The majestic Sultan Abu Bakar State Mosque is one of the most beautiful and historic buildings of Malaysia's southernmost state, Johor. Known as Masjid Negeri Sultan Abu Bakar in Malay language, it is the state mosque of Johor.
The mosque sits atop a small hill along Jalan Skudai, overlooking the Straits of Johor and Singapore to the south. It was named after Sultan Abu Bakar (reign 1886 - 1895) who ordered its construction.
The mosque was constructed between 1892 and 1900. Sultan Abu Bakar passed on in 1895, so construction of the mosque was completed by his son Sultan Ibrahim (reign 1895 - 1959). Through the years, the grand building underwent many renovations for conservation purposes. (It was recently reopened in June 2019 after major renovation.)
Johor government engineer Dato' Yahya bin Awalluddin supervised the mosque's architect, Tuan Haji Mohamed Arif bin Punak. The mosque's design included Anglo architectural influences favoured by Sultan Ibrahim. The result is a unique fusion of Western and Eastern architectural traditions. Most prominent are the 4 minarets in the form of English Victorian style clock towers.
Other Victorian touches include the Roman columns.
Colour stained glass from Venice.
Victorian fountain.
The mosque also features Moorish architecture elements like these archways.
There are Malay touches like these balusters.
Malay style balusters on the guardrail. The walls were constructed with cement of sand bonded with egg whites.
Victorian, Moorish and Malay elements together.
The mosque grounds are open to the public and the sanctuary is strictly for worshippers only.
The sanctuary laid with Italian marble can accommodate up to 2,000 worshippers. The exquisite chandeliers hanging from the ceiling were from Czechoslovakia.
Address: Jalan Gertak Merah, Masjid Sultan Abu Bakar, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor
Contact number: 07-223 4935
Entrance is free. There are very limited car parking at the mosque.
Date: 13 Sep 2019
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