Lifestyle
What is a National Monument? Who gazettes them? What number of nationwide monuments are there in Singapore? So some distance, the Preservation of Sites and Monuments, a division of National Heritage Board, has identified and gazetted 75 buildings, buildings and sites of nationwide significance as an main a part of Singapore’s constructed heritage.
In this model, we take a higher sight at Abdul Gafoor Mosque, a building designed in an eclectic mix of Saracenic and Neoclassical aspects.
Lifestyle Place
Abdul Gafoor Mosque used to be the 18th building to be gazetted as a National Monument, and is positioned come other National Monuments such as Church of Our Lady of Lourdes and Sultan Mosque. The MRT stations nearest to it are Rochor, Jalan Besar, Bugis and Limited India.
Lifestyle Important dates
Dates constructed:
- 1859: Dunlop Avenue Mosque used to be constructed
- 1907: Building of the novel mosque, this day’s Abdul Gafoor Mosque, started
- 1910: Dunlop Avenue Mosque used to be torn down, and the novel mosque used to be accomplished
Milestones:
- 1881: The Dunlop Avenue Mosque Wakaf (Endowment) used to be space up
- 1998: A protracted forgotten basement used to be rediscovered
- 2000-16 Might perchance seemingly additionally 2003: Wide restoration works had been undertaken
- Oct 2003: Abdul Gafoor Mosque got the Architectural Heritage Award from the Metropolis Redevelopment Authority
Date gazetted: July 5,1979
Lifestyle Historic past
The roots of Abdul Gafoor Mosque also can additionally be traced relieve to the mid-1800s, with the enchancment of Al-Abrar Mosque (which used to be is also called Dunlop Avenue Mosque; this can discover to peaceful now not be stressed with Al-Abrar Mosque at Telok Ayer avenue) in 1859. The Dunlop Avenue Mosque used to be a straightforward wooden building with a tiled roof, and fabricated from brick and chunam (a cement or plaster outdated in India).
It catered to the non secular desires of Tamil Muslim immigrants from South India buying and selling in Kampong Kapor, and Baweanese syces (horse groomers) and horse trainers working at the weak Farrer Park racecourse.
In 1881, the Dunlop Avenue Mosque Wakaf (Endowment) used to be established, and Shaik Abdul Gafoor bin Shaik Hyder (a Tamil Muslim), the executive clerk in legislation agency Khory & Brydges, used to be regarded as one of two appointed trustees.
As a trustee of the mosque, Abdul Gafoor obtained permission to assassinate shophouses surrounding the mosque. In 1887, eight shophouses and 9 sheds had been erected, adopted by one other space of shophouses in 1903. These days, these kinds of buildings on Dunlop Avenue and Mayo Avenue peaceful exist and belong to the mosque.
With the profits generated from the encompassing properties, building on a brand novel brick mosque commenced in 1907. By 1910, the dilapidated mosque (Dunlop Avenue Mosque) used to be no longer in employ for non secular actions. Upon Abdul Gafoor’s passing in 1919, the mosque used to be renamed Abdul Gafoor Mosque in his honour.
Starting from 2000, the mosque underwent a multi-million restoration. It enthusiastic the reinforcement of the building’s foundation and the conversion of the basement into an air-conditioned prayer pickle.
Moreover, four minarets (narrow towers, customarily a part of a mosque) with mini-domes, at the starting put a part of the mosque’s architectural invent but misplaced over time, had been reinstated at the corners of the rooftop. The mosque used to be also painted in a fresh coat of inexperienced and yellow paint.
After reopening on 16 Might perchance seemingly additionally 2003, the mosque can now accommodate up to 4,000 worshippers, a majority of whom are Tamil-talking Indian Muslims.
Presently, the Abdul Gafoor Mosque is under the administration of the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura, MUIS). It stays a truly crucial centre for the Tamil Muslim neighborhood, and supplies non secular classes in Tamil.
Lifestyle Bear and architecture
The invent of Abdul Gafoor Mosque is a marvelous mix of Saracenic and Neoclassical aspects. The principal prayer hall’s verandas showcase aesthetic cinquefoil (an ornamental invent of 5 lobes arranged in a circle) arches with intricate mouldings, reflecting Saracenic invent influences. They are contrasted towards the quite a lot of Neoclassical Corinthian and Doric pilasters (rectangular columns).
Crescent moon and megastar motifs — symbols customarily linked with the Islamic faith — adorn the exterior partitions, whereas minaret-treasure buildings alongside the roof parapet are each topped with a mini ogee-fashioned (onion-fashioned) dome and crescent moon.
Above the main entrance is an elaborately embellished sunburst (a invent consisting of rays or “beams” radiating out from a central disk in the manner of sunbeams).
It is miles bounded by two fluted (ridged) pilasters and crowned with an onion-fashioned pediment (upper a part of the front of a building). The sunburst is also embellished with Arabic calligraphy depicting the names of the 25 most famed Islamic prophets, from Adam to Muhammad.
Within the guts of the prayer hall stands an spectacular cupola, a hexagonal-fashioned tower rising from the roof deck. The cupola comprises three tiers: colored glass panes embellish its rotten, then capitals (the tops of columns) and balustrades (railings comprising vertical posts) with bottleneck-fashioned carvings in the center tier. At the peak is an onion-fashioned dome topped with a megastar and crescent moon at its apex, flanked by minarets at the corners.
Positioned instantly above the prayer hall, the cupola is accessible by device of a staircase at the rear of the building, main to a flat rooftop deck. The rooftop is encircled by a parapet adorned without a less than 22 little minarets echoing the invent of the onion domes, crescent moons and stars.
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Thisarticleused to be first published inWonderwall.sg.
