Built in 1728, Masjid Kampung Hulu is the oldest functioning mosque in Malaysia in its original location, at the corner of Jalan Masjid Kampung Hulu and Jalan Masjid in the old commercial district, now dominated by Chinese shop-houses. Commissioned by the Dutch during their colonial occupation, the mosque was a result of a new policy of religious pluralism. Their colonial predecessors, the Portuguese, had destroyed all signs of non-Christian establishments upon their occupation in 1511.
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| Kampung Hulu Mosque today, with a row of four-and-a-half story shop houses on the left hand side of the picture. The wall has been expanded, and the old door at the entrance is no longer in sight. |
This included the tearing down of Malacca's first mosque, which had reputedly stood across from where the Stadhuys, the 1650s Dutch town hall that also served as the offices of the Dutch East India Company stands today. The Dutch assigned coordinating "Kapitans" to head the local populations in the reconstruction of their places of worship. Dato Samsuddin Bin Arom, or Dato Shamsudin, was commissioned to build the Masjid Kampung Hulu. It was later renovated by Wazir Al Sheikh Omar bin Hussain Al-Attas.
" This fascinating and ancient mosque has a multi-tiered "meru" roof, which owes its inspiration to Hindu temples, and a watch-tower minaret typical of early mosques in Sumatera and Java."
Partly due to the Dutch encouragement of cultural cross-pollination, the style of the mosque is reflective of a Javanese mosque. The regionally characteristic roof consists of three ascending layers of flared pyramidal roofs, separated by gaps to allow direct air and light into the building. These tiers are held aloft by four great columns in the center extending to outer columns for the lower, wider roofs. The centralized vertical hierarchy lends the structure to a square plan only disrupted by a small section of the porch area of the iwan, which juts from the front of the mosque. Masjid Kampung Hulu does not employ the Javanese tradition of using timber as the material for the walls, and instead engages stone and brick. The mosque is similarly unique in its elevation from the ground on a low stone perimeter wall.
Like other Malaccan mosques, Chinese ornamentation is revealed in the Masjid Kampung Hulu, including the crown like pinnacle surmounting the roofs and the curved eaves. It further incorporates materials imported from the Chinese Qing Empire, such as ceramic roof and floor tiles. Masjid Kampong Hulu further asserts its distinctiveness in its use of carved sea stones lining the inside of the dome.
Its stone minaret is also distinctly Malaccan in its adherence to a pagoda-form. The Tranquerah mosque was built in Malacca in the same year.
From another postcard, the Kampung Hulu mosque with a white rooftop could be more recent than the one on the previous postcard. We can see that the roof of the mosque was covered with zinc, and there were vehicles on the road that looked much more modern than the bullock-carts.
You can also see the Melaka River not too far away from the front of the mosque. The building on the left behind has disappeared and changed, whereas some buildings on the right behind the mosque have been demolished.
You can also see the Melaka River not too far away from the front of the mosque. The building on the left behind has disappeared and changed, whereas some buildings on the right behind the mosque have been demolished.
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| View the mosque roof. |
From the most recent picture, it can be seen that on the left hand side of the river are a row of four-and-a-half storey buildings built about 30 years ago.
Kampung Hulu Mosque's appearance is still pretty much the same today as two centuries ago, only that the surroundings have changed drastically over the years.
The 283-year-old mosque remains an important place for Muslims to visit and offer their prayers.
Kampung Hulu Mosque's appearance is still pretty much the same today as two centuries ago, only that the surroundings have changed drastically over the years.
The 283-year-old mosque remains an important place for Muslims to visit and offer their prayers.
Address : Jalan Tokong Melaka
Tel : 06-282 6526
Tel : 06-282 6526