When I was traveling around Sabah and Labuan I saw many buildings there with the above architecture. I don't have the slightest doubt in my mind that such a building with such a distinctly Chinese architecture can only be a Chinese temple. Could I say the same thing of this building when I saw it in Rantau Panjang, Kelantan?
Definitely there are not that many Taoists worshipers in this town to merit the building of such a big temple if it were a Taoist temple. Across the border in Thailand there are more Buddhists believers than Taoists even though a sizable number of Chinese are found in Sungai Golok.
I asked a local from Rantau Panjang and he said the state Government of Kelantan has spent about RM7.5 million for this building and still more is needed since it is yet to be completed.
This building was used by moslems to perform the Sunat Idul Adha prayers during the recent Idul Adha even though the arch below was not fully constructed.
Hey, it is a mosque! People entering Kelantan via Rantau Panjang will see the sight this magnificient mosque on their left. Those leaving Kelantan will have a lasting impression of this mosque built not with the usual Moorish design but of distinctly Chinese architecture all for about RM8 million. How much did they spend for the Crystal Mosque in Kuala Terengganu?
Can you see the word Allah on the minaret?
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Tell Me What This Building Is.
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47 comments:
Oh, good to see that mosque is near completion :)
It is a very beautiful mosque, in term of architecture, so I kinda welcoming it, although at the same time I think we Rantau Panjang-ian can actually do with decent, normal looking one haha.
:D
Akmal,
I like that architecture. It will show to the world that the State Government is open minded and not go for forms but more on substance. It will be a tourist attraction because it is the only one in Malaysia. All that for just RM8 million compared to the hundreds of million spent on Crystal Mosque in KT.
Zawi, all the old mosque in Malacca does not have dome. To me the dome is not in our culture so I am glad that this mosque look more to our eastern culture then the Moorish one. Just have a look at the New Malacca state mosque it is of an eastern architecture. It one of its kind in the country and I think it would be good if other mosque building in the country follow what Malacca did as well as this mosque that you show in this blog.
I hope when new mosque are built it should not have that dome. It should look more like the Malay architect rather then some dome that is foreign to our culture. Have a nice day.
Bang Zawi
I actually heard about this mosque. But I've never seen it. What an interesting design. Thanks a lot for sharing these pictures. I actually thought it was a Taoist temple ;D
Pak Idrus,
Thank you for the information about the mosques in Malacca. I remember seeing all those old mosques with the local architecture but I didn't know that none of them are without the domes. The beauty of the one in Rantau Panjang is the Chienese architecture which Tok Guru must have liked since he had visited most of the old mosques in China.
de minimis,
I believe this is your first comment at my site thus I would like to welcome you.
Though Rantau Panjang is in the same district of Pasir Mas, I have not passed that way for sometimes since there is another entance to the town via Banggol Kulim. Due to that I wasn't aware of the mosque's constuction until I visited the town again to photograph the flood there. The pictures of the flood will be posted later.
Hello Zawi
Happy New Year to you and your family. Wishing you a wonderful 2009 filled with love, joy, health and wealth.
Re your current posting, it is indeed an interesting looking mosque. I really thought it was a temple at first.
salam abg wi
Pertembungan atau asimilasi antara budaya yang unik telah membentuk satu unik.kenapa reka rentuk cina dipilih?menurut TGNA kerana islam adalah hak milik semua kaum bukan hanya melayu dan jangan lupa islam telah lama bertapak di china sebelum parameswara pada 1400 dimelaka.islam masuk melalui 'silk road'.kita juga dapat melihat masjid jubli perak ni dengan harga rm 8 juta sahaja dan jikalau pembangkang memerintah kelantan mungkin lebih mahal daripada masjid kristal,,,,,ISLAM UNTUK SEMUA..
j.t,
Thank you for the NY greetings. Read Martin Bates comment on The Last of The Great Doctors in Kota Bharu. He is now in Adelaide.
I thought it was a temple too until I went closer to have a look.
razihan,
Wassalam.
Terima kasih kerana memberi penjelasan mengikut falasafah TGNA.
Kalau Kerajaan yang lain buat mesti jauh lebih mahal sebab faktor keuntungan untuk kroni-kroni.
Pastinya Mesjid ini akan menjadi kebangaan Rakyat Kelantan. Kita akan cover secara meluas dalam blog di hari perasmian nanti.
Salam Zawi,
Apa pun bentuk masjid yang dibina, ia perlu dapat menarik jemaah datang bersolat. Ramai pengunjung datang melihat hanaya aktiviti sampingan je
Masjid cantik tetapi kosong pada waktu solat, sungguh menyedihkan kita sebagai ummat Islam. Wallahua'lam.
Unique and majestic would be the perfect words for it. kinda reminds me of the ancient Masjid you get to see in some parts of China. but unlike here, such mosque design are common sights there.
*my apology for missing out on the Tamparuli pic.
personally i think there's just something about that place, and the legendary bridge. couldnt figure out what. maybe i like the song so much that it holds a very special place in me. that doesnt make sense i know.
Zabs,
Kalau ditinjau, mesjid cuma dipenuhi semasa menunaikan fardhu Jumaat dan pada Hari Raya sahaja. Mungkin perlu aktiviti lain juga dipusatkan di Mesjid supaya bangunan sebegini indah dan besar dimenfaatkan sepenuhnya.
Apakata kalau kelas Bahasa Arab atau tabika ditempatkan di mesjid mesjid yang mana mempunyai bilik-bilik lain selain dari tempat solat?
kerp,
As Razihan commented, TGNA was inspired by the mosques in China before approving the design of this mosque.
My curiousity of the Jambatan Tamparuli was because of the song. I just wanted to find out how the bridge looks like. My other curiousity was the old town of Tamparuli which we will normally bypass on our way up to Kundasang. Now the old shophouses were razed down by fire so Tamparuli will not look the same now. Unfortunately I didn't manage to capture the town on camera.
Hi Zawi, wow! First time I see a Mosque with a distinct Chinese architecture or design.
At first thought building in China, ha ha. But its beautiful.
I must go see this building bila I balek kampong one of these days.
You sure clocking up milage with your camera. Good pictures too, Zawi.
Have a happy new year, best regards to you and isteri.
Lee.
Lee,
I didn't know about this mosque until a few days ago when I went to have a look at the flood in Rantau Panjang.
Come back soon and I will take you and your spouse around the place. I will be your guide. Pray tell me when that will be? Next winter should be fine as you can enjoy summer here hehehehe.
Happy New Year to you and isteri too.
Do you have any information of the opening. I have been meaning to attend the ceremony if possible. Though, it will rather be a consolation to virtually watching the ceremony on your page.
Salam Pak Zawi
From afar, it does look like a temple but it is indeed a mosque.
What goes in the building matters, not the aesthetic physical structure of it.
Rauhan,
No idea when the opening will be. I will find out if TV Pas will have a live coverage of the event. I think they should. We will ask Sheikh about it.
Being from Rantau Panjang you should be very proud of having such a structure at your place.
Fauziah,
How true that what goes inside it matters. Hopefully those who intend to go across the border for sinful acts will ponder on the thought of doing it when one reaches the mosque. Hopefully one will spend too much time appreciating the beauty of the mosque that one will find insufficient time to go across.
The aesthetic is necessary to attract people to pray at the mosque inorder to discover the inner beauty of the mosque that moslems build to offer prayers to Allah.
salam pak zawi,
dah lama tak ke portal pak zawi ...I'll make sure it's going to be in my ferquently visit blog list ...hehehe. Sangat menarik info tentang Masjid yang guna architecture Cina tu ...
Satu lagi you writting about Kundasang trip tu sangat menarik ..Pernah ke sana tapi tak sampai ke Pekan Kundasang ...probably next trip kot ...
rizal
zawi :-) i guessed right. the single minaret was a give away.
creative design ... signifying change and out of the box thinking.
Rizal,
Kalau ada masa datang la kemari. Tu pun kalau ada cerita menarik untuk Rizal.
Tak baca trip ke Keningau dan Ranau sebelum tu?
PP,
I guessed so by the minaret too when I first saw it. I just don't think they will build sucha big temple. It is a breath of fresh air from the normal mosque architecture. How farsighted our TGNA can be.
it's beautiful, pak zawi!
Mekyam,
Yes it is beautiful. As Pakpayne said it, 'It was thinking out of the box'. They were arguing about letting the Chinese wanting to build their own mosque (not Kelantan)but they have allowd the Indians to build their own mosque all the time. Here in Kelantan the state government has gone out to build one with a totally Chinese design.
Wait for the opening day and I will show you how it looks inside it. Or maybe I should get some pictures now?
salam abg wi
insyallah blogger kelantan dan kita semua akan bagi liputan terbaik untuk masjid jubli perak nanti..
kita promasikan masjid seluruh dunia sebagai tempat ibadat,tempat perkumpulan komuniti,tempat perniagaan,tempat mencari ilmu dan juga boleh dijadikan produk pelancongan bagi pintu masuk negara khususnya di bandar rantau panjang bandar pelancongan...
jadikan lah masjid seperti era rasullulah saw dalam konsep pembinaan masyarakat,sahsiah,dan kerohanian....
mungkin setahun dua lagi kita kita ada kita ada resort baru dan tempat peranginan di tasik kwong plan dah submit da .....
salam abg wi
insyallah blogger kelantan dan kita semua akan bagi liputan terbaik untuk masjid jubli perak nanti..
kita promasikan masjid seluruh dunia sebagai tempat ibadat,tempat perkumpulan komuniti,tempat perniagaan,tempat mencari ilmu dan juga boleh dijadikan produk pelancongan bagi pintu masuk negara khususnya di bandar rantau panjang bandar pelancongan...
jadikan lah masjid seperti era rasullulah saw dalam konsep pembinaan masyarakat,sahsiah,dan kerohanian....
mungkin setahun dua lagi kita kita ada kita ada resort baru dan tempat peranginan di tasik kwong plan dah submit da .....
Razihan,
Wassalam.
Kalau ada liputan meluas semasa perasmian Masjid Jubilee Perak nanti bagus la.
Tasik Kwong tu dimana? Ada blog mengenainya?
Tasik kwong berada dalam lingkungan 7 kilometer daripada rantau panjang..terletak di mukum lubuk stol berdekatan dengan markas taktikal PGA ...kalau abg wi captured gambar pemandangannya indah serta ada potensi untuk dimajukan oleh syarikat daripada pj.projek JV dengan MDPM..
Perbadanan Muzium Kelantan telah menyatakan hasrat untuk mengambil alih bangunan PTJPM untuk dijadikan muzium pasir mas
selepas bangunan baru di lubuk jong siap
Assalamu'alaikum Ayoh Awi
Impressed with the architecture of the mosque in Rantau Panjang. A variant from the normal dome designed mosque.
That is Islam full of colors, culture and translated into the civilasation
Such a beautiful building.
I wish they'd build more 'local' stuff - rather than the generic ones that are sprouting everywhere!
And, yes, you are right. A place of worship is just that - a place. How it looks does not matter. It is its function that counts.
Pat
Razihan,
Thanks for the info. I will check on the place and take some photographs so that once it is developed we can flashback on how it looks before development.
It will be great if the present Pejabat Tanah Pasir Mas will be converted into a museum. Hopefully they will have enough artifacts to fill it.
Mamadou.
Waalaikummussalam.
Yes the design is a breath of fresh air compared to the normal ones. Building structures are universal. No one can claim ownership to anything like it. There is a Sikh temple in Labuan which I mistook for a mosque.
Pat,
It is beautiful. I beg to differ that 'how it looks doesn't matter'. It must look beautiful and functional hehehehe. Hopefully it will be fully utilized the way as Razihan said. It will be sad if it is just relegated to just as a tourism attraction.
Salam Pak Zawi,
I have seen the mosque with my own eyes. It's truly magnificent. There is something universal about the mosque. I could feel the aura.
Well done to the state government.
Hilmi,
If that be the case I better go and take some photographs of the inside and share with others the magnificient look from inside. Thank you.
kalau nok kato lah... maso dulu.. dulu lah... sebelum 90-he...
ore cino sinih nok wak bangune dewe cino tu... denge senibino cino... tapi tok luluh...
takuk nok kecino'e dok'oh...
lepah pado tok guru amek alih... pok cino takdi.. lagi la raso tok ke buleh buat doh...
tapi gak.. pok demo tu silak lah... bilo ado oghe s'sapa usul tu ko tok guru... tok guru wi slaluh... tok banyok kechek...
kato tok guru... apo saloh nyo nok wak bangune betuk lagu mano pung.. janji selamak nok duduk... pade lah...
Anonymous,
Patut la Dewan Perniagaan Cina di Jalan Kebun Sultan tu mempunyai architecture Cino. Ambo ada gambar tu. Nanti ambo bubuh dalam blog ni.
Salam pak Zawi.
Am looking forward to go therelah..rekabentuknya sangat special . Nazmi's interest ni.
-maybe somewhere in March we all pi KB.
Sherry,
Pls don't come on 12th to 15th March. I will be at MATTA Fair KL. Nak beli pakej makan angin bab perut kosong.
Hi Pak Zawi,
Now that's what I call cross-cultural!
Oh, have I wished you and family Happy New Year, yet? Kalau belum, Happy Belated New Year!
Daph,
Cross culture should be the in thing to promote racial harmony and integration. I for one would love to encourage inter marriage whenever possible. Remember the adage 'Where there is a will, there is a way'
Worry not about greeting twice if you have done it earlier.
Salam Zawi,
As Pak Idrus has mentioned, there are many mosques in Melaka that have chinese-type architecture. During my first trip to Melaka when I was very young, I was puzzled why the mosques there had the chinese-look. It was only later I realised that people in China were Muslims very much earlier than Malays in the peninsular. To paraphrase a comment by one of my teachers, `And we have the gall to call them muallaf!'.
Sometime ago I read that the Chinese Muslims want to be built and run a mosque in KL but the approval was held back. I sincerely hope they are allowed to do so. It would be refreshing to hear a khutbah in Mandarin, once in a while.
Oldstock,
I never realized that there are mosques in Malacca with the Chinese architecture. How nice it would be if somebody could write about it. I remember meeting a photographer who produces a photobook about mosques. I must look for the book. Maybe we can urge Pak Idrus to blog about mosques in Malacca as Malacca is his second home. Many mosques in Malacca have no dome, he said.
I like all your photos. Its look nature and some good angel of the photo. Congrats!
Deen
Deen,
Once the mosque is completed, we will go for a photoshoot of the mosque. I would love very much to look and photograph the inside of it. Can you find out who is the architect and the contractor who build it?
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