Sultan Sulaiman Mosque

Sultan Sulaiman Mosque (Malay: Masjid Diraja Sultan Sulaiman) is Selangor's royal mosque, which is located in Klang, Selangor, Malaysia. It was constructed by the British in the early 1932 and was officially opened in 1934 by the late Almarhum Sultan Sir Alaeddin Sulaiman Shah and the British's Federated Malay States High Commissioner, Sir Lawrence Nuuns Guillemard.

Sultan Sulaiman Royal Mosque
Masjid Diraja Sultan Sulaiman مسجد دراج سلطان سليمان
Religion
Affiliation	Shafi'i
Location
Location	Selangor, Malaysia
Architecture
Style	Western Art Deco Neoclassical English architecture Moorish
Minaret(s)	1

The mosque's architecture is a combination of Western Art Deco and Neoclassical cathedral styles. It was designed by the British architect Leofric Kesteven (1882-1974). Design credits go to the architect, Leofric Kesteven (Chairman of the Malayan Institute of Architects from 1931 to 1933); John Thomas Chester, the reinforced concrete specialist attached to United Engineers Ltd; and Rodolfo Nolli, the Singapore-based Italian sculptor who worked on the ornaments of the building.

Its interesting features include the Tangga Diraja (royal stairs) from Istana Alam Shah and a royal mausoleum. The late Sultan Salahuddin was buried in the mosque's grounds.

Architecture

The design concept of the Sultan Sulaiman Mosque in Klang is quite different from other mosques in the state, as well as in the rest of Malaysia. Sultan Sulaiman Mosque is notable as it exhibits a combination of influences of Islamic architecture, Moorish, Neoclassical, English and most importantly, Art Deco architecture. The semicircular-shaped dome of the mosque is painted in egg yellow, not gold. The large dome of the main prayer space is surrounded by several smaller domes.

There are eight smaller towers around the mosque and a large tower in the middle, with a higher entrance from the main porch. The tower is also decorated with yellow dome at the summit. The mosque was designed by Leofric Kesteven, and it can accommodate about 1,000 pilgrims at a time.

The present mosque has been through a number of processes and internal modifications; the most recent restoration was completed in 2017, which restored its colourful bas-reliefs.[1] The original design was like a cross bar when viewed from above, as is so often used in church plans in Europe. But now the mosque looks like a square customisation of the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS).

The main prayer room Sultan Sulaiman Mosque is octagonal at the bottom, but it slowly smoothens into a circle at a height of 10 meters. The upper floors can be accessed with 'catladder'. There are decorative iron frames under the dome that support the multi-coloured patterned glass.

History

The Sultan Sulaiman Mosque was completed in 1932 and was officiated in 1934 by Sultan Sulaiman Alaeddin Shah, the then-Sultan of Selangor. During its opening, the mosque was reportedly the largest mosque in the then-Federated Malay States.[2]

Sultan Sulaiman Mosque served as Selangor's state mosque until the completion of Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Mosque in Shah Alam in 1988. The Sultan Sulaiman Mosque remained as the royal mosque.[3]

Between March 2015 and October 2017, the mosque was closed to the public for restoration works, which cost 12 million ringgit.[4]

Royal Mausoleum

List of graves

This is a list of Sultans and members of the royal family who have been laid to rest in the mosque.

Sultan graves

• Sultan Sir Alaeddin Sulaiman Shah ibni Almarhum Raja Muda Musa (died: 31 March 1938)
• Sultan Musa Ghiatuddin Riayat Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Sir Alaeddin Sulaiman Shah (died: 8 November 1955)
• Sultan Sir Hisamuddin Alam Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Sir Alaeddin Sulaiman Shah – 2nd Yang di-Pertuan Agong (1960) (died: 1 September 1960)
• Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Sir Hisamuddin Alam Shah – 11th Yang di-Pertuan Agong (1999-2001) (died: 21 November 2001)

Tengku Ampuan/Pemaisuri graves (Graves of Royal Consorts)

• Raja Fatimah binti Al-Marhum Sultan Idris I Murshidul Al Azzam Rahmatullah ( died 8 April 1983)
• Tengku Pemaisuri Sharifah Mastura binti Syed Shahabuddin of Kedah (died 1958)
• Tengku Ampuan Jemaah binti Raja Ahmad (died: 8 April 1973)
• Tengku Ampuan Rahimah binti Almarhum Sultan Abdul Aziz Langkat (died: 27 June 1993)

Paduka Bonda Raja of Selangor/(Graves of Royal Consorts)

• Raja Nur Saidatul Ihsan binti Almarhum Tengku Badar Shah (died: 1 June 2011)

Royal family graves

• R. Azmi – Malay actors and singers (died 1974)
• Raja Tun Sir Uda bin Raja Mohammad – Second Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) of Selangor (1949-1953) and first Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor) of Penang (1957-1967) (died 1976)
• Tengku Khaladiah binti Almarhum Sultan Sir Alaeddin Sulaiman Shah (died 2013)
• Tengku Azman Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Sir Hisamuddin Alam Shah – Tengku Bendahara Selangor (died 2014)
• Tengku Toth Puan Nur Sa'adah binti Almarhum Sultan Sir Alaeddin Sulaiman Shah (died 2014)
• Tengku Hajah Raihani binti Al-Marhum Sultan Sir Alaeddin Sulaiman Shah (Tengku Ampuan of Brunei 1934-1950) (died 22 September 1993)

Transportation

Seranas Group bus route 702 from  KD14  KTM Klang via Jalan Kota Raja .

References

1. "Sultan puas hati kerja pulihara Masjid Diraja Sultan Suleiman". Selangorkini. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
2. "Exhibition on the art deco-inspired Sultan Suleiman Royal Mosque in Klang". Retrieved 6 February 2019.
3. "THE SULTAN SULEIMAN MOSQUE". Retrieved 6 February 2019.
4. "RM12j pulihara Masjid Diraja Sultan Suleiman". Harian Metro. Retrieved 6 February 2019.

See also

• Islam in Malaysia