HERITAGE - MOSQUE OF MALAYSIA

 

The word mosque referred to an Arabic language a place of worship or prostrate to god - Allah the Almighty. Such as the Grand Mosque in Makkah "Al Haram Shariff" where the Holy Ka'aba located is also a mosque.

The first mosque in the world was Quba Mosque built in Madinah.The Quba Mosque, is considered the first mosque in Islam,it is the mosque of the prophet in Madinah,which was to become the most renowned mosque in the history of Islam.

The main function of a mosque, a place for every Muslim to perform their 5 time daily prayer and a weekly congregational prayer compulsory to all male Muslim on every Friday.

Main activity perform in mosque are:

• Congregational prayer for normal 5 time a day.
• Congregational compulsory  Friday prayer for every muslim man.
• Mosque being an education center for formal teaching of religious knowledge 
• A center for any activities which  are in accordance or allowed by Islam
• Center for any Islamic religion related celebration 
• Center for Islamic activity administration within the locality
• May also be a placed for marriage solemnized.       

 

Mosque Architecture in Malaysia: Classification of Styles and Possible Influence

 

Classification of Styles and Possible Influence

There are seven styles of mosque architectural language that can be classified:

  

• Traditional Vernacular

• Sino Electic
• Colonial
• Northern Indian
• Modern Vernacular
• Modernistic Expressionism
• Post Modern Revivalism   Traditional Vernacular

 There are three types of mosques in this category which can be distinguished mainly from the use of the roof form.

 

The first is the three tier pyramidal roof form as in that of Kampung Laut and Kampung Tuan believed to be built between the sixteenth and the seventeenth century.

From the tip of the pyramid to the bottom of the columns, the mosques can be inscribed into an almost perfect cube.

The second type is the two tier pyramidal roof forms such as that of the Papan and  the Lengeng Mosque.

The Kg TuanMosque

 

Kg Laut Mosqie

The Traditional Vernacular interior

Another view of the interior

Old location of the Kg Laut Mosque

The old traditional well where water is  haul up for ablution.

Most early most are fenced up

They are built between the eighteenth and nineteenth century.

There are the single or double tier roof form in this typology. All of the mosques are raised from waist to shoulder height.

All of the mosques in this stylistic classification are made of timber.

All of the mosques originally possess no serambi area. Many of the serambi or verandah came later.

 

An interesting feature of these mosques is that they do not come equipped with a minaret.All are added later whilst some mosques are still without any minaret.

All of the mosques display only a single space layout and no indication of subdivision can be found.

Since many of the mosques are built close to a river for ablution purposes few of them have wells for preparation of prayer. 

 

There is no indication that these early mosques were fenced up and isolated from the villages. All of the mosques use the traditional timber post and beam system.

Columns on the exterior and the interior are common features except in the Kampung Tuan Mosque. 

The mosque main area for prayer

The mosque verandah is built at a later date.

 

In this particular mosque, there are only exterior column without the traditional four or five internal pillars.

A close examination reveal that this particular mosque uses a unique timber ‘space frame structure but known locally as the tiang gantung system. 

 

It is a fact that all the traditional Malay construction do not use any form of truss system except the occassional king post which is denoted as the ‘tiang gantung’.

Since the strongest debate about how Islam came to this region is from the Acheh route or that of Pattani, it follows that the three tier form might be nfluenced by the sacred form of the pagoda.

Many building craftsmen are actually Chinese and if there were Malay craftsmen, they might have inherited their skills from the Chinese.

Masjid Lebuh Aceh - Penang

 

Sino-Eclectic Style

The term Sino indicates a Chinese influence and,

Eclectic which denotes a combination of two or more influence of architectural language.

There are two types of mosques in this category:

Both types are similar in a majority of other features.

The differences between the two styles lie in the prominent curvature of the roof ridges which is made of cement.

The mosque if this style sits on the ground and are not raised.

The all have slabs on grade which are raised about half a metre high with stone stairways accessing to the main floor plan.

The plan of the mosque proper consists of the enclosed prayer area and the serambi or verandah surrounding either three parts of the square plan or all around it.

Masonry fenced and masonry pool for ablution area.

E.g. Kampung Hulu Mosque, the Tengkera Mosque and the Kampung Keling Mosque , Melaka.

E.g. The Lebuh Acheh Mosque, Penang,

The roof structure is made of timber rafters purlins and sometimes simple trusses. The roof materials is of clay tiles. 

 

The whole roof is supported primarily by four central column and nine or twelve perimeter columns