Heritage Building of Kuala Lumpur – Masjid Jamek of Kuala Lumpur

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 mosque 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 mosque in Kuala Lumpur city.

This is the very 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 was the main mosque of Kuala Lumpur until The National Mosque was built in 1965 near the railway station.

This beautiful mosque was also designed by Arthur Benison Hubback or more popularly known as AB Hubback, an architectural assistant in the Public Works and Survey Department. It is the same architect who designed the Old Kuala Lumpur Railway Station, KTM Headquarters, National Textile Museum and The Ubudiah Mosque. Obviously Arthur Benison Hubback was intrigued and inspired by the Mogul architecture of India as reflected in all his architectural works. Having served in India, he utilised his knowledge of Anglo-Asian architecture in the region. Besides The “Mugha Architectural” style was not uncommon at the time.

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 Mosque.

Commonly referred to as the “Friday Mosque, the crowd will be over flooded up to the street and the LRT Station nearby (no wonder they name it Masjid Jamek station) on Friday.

Masjid Jamek of Kuala Lumpur City

Masjid Jamek of Kuala Lumpur City

Masjid Jamek of Kuala Lumpur City

Masjid Jamek of Kuala Lumpur City

Masjid Jamek at Maghrib time

Masjid Jamek against the modern skyscrapers

Photo of the Day – Beyond the Elegant Architecture

Beyond the Elegant Architecture | Masjid As-Shariff

My picture entitled Beyond the Elegant Architecture was chosen as Photo of the Day dated 13 April 2012 in Light and Composition website.

This photo of the day is in a competition, which is evaluated by the numbers of tweets and re-tweets in Twitter and Stumbles on Stumble Upon, Like & Share in Facebook (Like and Share will count separately), 1+ in Google, Link In, Additionally, it will be evaluated based on the comments of the subscribers. If you love my photo please vote for it by doing any or all of the above.

Thank you in advance

Heritage Buildings of Penang

Besides the majestic Kapitan Keling Mosque that I posted in the previous blog entry, Penang has numerous other heritage buildings which are equally awesome. Penang is a mecca for photographers especially for a heritage building buff like me. There are just too many things to shoot within too little time.

As a result I just shot what I could get around to shooting with the resulting pictures that I deem appropriate to share here:

The Acheen Street Mosque, Penang

The Acheen Street Mosque

The Acheen Street Mosque or Masjid Lebuh Acheh is an old mosque located at the heritage enclave of George Town. It was also called the Mesjid Jamek as well as Masjid Melayu Lebuh Acheh. The mosque was founded in 1801, making it one of the oldest mosques in Penang. The founder was Tengku Sheriff Syed Hussain Al-Aidid, an Acehnese clan leader who moved to Penang at the invitation of Captain Francis Light, and settled at what became Acheen Street.

The Acheen Street Mosque has an Arab-style minaret with an Achehnese roof. The difference between this mosque and the other one, the Kapitan Kling Mosque nearby, is that the Acheen Street Mosque was built by an Achehnese, hence a Malay, whereas the Kapitan Kling Mosque was built by the Indian Muslims.

The City Hall, Penang

The City Hall, Penang

The City Hall, Penang

The City Hall of Penang is a fine example of admirable British Colonial architecture that still exists in Malaysia. A typical British Palladian architectural style building built in 1903 is still standing strong until today after undergoing a comprehensive restoration and conservation work. It is now occupied by part of Pulau Pinang Municipal Council office.  The whitewashed building forms an elegant backdrop to the Esplanade.

The Town Hall

Next to The Ol City Hall is its older counterpart The Town Hall.  This building – known among locals as the European Club, was primarily used as a venue for the town’s European community where social events, balls, public speeches, drama performances, art exhibitions and concerts were held. Built in Western architectural style with classical arches, columns, pilasters, quoins, ornamental elements on roof parapet and balustrades, the sunshine yellow double-storey is the oldest municipal building in Penang.

Lt-Governor Sir Archibald Edward Harbord Anson first laid its foundation on Jan 1, 1879. Occupying a land area of 70,711 sq feet, the building was completed in 1880 and officiated by the then Governor of Straits Settlements Frederick Weld. Through the years, the Town Hall has undergone five extensive expansions and now comprises a front portico, an assembly hall, a ballroom with adjoining supper rooms, a stage, office rooms and a library.

In 1999, the building’s ballroom on the first floor was “transformed” into a “Royal Hall of Justice” for the filming of 20th Century Fox’s blockbuster, Anna and the King.

Campbell Street Market

The Campbell Street Market’s architecture was inspired by Victorian architecture since it was built around 1900 and Victorian architecture was the in thing at that time. This market building is perhaps the oldest in George Town.

Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower

The Queen Victoria Memorial Clocktower at King Edward’s Place is one of the most recognizable icons of Penang Island. This Clocktower was built to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria by one of the distinguished Chinese millionaires eager to flaunt their wealth in the eyes of their British administrators.

The Queen Victoria Memorial Clocktower was built by local Penang millionaire Cheah Chen Eok in 1897 to commemorate the sixtieth year of the Queen’s reign. The tower was sixty feet tall, with each foot for each year of the Queen’s reign. Unfortunately, she never visited Penang, nor did she ever live long enough to see her clocktower completed. By the time it was completed in 1902, the Queen had died.

Logan Heritage

Part of Beach Street - What is visible is Logan Heritage, StanChart Builing and Queen Memorial Clock Tower

Logan Building, which is now owned by OCBC Bank, is now known as the Logan Heritage following a RM6.8 million restoration project that brought it to look as good as new. The funding of the restoration includes RM5 million from OCBC Bank and RM1.8 million from TecCentury, a property management company. The building will become an arcade housing food & beverage outlets, a money changer and other retail outlets.

To be continued….

The Kapitan Keling Mosque

The Kapitan Keling Mosque boasts its long history spanning more than 200 years. Located at the intersection between Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling (formerly known as Pitt Street) and Lebuh Buckingham, it sits strategically at the heart of the heritage enclave of George Town and has been the spiritual and community congregational point for the city’s Muslim community for two centuries. The mosque has been recognised by UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site as one of the heritage buildings that needs to be preserved.

I am pleased to share with you this mosque’s history in brief.

The majestic mosque was first erected by the troops of the British East India Company who were of Muslim religion when they arrived on the island near the end of the 18th century. That was soon after Francis Light took formal possession of the island from the Sultan of Kedah in 1786.  The troops of Indian Muslims were said to be led by an East India Company major named Nador Khan who cleared a piece of land to erect a small Chulier mosque besides setting up their burial ground.

The predecessor of the present Kapitan Keling Mosque was merely an attap-roofed structure. By 1798, the Chulier mosque had already appeared on the local map. Its first Imam or religious teacher was one Ustaz Mohamed Haniffa who died in 1213 Hijrah (around 1798 or 1799).

In 1801 Sir George Leith, who was then Lieutenant Governor of Penang, appointed a prominent Indian Muslim leader, Cauder Mohudeen, as Captain of the South Indian “Keling” community.  He granted a piece of land to build a mosque on the south side of Malabar Street (Chulia Street). Cauder Mohudeen (born c. 1759) was a ship mandoor or foreman from Porto Novo, which the Tamils called Paringgipettai and the Muslims Mahmudbandar, about 50 kilometres south of Pondicherry in India.

As the trade and population of the Settlement increased, attracting many Mohammedan traders and mariners it became necessary to erect a more permanent building and to provide a larger burial ground. Cauder Mohuddeen, a wealthy Mohammedan Keling, took the initiative by collecting subscriptions to build the present mosque. With the authorization from the government and the Indian Muslim community, Cauder Mohudeen brought builders and stones (or bricks) from India to erect the brick mosque.

What the mosque looked like in the olden days - undated picture. Photo credit: kapitankelingmosque.com

Thanks to his great contribution and selfless effort Cauder Mohuddeen as The Kapitan (Captain in English) Keling was thus regarded as the founder of the mosque. He died in 1834 leaving behind an invaluable legacy that stands strong until today and has been serving countless fellow muslims.

The Kapitan Keling Mosque went through several stages of development. From 1803 the year a brick mosque was completed the Kapitan Keling Mosque was skillfully extended in 1910 with some parts of the original mosque walls were retained within the larger building; the original minarets can still be identified. The spectacular new look of the mosque could be described as Moghul or ‘Indo-Saracenic’, with a fancy roof of domes and turrets, and the walls elaborately stuccoed and coloured to simulate the Moghul monuments of India, which employed different coloured stone and marble. The architect for this project then was a Malacca-born Eurasian of German descent, Henry Alfred Neubronner.  The building of the minaret in 1916 marked the completion of this phase of expansion.

The shophouses immediately to the south of the minaret were cleared soon afterwards so that the mosque could be fully viewed from Pitt Street (now Jalan Kapitan Keling). Its minaret became the most prominent landmark in the neighbourhood. In the 1920s, improvements were made to the ablution areas with modern plumbing and reinforced concrete coverings. In the 1930s the Kapitan Keling Mosque was again expanded and assumed its present form. A somewhat simpler and more weatherproof hip roof was added and a perimeter wall was built.

Below are the photos of the mosque in its present form taken during the last Chinese New Year holiday.

I welcome any comment and criticism with open arms either about the pictures or the history on the Kapitan Keling Mosque.

You can also view the slideshow of the Kapitan Keling Mosque pictures here.

The Kapitan Keling Mosque, Penang

The Kapitan Keling Mosque, Penang

The Kapitan Keling Mosque, Penang

The Kapitan Keling Mosque, Penang

The Kapitan Keling Mosque, Penang

The Kapitan Keling Mosque, Penang

The Kapitan Keling Mosque, Penang

Masjid Kayu Seberang Jerteh

Of late my home village, Kampung Seberang Jerteh, has been receiving a steady stream of publicity for the past one month since the completion of the Masjid Kayu Seberang Jerteh (the Seberang Jerteh Timber Mosque).  The timber mosque was built to replace the old mosque which has been there for more than forty years. I believe when the old mosque was built 40 or even 50 years ago  the architectural beauty was never taken into consideration that’s why what resulted was just a very basic buiding fitted with a small tower on its roof and on top its tower there was a small dome just to denote that it was a mosque.  After all it was strategically located at the T-junction of the main roads to Kota Bharu, Kuala Terengganu and Kuala Besut.

The old mosque is now gone and it has been replaced by a new and unique timber mosque whose architecture was inspired by the traditional Islamic Malay architecture. It is also adorned with traditional Malay “awang larat” wooden carvings. Something that Besut is famous for thanks to its world famous wooden carver Wan Su and family.

The timber mosque now known as Masjid Kayu Seberang Jerteh was reported to have cost RM12 million and it can accomodate about 800 worshippers. It was built of 80% chengal timber.  It was also reported that the timber mosque was the brainchild of Dato’ Seri Idris Jusoh who hails from Kampung Seberang Jerteh and was then the Terengganu Menteri Besar. In fact Idris Jusoh’s private house which was also built from timber is just 2km away from this mosque.  He is still currently the Jerteh ADUN.

Although the new timber mosque is not fully completed as its large pool and its landscaping work is still being constructed it started to be used last Ramadhan and it held the first Eidulfitri prayer last Tuesday.

The mosque has become a prominent landmark to Kampung Seberang Jerteh in particular and to Besut in general.  It is also hoped that the mosque doesn’t only serve as a trourist attraction but more importantly it manages to attract a lot more people by offering various interesting religious programmes that transcends the political and racial boundaries.

Today I managed to capture a couple of shots as I am still at my kampung for Hari Raya holiday. Today’s morning the weather was very fine resulting in nice lighting, deep blue sky and highly contrasty scene.

Do enjoy the pictures.

Masjid Kayu Seberang Jerteh

Masjid Kayu Seberang Jerteh

Masjid Kayu Seberang Jerteh

Masjid Kayu Seberang Jerteh

Masjid Kayu Seberang Jerteh

Masjid Kayu Seberang Jerteh

Masjid Kayu Seberang Jerteh

Masjid Kayu Seberang Jerteh

Masjid Kayu Seberang Jerteh

Masjid Kayu Seberang Jerteh

You can view more pictures of the Masjid Kayu Seberang Jerteh here.

Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque

I got around to shooting the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque from the Shah Alam Lake Garden last weekend. It was a coincidence. Since I brought a camera and the weather was fine with blue sky I couldn’t resist taking a couple of shots. I imagined that rarely-appearing-nowadays blue sky would be even deeper blue if seen through a polarizer filter fitted to my newly-procured brand new Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 (non-VC). Actually another reason to shoot was to test the Tamron 17-50mm. Anyway as they said let the pictures do the talking (it reminded me of YB Jeff Ooi when we together with the rest of the “dirty dozen” co-founded now-defunct LensaMalaysia.com, Jeff being the tok penghulu). I hope Jeff is still passionate about pictures like before he became a YB.

The Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque captured from Shah Alam Lake

The Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque captured from Shah Alam Lake

The Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque viewed from Shah Alam Lake

The Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque viewed from Shah Alam Lake

The Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque viewed from Shah Alam Lake

If you notice I purposely included the moving boat in the composition. That is one of the techniques in composition where you introduce a sense of movement in the picture. Without the moving boat the composition would look static and try to include something moving you will present a picture with dynamic composition. I recommend you study those photos by pros especially photojournalism photos and you will be able to understand more about dynamic composition and a sense of movement as what I touched on just now.

Happy shooting and feedbacks are welcomed

Jerteh, Besut, Terengganu

There are a couple of images to share when I went back to my hometown, Jerteh during the last school holiday.

Let’s start with some images of Kuala Besut.  Kuala Besut acts both as a fishing port at which the fishing boats dock and unload their catch and it also acts as a jetty from which the tour boats ferry the holidaymakers to one of the most popular island destinations in Malaysia – Pulau Perhentian. Many more pictures of Besut can be found here in my zenfolio website.

Yellow fishing boat in Kuala Besut

A boat's bow

Deep-sea fishing vessels in Kuala Besut

Fishing boats moored in Kuala Besut

Pantai Bukit Kluang.  The most popular beach in Besut and the safest beach to swim at.

Bukit Kluang beach - A very popular beach in Jerteh

Bukit Kluang beach - A very popular beach in Jerteh

Bukit Kluang beach - A very popular beach in Jerteh

Jerteh’s new landmark – Masjid Hadhari a.k.a. Masjid Jerteh. You are welcomed to browse more pictures of Masjid Jerteh here in my zenfolio website.

Masjid Hadhari a.k.a. Masjid Jerteh

Masjid Hadhari a.k.a. Masjid Jerteh

Masjid Hadhari a.k.a. Masjid Jerteh

Masjid Hadhari a.k.a. Masjid Jerteh

Enlightening facts about Besut:

Mostly outsiders are confused about Besut. When they come to Besut they complain that they cannot find Besut town. Certainly you will never find Besut town. The town of Besut is Jerteh.  Besut is actually a district while the “capital” of the Besut district is Jerteh. Or is it Kampung Raja since Kampung Raja is the administrative town? Yes folks Besut is actually much more visionary and more forward thinking than its Federal Government of Malaysia. It was only as recent as 15 years ago that the then Prime Minister of Malaysia Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad was thinking about having a separate town from Kuala Lumpur as an administrative capital, hence the inception of Putrajaya.

But this has been long practised by Besut as far as I can remember by having a separate town between administrative centre and commercial centre being Jerteh as a commercial centre while Kampung Raja as an administrative centre.

Just like Washington DC as the administrative capital and New York as the commercial centre for the US or Canberra as the administrative centre and Sydney as the commercial centre for Australia.

Funny but true for the rural backwater of a district in the state of Terengganu – a state rich with petroleum but sadly not rightfully treated by the power-that-be thus still remains under-developed.

Masjid Asy-Syariff

On the weekend before last I went to Meru by accident as I was just driving through the unfamiliar route looking for photo opportunities.  I stumbled on this beautiful mosque in Meru.  The weather fortunately was flattering resulting in very beautiful lighting that any photographer won’t resist jumping from bed and grab the camera to go shooting. I may be exaggerating but the lighting was the main motivational factor for me to go out and search for good subject on that day.

In fact most of the time lighting is the chief factor that normally motivates me to go out shooting. This is normally the case for outdoor photographers who depend only on sole light source which is the sun light. The quality of the light is very important to produce beautiful photos with crisp colours and contrasty tone. That I guess what differentiates photographs from ordinary snapshots.

Anyway these are the pictures of the Asy-Syariff Mosque (Masjid Asy-Syariff) in Meru.  Its vibrant yellow coat of paint contrasts well with deep blue sky in the background.

Pix #1

Pix #2

Pix #3

Pix #4

Pix #5

Pix #6

Pix #7

This man is about to finish his minor ablution

Comments and criticism are welcomed

Check out the Asy-Syariff Mosque’s official website. It is full of religious activities. Kudos to its committee members who make full use of the technology for the benefit of Islam and muslims.

Please check out this page to see more photos of the mosque and click here for a slideshow of the mosque pictures above.

Putrajaya Revisited

Went to Putrajaya recently and couldn’t resist shooting its prominent landmarks again since the weather was very clear with blue sky and all.

The building that houses the prime minister's office

The Putra Mosque

A boat ride on the man-made Putrajaya Lake

The domes of Putra Mosque

The Putra Mosqe in a frame

Comments and criticism are welcome with open arms.

KLIA Mosque

Sultan Abdul Samad Mosque or KLIA Mosque is a mosque located close to Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Construction began in 1999 and was completed in 2000. The architecture drew influences from Middle Eastern and local Malay styles.The mosque was officially opened in 2001 by the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.

- Wikipedia (which unfortunately has very little info about this majestic mosque)

I had the opportunity to shoot this beautiful mosque although the weather was quite unfavourable caused by haze (smog). Anyway I concentrated more on the mosque’s stunningly beautiful interior especially its stained glass.

I will provide more information on the mosque once I got it and will post here.

Enjoy the pictures.

The beautiful dome of the KLIA Mosque

The dome in a frame

The interior with intricately designed ceiling

The beautiful stained glass

The mosque from outside

The opulent interior of the dome

The magnificent stained glass with Islamic motiffs

The ubiquitous Islamic motiffs

The art of drawing with light...

Please check out this page in my portfolio to see more and bigger picture of you can view the slideshow here.

Do enjoy the pictures and please feel free to give any feedback.