Malaysia’s rich historical background has resulted in a unique local architecture that exhibits complex and wide-ranging variations and influences. Amongst the different types of architecture, mosques are unique as it has an unchanging and eternal primary function-as a place for communal worship-whilst architecturally has been constantly evolving since the earliest mosques were erected in this country. Current inquiries in the field of architectural history of mosques in Malaysia have primarily focused on inventory-based historical studies, comparative studies and thematic studies in the form of monographs, all of which tend to be non-holistic and compartmentalized in their approach. Subsequently, the main objective of this paper is to establish a holistic approach in studying mosque architecture by linking the earliest mosques to contemporary ones and mapping their formal relationships through the use of typological classification. This paper will focus on 12 selected mosques in Malaysia which were carefully chosen to represent a wide range of mosque varieties. Their transformation will be studied from aspects of morphology, technology and design articulation characteristics which were based on 6 selected literatures on the architectural history of mosques in Malaysia. Data was collected in the form of artefact-based evidence gathered on-site, strengthened with academic research, documentation and records, and the results were contextualized and corroborated with the general history of Malaysian architecture. Initial findings have shown that mosque transformation within each characteristic exhibited different patterns and trends that may not have been explicitly highlighted using existing historical approaches. Finally, critical issues in the studies of mosque architecture in Malaysia will be foregrounded in the hope that it will shift the focus towards the larger context of the Muslim world architecture and help find a more seamless fit within its historical narrative.
The main objective of this paper is to establish a holistic approach in studying mosque architecture by linking the earliest mosques to contemporary ones and mapping their formal relationships through the use of typological classification.
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