September-October . 2021 | @ Halal
Islamic Tourism
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228-year-old white mosque Abidin Mosque Kuala Terengganu retains traditional Malay carvings ‘ awan larat ’
BY FATIHAH MANAF
IT IS hard to miss this unique white building when you visit Kuala Terengganu . Even from the gates , its features can awe passersby with its resemblance to the English colonial buildings and subtle trails of traditional Malay architecture .
Abidin Mosque , strategically located in the heart of Kuala Terengganu town , is the State ’ s oldest royal mosque . Its building was initially built from cengal timber in 1793 during the reign of Sultan Zainal Abidin II and later replaced with red bricks during Sultan Omar ’ s command .
Abidin Mosque , also known as Masjid Putih ( White Mosque ), is neighbour to Istana Maziah , the official palace of Sultan of Terengganu , Bukit Puteri ( Princess Hill ) and connected to the Terengganu Royal Mausoleum .
“ The mosque has been here for 228 years , more or less ,” said Ustaz Wan Mohd Hazim Wan Mohd Hashim , Chief Executive of Abidin Mosque .
“ Inside the mosque , you can see the doors embedded with some traditional Malay elements . The doors feature attractive carvings of Quranic verses and Arabic poems . The verses were carved with a floral motif called ‘ awan larat ’ ( meandering clouds ).”
According to Wan Mohd Hazim , this traditional Malay carving , commonly used in many Malay houses , can rarely be found in today ’ s mosques . Being at the centre of the town , Abidin Mosque is also near other local attractions such as Pasar Payang , Chinatown , government offices and Shahbandar Jetty .
Mosque Tour Guide Centre
Wan Mohd found a picture , dated June 1961 , on the Internet , and it featured a Swedish family with a background of Abidin Mosque . He opined the mosque had been long indirectly involved in mosque tourism . However , it was only in 2016 that Abidin Mosque officially launched its mosque tourism programme .
“ The effort started in 2016 with the establishment of Mosque Tour Guide Centre ( MTGC ). This idea was supported by the President of Darul Fitrah Terengganu , Datin Norhana , who has more experience in handling such programmes ,” said the chief executive .
He shared the centre provided visitors with pamphlets , copies of the Quran with translations and modest attire . Upon reaching the
Ustaz Wan Mohd Hazim
Inside the mosque , you can see the doors embedded with some traditional Malay elements . The doors feature attractive carvings of Quranic verses and Arabic poems . The verses were carved with a floral motif called ‘ awan larat ’ ( meandering clouds ).”
MTGC office , the available committees would welcome the visitors and engage them with a tour of Abidin Mosque .
Aside from providing these facilities to enable mosque tourism , one of Abidin Mosque ’ s efforts to strengthen the programme was by holding a seminar to educate Abidin Mosque community regarding the programme .
This seminar aimed to give a better understanding to the mosque community as some of them might have different perceptions of having non-Muslim visitors in the mosque .
“ Some jamaah ( mosque community ) used to be a bit strict when it comes to having non- Muslims inside the mosque . They would ask if the visitors had washed their feet or not , which is unnecessary .
“ We include this information and knowledge of having non-Muslim visitors in talks and sermons so they could understand better .”
In terms of promotion , Wan Mohd Hazim said the centre would distribute flyers to nearby hotels and actively update its activities on Facebook .
He said : “ Before the pandemic , we would also visit Chinatown and distribute gifts during Chinese New Year . We would also invite the non-Muslims for iftar during Ramadan .”