slothis · English

Visiting the UMS Pink Mosque in Kota Kinabalu

2018-02-17 · Updated: 2026-08-11 · Original (Korean)

This article was translated from the original Korean post with AI assistance. Read the original Korean post →

The weather was bad yesterday, so even though I didn't see much, my fatigue really piled up. Today, I decided to take it easy, check out a mosque, and then head over to an island. In case anyone is wondering how I plan my itinerary: I just wake up and do whatever I feel like. Sorry.

So, today's first destination is the UMS Mosque, also known as the Pink Mosque. As I mentioned before, there are three mosques worth visiting in Kota Kinabalu, nicknamed the Gold, Pink, and Blue Mosques after their respective colors. The State Mosque I visited last time is the Gold Mosque, and the one I'm heading to now is the Pink Mosque. UMS stands for University of Malaysia Sabah. Since it bears the name of this massive island of Sabah, I'm guessing it must be a prestigious university.

Arched main gate of Universiti Malaysia Sabah with the Malaysian national flag and Sabah state flag hanging.
Looking at the main gate, it definitely is a prestigious university.
Yellow signpost guiding the locations of colleges at Universiti Malaysia Sabah among green trees.
White clock tower with a golden dome roof standing in the center of a roundabout under a blue sky.
Large campus building of Universiti Malaysia Sabah with a red roof and light-colored exterior walls.
Computer Science building
Curved paved road inside the campus lined with lush green trees on both sides.

If you take an Uber or Grab, don't get out at the main gate—ask the driver to take you all the way to the mosque. The photos I listed above might not look like much, but if you try to walk it, it's so far and hot that you'll definitely need to chug a whole bottle of water. When you reach the main gate, the driver and the security guard will tell you to get out. You might be a bit nervous at this sudden situation, but don't worry too much. Just step out briefly at the gate and write down your name as the guard instructs. They probably do this to keep track of who is on campus.

Grand mosque building with pink exterior walls, round domes, and tall minarets.
Large and small round dome roofs of the Pink Mosque topped with crescent moon decorations.
The dome is pink too
Wide staircase extending toward the entrance of the Pink Mosque among palm trees and green trees.
Despite the name Pink Mosque, the entrance is quite solemn
Arched window on a pink wall filled with white star-shaped pattern decorations.
Gold lettering that appears to be Arabic and Malay engraved on a black marble plaque.
It probably says something like 'Built by so-and-so in 2002'
Wide entrance of the mosque with elaborate wooden carvings and the interior space visible beyond it.
Notice board displaying the dress code, admission fee, and visiting hours for mosque visitors.
Even though it's inside a school, a mosque is still a mosque, so you have to dress appropriately. Otherwise, the guards will stop you.
Arched structure and wooden carvings at the front of the mosque interior, with a blue carpet on the floor.
There isn't anything particularly amazing inside
Inside of the round dome on the mosque interior ceiling decorated with radial lines.
Unlike the Gold Mosque, the inside of the dome is simple and clean
Dark wooden decoration engraved with Arabic calligraphy hanging on the upper wall inside the mosque.
High wooden pulpit installed on the wall inside the mosque.
Looks like they give sermons or something from up there
Mosque interior where the bright outside scenery is visible through an open door and ornately patterned window grilles from the dark room.
I didn't think much of it from the outside, but as I was leaving, the mother-of-pearl catching the light and casting shadows was absolutely beautiful
Bright outside scenery seen through dark wooden window grilles engraved with geometric patterns.

Since it's currently vacation time and a holiday weekend, there is really no one on campus. Aside from a few tourists around the mosque, the entire school was incredibly quiet. It was so peaceful and the roads were pretty, so I decided to take a walk down. I immediately regretted it after being instantly dried out by the blazing sun.

Back view of two men bringing grass to a water buffalo in the shade under a tree.
Horned black water buffalo standing and eating grass on the shaded dirt ground under a tree.
Man petting the head of a water buffalo under a tree.
Looks like a cow raised by the school for experiments, and it is incredibly gentle. It wasn't even eating grass, just super busy being nosy about people working.

You don't necessarily *have* to see the Pink Mosque, but if you're left alone for 9 days due to your friends suddenly canceling their trip like me, it's worth a visit. However, no matter how much free time you have, don't walk—just call an Uber or Grab to get around. Even if you come alone, there are plenty of tourists who will gladly take your picture if you ask. And who knows... maybe someone will ask you to grab a bite, and you'll get to enjoy the luxury of eating dinner with other people.

Expenses (As a conservative estimate, multiply by 300 to get the amount in KRW)

Daily total: RM 321.1

Total trip expenses: 2,875,000 KRW + RM 1645.88