This tourist attraction is located in Kuala Kangsar, the royal town of Perak. For more information about Kuala Kangsar, go to the Kuala Kangsar. Looking for budget accommodation? Find cheap clean rooms at Budget Accommodation Guide from AsiaExplorers.
The Ubudiah Mosque is reputed to be one of the most beautiful mosques in Malaysia. It is located at Bukit Chandan, Kuala Kangsar. I have visited it several times, and am pleased to explore it on a nice clear day, to get these shots for AsiaExplorers. The word "ubudiah" means "to yield oneself to the will of Allah". Appropriately, it was the name chosen by the then 28th Sultan of Perak, Sultan Idris Murshidul Adzam Shah I when His Royal Highness decided to build the mosque in 1911. He was convalescing in Port Dickson, and there, he made a vow to build a magnificent mosque as thanksgiving for recovery from the ailment that plagued him.
Ubudiah Mosque, Kuala Kangsar.
The Story of Ubudiah Mosque
Once upon a time, in the Silver Kingdom, there lived an ailing Ruler. Knowing that his days were well numbered, this ruler made a decision - to built the most magnificent mosque in all the lands. He commission the finest architect to design this mosque. It would be placed a short distance from his palace, on a hill near the banks of the Silver River. The mosque was to be called "Ubudiah", which means, "surrender me now to Allah".
Sad to say, this ruler, Sultan Idris Murshidul Adzam Shah I, 28th Ruler of the Kingdom of Perak, never saw his masterpiece completed; he departed to the bosom of his Creator in 1916, a year before his "Taj Mahal by the Perak River" was completed.
While still recuperating, His Royal Highness returned to Perak, where he instructed Colonel Huxley of the Public Works Department, to work on the design of a palatial mosque. The architect chosen for this project was AB Hubback, the same architect noted for putting up several notable buildings in Kuala Lumpur, such as the Masjid Jamek, the Old High Court, the Selangor Railway Office (presently the Textile Museum), and the Royal Selangor Club. If you explore Kuala Lumpur and examine the heritage buildings there, you will see much resemblence to that of the Ubudiah Mosque, especially in the Moorish architecture and the fondness for the "layer cake" design.
Work on the mosque commenced in September 1911, and was immediately delayed when the marble, imported from Italy, was damaged when two elephants belonging to Sultan Idris and Raja Chulan got into a fight. The building was only completed in 1917 at the cost of $189,000. Sadly, Sultan Idris never got to see it to its completion, having passed away a year earlier.
The Ubudiah Mosque was enlarged in 1933, when extensions were made at the sides. Staff rooms and washrooms were also added. The extension took two years to complete, and with it, the mosque could hold up to 2300 worshippers at any one time.
Recently, in 2002, His Royal Highness Sultan Azlan Shah, the 34th Ruler of Perak, instructed the state government to embark on a restoration of the mosque. Great care was taken during the restoration to preserve the Mughal (often incorrectly labelled "Moorish") architecture of the structure. Along with the restoration, the prayer hall was completely refurbished, air-conditioning was installed, and its ceiling reconstructed by a team of craftsmen from Uzbekistan. A new concrete compound was laid out, while the grounds re-landscaped. The project took 3 months to complete, at a cost of RM4.8 million, and was just in time for His Royal Highness' 75th birthday on 19 April 2003.
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