Masjid Asy-Syakirin

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Located near Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC), Masjid Asy-Syakirin is dubbed ‘The Jewel in the Park’. KLCC is Malaysia’s mega-project development that spans across a 100-acre (40 hectares) site in the middle of the city. It comprises many commercial and residential components, among them is none other than the world’s tallest twin skyscrapers, the Petronas Twin Towers. The whole area was formerly the Selangor Turf Club which was once used for horse racing events.
The mosque was initially proposed and registered for the use of Petronas’ staff from the twin towers. It is also used by workers and residents within the neighbourhood due to the need of a mosque in the vicinity. The mosque is administered by the Federal Territory’s Islamic Religious Council. Well known for its use of metal cladding and its bell-shaped dome, the mosque is situated in the northeast parcel of KLCC, bordering the lush green park and a district cooling plant. Built without a single minaret, it is commonly used as a main prayer hall during Friday prayers. At times the numbers of worshippers swell and spill over to the open park nearby. It is an attractive building, standing prominently beside the twin skyscrapers. In photographs, it looks like it is connected to the towers, and some describe the towers as the mosque’s twin minarets.
During the recent major renovation in 2009, a new outdoor prayer area was added to the former green rooftop of the existing outdoor prayer area. The architect introduced a new steel roof structure that features a double-pitch metal roof with tinted glass skylight. A new granite flooring and railing have been
installed in this area to match the existing flooring. The new arcade possesses pointed arches similar to that of the main prayer hall building. The mosque is designed with a vast open area to accommodate the overspill of worshippers during Friday prayers.
The double-tiered dome bears a resemblance to the main dome of An-Nur Mosque at Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP), where this very dome inspired the use of the shape of the dome. It sits on a ring beam that spans across the main prayer hall; the square layout marks an angular space in front where the mihrab niche is located. An upper female prayer gallery overlooks the main prayer hall. Made of steel structure, the steel-clad dome is equipped with a skylight roof, thus providing natural light to pass through to the interior spaces. At the upper tier of the dome, the inside space has been crafted with plaster finish to become muqarnas vault and furnished with a space to accommodate building services.
On the front qibla wall, the intricate plasterwork carvings have been added to match the marble finish wall with blind arches and stained glass windows. These carvings have emulated the grand mihrab niche with the intricate double-tiered muqarnas vault used to accentuate the importance of the feature. The vast mihrab niche paves an entrance step leading to the built-in minbar located to the right side; an elevated pulpit platform of the minbar is attached to a pointed arch (Aziz, A. A., 2016).