Malacca Chinese Mosque
You must have thought that this kind of design is a Chinese mansion or temple, right? Who would have thought, that this building is a mosque. Yes, a mosque with elements of Chinese culture. This mosque is called the Al-Muttaqin Chinese Mosque or more popularly known as the Malacca Chinese Mosque, is one of the mosques under the state government and was completed in 2014.
The purpose of building a mosque with Chinese architecture is also to educate people of different religions that the architecture & culture of the ancestors can still be practiced as long as it does not conflict with Islamic law. For new Chinese converts to Islam, on average they will choose this mosque to recite the 2 shahadah words which are usually held in the evening on weekends.
It is the third such mosque in Malaysia after the ones in Kelantan and Perak and was developed by the Malacca Chinese Muslim Association (Pertim). Its construction budget was approved by Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in October 2011, while its construction was started in August 2012 by Warisan Harmoni Construction Sdn. Bhd. and completed in April 2014.[2] The construction of the mosque cost 7.5 million Malaysian ringgits, with RM 5.9 million provided by the federal government and the remaining by Pertim and the public.
The mosque has a unique Chinese architecture design with pagodas and Chinese calligraphy from a combination of architectural design of several mosques in Beijing, Shanghai and Xi’an in China. It has one minaret tower and two domes and is equipped with the main prayer hall, library, multipurpose hall, offices, koi ponds and a restaurant inside. With a total built up area of 2.8 hectares (6.9 acres), the mosque can accommodate up to 2,000 worshipers.
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