The National Mosque of Malaysia (; Jawi: ) is a mosque in

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

. It has a capacity for 15,000 people and is situated among of gardens. Its key features are a minaret and a 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 are a creative solution to achieving the larger spans required in the main gathering hall. Reflecting pools and fountains are spread throughout the compound. Completed in 1965, the mosque is a bold and modern approach in reinforced concrete, symbolic of the aspirations of a then newly independent nation.

History

Malaya gained its

independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

from the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

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 implemented to portray new progressive culture and achieved democracy. Therefore, on 30 July 1957, in a meeting of the Federal Executive Council, an idea to build a

national mosque Lists of mosques cover mosques, places of worship for Muslims. These lists are primarily arranged by continent, with the exception of lists for the largest, tallest, and oldest mosques. Asia * List of mosques in Asia ** List of mosques in Afghani ...

as a symbol of the country's independence was mooted. In another meeting on 5 March 1958 of Chief Ministers of the eleven states in the

Federation of Malaya Malaya, officially the Federation of Malaya, was a country in Southeast Asia from 1948 to 1963. It succeeded the Malayan Union and, before that, British Malaya. It comprised eleven states – nine Malay states and two of the Straits Settleme ...

, a proposal was made to name the mosque Masjid

Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj Tunku Abdul Rahman (8 February 19036 December 1990), commonly referred to as Tunku, was a Malaysian statesman who served as prime minister of Malaysia from 1957 to 1970. He previously served as the only chief minister of Malaya from 1955 to ...

, in recognition of Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman'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 was built on the former site of the

NAAFI The Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes (NAAFI ) is a company created by the United Kingdom, British government on 9 December 1920 to run recreational establishments needed by the British Armed Forces, and to sell goods to servicemen and their fam ...

Galloway Club and the Venning Road Brethren Gospel Hall, which were acquired by the government in 1961. The church was offered land on Jalan Imbi as a replacement and is now known as Jalan Imbi Chapel. The original structure of the mosque was designed by a three-person team from the

Public Works Department This list indicates government departments in various countries dedicated to public works or infrastructure. See also * Public works * Ministry or Board of Public Works, the imperial Chinese ministry overseeing public projects from the Tang ...

: UK architect Howard Ashley, and Malaysians and Baharuddin Kassim. The engineer in charge of the construction of the mosque, which commenced in 1963, was Antony Morris. The first foundation stone of the mosque was laid on 27 February 1963. Two years later on 27 August 1965, the mosque was declared open by the third

Yang di-Pertuan Agong The King of Malaysia, officially ''Yang di-Pertuan Agong'' ( Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ), is the constitutional monarch and Figurehead, ceremonial head of state of Malaysia. The office was established in 1957, when the Federation of Malaya gained ...

, the late

Tuanku Syed Putra Tuanku Sir Syed Harun Putra ibni Almarhum Syed Hassan Jamalullail (Jawi script, Jawi: ; 25 November 1920 – 16 April 2000) was the Raja of Perlis from 1945 until his death in 2000, and the third Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King of Malaysia), from ...

Perlis Perlis (Kedah Malay language, Kedah Malay (Perlis dialect): ''Peghelih'') is a Negeri, state of Malaysia in the northwestern coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It is the smallest state in Malaysia by area and population. The state borders the Thai ...

. 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 Kuala Lumpur railway station, along Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin. Its unique modern design embodies a contemporary expression of traditional

Islamic art Islamic art is a part of Islamic culture and encompasses the visual arts produced since the 7th century CE by people who lived within territories inhabited or ruled by Muslims, Muslim populations. Referring to characteristic traditions across ...

calligraphy and ornamentation. Near the mosque is the

Makam Pahlawan The Makam Pahlawan (Malay language, Malay for Heroes' Mausoleum) is the burial ground of several Malaysian leaders and politicians. It is located near the Malaysian national mosque, Masjid Negara, in the national capital, Kuala Lumpur. Construc ...

(Heroes' Mausoleum), a burial ground of several Malaysian Muslim leaders. Makam Pahlawan is a 7-pointed star concrete roofed structure. The mosque was the largest in Malaysia until the completion in 1988 of the

Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Mosque The Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque () is the state mosque of Selangor, Malaysia. It is located in Shah Alam and is the country's largest mosque and also the second largest mosque in Southeast Asia by capacity. Its most distinguishing ...

Shah Alam Shah Alam (, from Persian language, Persian, meaning "king of the world") is a city and the state capital of Selangor, Malaysia which is situated within the Petaling District and a small portion of the neighbouring Klang District. Shah Alam rep ...

. On 27 August 2015, Masjid Negara celebrated its Golden Jubilee (50th anniversary).

Imams of the National Mosque

# Ghazali Abdullah (1965) # Mohs Salleh Hassan Farid # Sheikh Abdul Mohsein bin Salleh (1974–1975) # Ahmad Shahir bin Daud (1975–1980) # Abu Hassan bin Din Al-Hafiz (1981–1983) # Ahmad Shahir bin Daud (1984–1992) # Arifin Harun (1992–1993) # Taib Azamudden bin Md. Taib (1993–1999) # A. Jalil bin Sindring @ Prangerang (1999–September 2001) # Wan Halim bin Wan Harun (2001–2004) # Kamaruddin bin Zakaria (2005–2006) # Tan Sri Dato' Sri Haji Ismail bin Haji Muhammad (February 2007–2019) # Haji Ehsan bin Mohd Hosni (February 2020–present)

Transportation

The mosque is within walking distance of the Kuala Lumpur railway station, which is served by and two

KTM Komuter KTM Komuter is a commuter rail system in Malaysia operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM). It was introduced in 1995 to provide local rail services in Kuala Lumpur and the surrounding Klang Valley suburban areas. Services were later expanded to o ...

line, namely the Batu Caves-Pulau Sebang Line and

Tanjung Malim-Port Klang Line A tanjung is a cape, and it is an extremely common geographical name in the Malay world. It may refer to: * George Town, Penang in the Malay language * Tanjung, Tabalong, the capital city of Tabalong Regency, in South Kalimantan province of Indon ...

. The Kuala Lumpur station is also linked to the station, which is served by the

LRT Kelana Jaya line The LRT Kelana Jaya Line is a Medium-capacity rail system, medium-capacity light rapid transit (LRT) line and the first List of automated urban metro subway systems, fully automated and driverless rail system in the Klang Valley, Malaysia. It f ...

and

MRT Kajang line The MRT Kajang Line, previously known as the MRT Sungai Buloh–Kajang Line, is a Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit, Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line servicing the Klang Valley, Malaysia. It is the second List of automated urban metro subway system ...

. The free

Go KL City Bus Go KL City Bus (styled as ''GOKL CityBus'') is a bus service in the city centre of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Previously managed by Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD), the services were taken over by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) by 1 January ...

(Red Line) has a stop at Masjid Negara.

References

External links

National Mosque of Malaysia's official website

KL Heritage Trail: Masjid Negara−National Mosque
{{Authority control Mosques in Kuala Lumpur Mosques completed in 1965 1965 establishments in Malaysia Modernist architecture in Malaysia Buildings and structures in Kuala Lumpur