Masjid Kampung Keling - Mosques on Waymarking.com

When Masjid Kampung Kling was erected, the neighborhood of Kampung Kling, which runs along the coast to the west of the Malacca River, was still primarily inhabited by South Indians or Klings. The multiple styles revealed in this mosque attest to the synchratic building tradition that flourished in Malacca, a major trading port in the fourteenth through the eighteenth centuries.

A courtyard behind the mosque contains a fountain-like pool for ablutions that is raised a few steps above ground level and circumambulated by a similarly raised and covered walkway. The commanding minaret was built entirely of masonry in contrast to the accompanying timber mosque. Likened to a Chinese pagoda or stupa form, this type of minaret has become characteristic of Malacca. Renaissance embellishments include the use of engaged columns as well as the arched windows and piping that traces them. Minarets are not traditional to Malay Islamic architecture, though they have become increasingly more prevalent and are useful in demarcating the mosque in dense urban areas. In 1868 the mosque and its minaret were enclosed by a high wall to protect it from the street.

Sources:

Ed. Martin Frishman and Hasan-Uddin Khan. 1994. The Mosque: History, Architectural Development and Regional Diversity. London: Thames and Hudson, 237-238.

Vlatseas, S. 1990. A History of Malaysian Architecture. Singapore: Longman Singapore Publishers, 44-45.

Type: Current mosque Address: No 17 Jalan Tukang Emas, 75200 Melaka Website reference (required if no minaret or 2nd photo): [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:

Posting a photo of your visit is strongly encouraged but not required. There is NO requirement that you enter inside the mosque as some mosques may not allow this. Please refrain from taking pictures inside the mosque if it is not permitted by the management and generally have respect for the reliqious nature of the site.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   02/13/2010 Riblit visited it