Sultan Mosque

The Sultan Mosque was rebuilt between 1924 and 1932 to a design by Denis Santry, replacing the original completed in 1826 for Sultan Hussain Shah, and it anchors Kampong Glam. Its detail is worth knowing: the base of each golden dome is ringed with dark glass, made from the bottle ends donated by the poorest members of the community so that everyone had a stake in the building, whatever they could give. Bussorah Street runs up to it in a straight line.

History

Hussein Shah of Johor had the first mosque built beside the Istana Kampong Glam, completed in 1826 with funds from local people and $3,000 from Raffles. Denis Santry of Swan & Maclaren designed the present mosque, rebuilt in stages between 1925 and 1931, and it became a national monument on 8 March 1975 (Wikipedia, Sultan Mosque).

The main sights

• The bottle-end domes - dome bases ringed with glass donated by poor worshippers.
• The golden domes - the mosque's defining silhouette over Kampong Glam.
• Bussorah Street - the pedestrian street aligned on the mosque front.
• The prayer hall - the main interior, seen from the visitor area.

When to go

Year round; visitor hours are outside the five prayer times and are posted at the door. Friday prayers close it to visitors for longer. Ramadan evenings fill the surrounding streets with a night market.

What to expect

Visitors are admitted only outside prayer times and the hours are short. Robes are provided and dress rules are enforced. Non-Muslims are limited to a designated area.

Nearby

The Malay Heritage Centre is behind it, and Hajjah Fatimah is east.

Key facts