_The ‘sense of place’ and the environmental context of Ar-Rahman Mosque architecture

This paper main factors are mosque architecture, the theoretical framework of the ‘Sense of Place’, the creation of ‘Sacred Places’, the architectural and cultural heritage of Masjid Ar-Rahman, Kelantan, Malaysia. These factors are based on the Islamic religious understanding, and they are interrelated. The mosque is a sacred important symbol in Islam. The Malay Mosque is medium scale architecture, a humble typology but demonstrates strong cultural and architectural heritage. However, the current mosque architecture is dominated by the monumental domes and towers, the two foreign elements that replace native parts and alter the archipelago official mosque appearances. Hence the lack of local ‘Sense of Place’ and connection to the environment. The conceptual framework capitalizes the research gap found in mosque architecture by further delving into the creation of ‘Sacred Places’ through the ‘Sense of Place’. The Masjid Ar-Rahman of Pulau Gajah, constructed in 2016, demonstrates simplicity both in its traditional image and architectural scale with the Hindu-Buddhist syncretism. It is the value of hybrid assimilation and tolerance and coined as the Nusantara hybridised Malay and Javanese architectural styles and cultural heritage. This research employs qualitative methods of phenomenological and case study propositions supported by architectural evidence in emphasizing the symbolic and semiotic aesthetics aspects in constructing the ‘Sacred Spaces’ through the ‘Sense of Place’. The findings demonstrated that the ‘Sense of Place’ of Masjid Ar-Rahman is created by the simplicity of the mosque design reflected by the Sufistic beliefs and its connection to the environment.