Putrajaya Mosque

Putrajaya Mosque

•The Putra Mosque, or Masjid Putra in Malay language, is the principal mosque of Putrajaya, Malaysia.

•It is located next to Perdana Putra which houses the Malaysian Prime Minister's office and man-made Putrajaya Lake.

•Putra Mosque is named in honour of our former and first Prime Minister of Malaysia Almarhum Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al–Haj.

•The capacious of the mosque is 1.37 hectar.

•This mosque was build based on two concepts which are ‘Middle East’ and ‘Malay Tradition’.

•The mosque is modeled after Persian Islamic architecture of the Safavid period with elements derived from other Muslim cultures.

•Persian and Arab-Islamic architectural designs, the main entrance to the mosque is fashioned in the likeness of public building gates in Muslim Persia.

The Islamic Principles Of The Mosque

Ilm:

Islam’s emphasis is clearly shown by the astounding calligraphy adorning the great mosques of traditional Islamic lands. A stand-out feature of how technical drawings deconstruct convoluted Islamic decorative motifs into more basic elements of geometry.

It shows on how each dome topped with a gold tiled final. The outer cladding is finished with tiles in shades of pink is composed of the inspired interplay between squares and circles. This is the “biomorphic” (life-like) structure that underlies Islamic art.

Ikhlas:

Several architectural features of the mosque embodies geometric proportion, harmony and balance and does not include any human imaginaries or idols; this is the Islamic way of architectural expression that is built within conformity to God’s will. Islamic building features like the arc represent the projecting soul, via geometric subtraction and water features brighten the abstract rigid architecture, bringing a sense of relaxation and contemplation to the mind.

Haya:

The mosque has  “Bent Entrance” which  significant feature in maintaining  modest approaches and also encourage interaction between  fellow Muslims. It shows the family values and reflects the respect of humans. Whether there are screens and veils separating women from men for more privacy and how the public areas are arranged.

In the mosque this sense of privacy is portrayed in using screens with pure simple geometric shapes

Dhikr:

The Almightiness of Allah is constantly reminded via  repeated inscriptions such as quotes from the holly Quran  and 99 holly names of Allah  adorned on building features.This building has a pillar upon pillar, arcade upon arcade design. The rhythmic precision mirrored in the contemplative chanting of God’s  innumerable attributes / zikr. Its patterns on the main dome shows repetition as well.

Tawhid:

Islam is said to embody a cohesive way of life amongst ethnically and culturally diverse peoples.

“The orientation of the axis of the mosque on Muslim soil towards the black stone of the Ka’abah is an awe-inspiring symbol of unity of faith.”

The sanctuary at the entrance  located before the main prayer hall and after a dim lit corridor is oriented  so that people who pass through will be facing in direction of Mecca (Kiblah). The mosque unites people of Islam to gather and pray and show devotion to Allah.

Urf:

•Urf refers to the custom, or 'knowledge', refers to the customs and practices of a given society. It is where design language of a culture is adopted into Islamic buildings given they have no disagreement with Islamic principles.

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•The mosque design was built based on the ‘hybrid concept’, meaning a mixture of artistic design of several cultures; Malaysian, Persian and Arab architectures.

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•The mosque also embraces modern technology and uses climate responsive design that suites Malaysian climate.

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•Hence the principle of Urf is evident in the mosques architecture.