The Red Mosque, officially known as the Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque, is a striking Colombo landmark, its vivid red-and-white candy-striped facade rising above the crowded streets of the Pettah bazaar district since 1909. Built to serve the city’s growing Muslim population during the British colonial period, its Indo-Saracenic architecture is a brilliant blend of styles that stands in wonderful contrast to the bustling market life that surrounds it.