National Mosque of Malaysia

National Mosque Masjid Negara 国家清真寺 தேசிய பள்ளிவாசல்
The National Mosque of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur
Location	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia[1]
Established	1965
Branch/tradition	Sunni
Ownership	Malaysian government
Architectural information
Architect(s)	Howard Ashley, Hisham Albakri and Baharuddin Kassim
Style	Modern
Capacity	15,000
Minaret height	73m
Materials	concrete

Minaret of the National Mosque

An inside view of the National Mosque of Malaysia

Friday prayer inside main prayer hall.

A structure part of the Mosque.

The National Mosque of Malaysia is located in Kuala Lumpur. It has a capacity of 15,000 people and is situated among 13 acres (53,000 m²) of beautiful gardens. The original structure was designed by a three-person team from the Public Works Department - UK architect Howard Ashley, and Malaysians Hisham Albakri and Baharuddin Kassim. The mosque was built in 1965 on the site of a church, the Venning Road Brethren Gospel Hall which had stood there since 1922 but appropriated by the Malaysian government.^[2] The mosque is a bold and modern approach in reinforced concrete, symbolic of the aspirations of a then newly independent Malaysia.

Its key features are a 73-metre-high minaret and an 16-pointed star concrete main roof. The umbrella, synonymous with the tropics, is featured conspicuously - the main roof is reminiscent of an open umbrella, the minaret's cap a folded one. The folded plates of the concrete main roof is a creative solution to achieving the larger spans required in the main gathering hall. Reflecting pools and fountains spread throughout the compound.

History

Malaya gained its independence from the British government on 31 August 1957. Major development programs in areas of economy, social and architecture were actively implemented in line with the new government. The programs were also to portray new progressive culture and achieved democracy. Therefore, on 30 July 1957, in the meeting of the Federal Executive Council an idea to build a national mosque as a symbol of the country’s independence was mooted. In another meeting on 5 March 1958, Chief Ministers of the eleven states in the Federation of Malaya, a proposal was made to name the mosque Masjid Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, in recognition of Yang Teramat Mulia Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj’s efforts in guiding the country to gaining independence. However, Tunku refused this honour; on the contrary he named it Masjid Negara in thanksgiving for the country’s peaceful independence without bloodshed .

The mosque underwent major renovations in 1987, and the once-pink concrete roof is now clad in green and blue tiles. Today, Masjid Negara continues to stand sleek and stylish against the Kuala Lumpur skyline. An underground passage leads to the National Mosque located near the railway station, along Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin. Its unique modern design embodies a contemporary expression of traditional Islamic art calligraphy and ornamentation. Near the mosque is the Makam Pahlawan (Heroes' Mausoleum), a burial ground of several Malaysian politicians. Makam Pahlawan is a 7-pointed star concrete roofed structure.

Imams of Masjid Negara

1. Haji Ghazali Abdullah (1965)
2. Hj. Mohd Salleh Hassan Farid
3. Datuk Sheikh Abdul Mohsein bin Hj. Salleh (1974-1975)
4. Dato' Hj. Ahmad Shahir bin Haji Daud (1975-1980)
5. Dato' Hj. Abu Hassan bin Din Al-Hafiz (1981-1983)
6. Dato' Hj. Ahmad Shahir bin Haji Daud (1984-1992)
7. Haji Arifin Harun (1992-1993)
8. Dato' Hj. Taib Azamudden bin Md. Taib (1993-1999)
9. Haji A. Jalil bin Sindring @ Prangerang (1999-Sep. 2001)
10. Haji Wan Halim bin Wan Harun (2001-2004)
11. Dato' Haji Kamaruddin bin Hj Zakaria (2005-2006)
12. Tan Sri Dato' Syaikh Hj.Ismail bin Hj.Muhammad (February 2007-current.)

See also

• Timeline of Islamic history
• Islamic architecture
• Islamic art
• List of mosques
• Islam in Malaysia
• Istiqlal Mosque, Jakarta

References

External links

Media related to National Mosque of Malaysia at Wikimedia Commons

• Masjid Negara Homepage
• KL Heritage Trail: Masjid Negara KL Heritage Trail: Masjid Negara @ National Mosque

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Coordinates: 3°8′31″N 101°41′30″E / 3.14194°N 101.69167°E / 3.14194; 101.69167