Jamek Mosque (Kuala Lumpur)

Masjid Jamek is one of the oldest mosques in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is located at the confluence of the Klang and Gombak River and was designed by Arthur Benison Hubback. The then Sultan of Selangor officially opened the masjid in 1909, two years after construction was completed. The masjid was built on the first Malay burial ground in the city.

The masjid has a Moorish architecture. Across the Klang River stands the Sultan Abdul Samad Building, a building that was designed by the same architect and shares a similar style.

The Masjid Jamek is situated, where both rivers the Sungai Klang and the Sungai Gombak meet. Right at this very place has the history of Kuala Lumpur started.

The masjid was built in 1907 and officially opened by the Sultan of Selangor on 23rd of December in 1909. The Masjid Jamek Kuala Lumpur is the oldest masjid in KL.

This is the very important spot for Kuala Lumpur's history, where the early settlers of Kuala Lumpur built their shacks. In the 1850s, early miners would unload here their equipment and provisions. They would then trek up the jungle path to Ampang, where they would dig for tin.

Masjid Jamek is the main masjid of Kuala Lumpur until the Masjid Negara was built in 1965 near the railway station.

It was designed by Arthur Benison Hubbock, an architectural assistant in the Public Works and Survey Department, who was intrigued and inspired by the Mogul architecture of India.

The Masjid Jamek cost RM32,625 and the money was raised by subscription from the Malaysian community and Government funds.

Its palm trees and the location on the banks of the Klang and Gombak rivers provide a tranquil setting that complements the Masjid Jamek's exquisite domed tower.

There are three domes surround the prayer hall; the central dome is 21.3m (70 ft) high and is flanked by two lower domes.

The biggest dome at the centre was collapsed in the 1990s and later rebuilt. At the corners are two red and white striped minarets.
At the corners are two red and white striped minarets 26.8m (88 ft) high, identical in design with chatris (umbrella-shaped cupolas, usually domed and open-sided) on the top.
A large number of small chatris top the entrances and corners of the masjid.

This striking red-brick and marble building is inspired by the mogul/north Indian Islamic architecture.

Commonly referred to as the "Masjid Jumaat, the crowd will over flood up to the streets and the LRT Station nearby (no wonder they name it Masjid Jamek station) on Friday.

Categories: mosque, 1909_construction