Ul Alfar Mosque is one of Colombo’s most iconic landmarks, a candy-striped confection of red and white that has anchored the city since 1909. Built in a distinctive Indo-Saracenic architectural style with striped domes and minarets, the mosque is as visually arresting as it is spiritually significant. A visit to Pettah, combined with the Red Mosque, offers a vivid immersion into the city’s multicultural character; the surrounding streets are a sensory explosion of spice shops, textile stalls and street food vendors.