Masjid Diraja Sultan Alaeddin, Banting

Open

Masjid Diraja Sultan Alaeddin is one of the most historic mosques in Kuala Langat, a district of Selangor. Sultan Alaeddin Sulaiman Shah built this mosque during his ruling period from 1898 to 1938, and it has become known as one of the royal mosques that is most used until today. The location of this mosque is very close to Istana Sultan Alaeddin and is located in Kampung Bandar, Banting Selangor. This mosque, which is also known as the Bandar Mosque, was built in 1918 and completed in 1925.
The Sultan was a pious man and abided by the teachings of Islam. This led to the mosque being built near his palace so that it was easy for His Highness to perform his prayers. The mosque was designed and funded by Sultan Alaeddin himself. The mosque’s building is still intact in its original form even after more than 90 years.
Although the design inspiration was said to have been contributed by Sultan Alaeddin, foreign architectural influences are visible. Two factors may have influenced the Sultan’s approach of the mosque’s architecture and they were probably due to Sultan Alaeddin’s good relationship with the British. This may have led the Sultan to be influenced by the design of the colonial architecture which was also the prevalent style of that time.
The design idea of this mosque may have come from his visit to the Middle-East. The dome of the mosque, which is shaped like an onion, further proved it was influenced by mosque architecture from either the Middle-East or the Indian subcontinent. It was also first introduced in the state in the early 20th century by British architects. Another significant feature of this mosque is its symmetrical shape with a
large prayer hall in the middle surrounded by high stone walls with turrets at each of its corners.
The space planning of the mosque is divided into two main sections, namely the main prayer hall with a roof and outdoor prayer area without a roof. The main prayer hall measures 13.53 x 14.04 metres (44 x 46 feet), which is seen as a square plan. Also, the mosque has a minaret with a similar design and form. From the top of the minaret, one can see into the distance and over the surrounding low-lying areas. The height of the minaret measures 19.5 metres (63.9 feet) and five metres (16.4 feet) in diameter. The concrete spiral staircase has a total of 48 steps that rises to the top of the balcony. The minaret and mihrab wall are located at the rear of the mosque facing the qibla. Masjid Diraja Sultan Alaeddin has a semi-circle mihrab which is built curved into the wall of the mosque. The mihrab niche is built solely for the imam and does not require a large space. The minbar of this mosque is one of the oldest minbar in Selangor and it is rather special because the carvings were said to be done by Sultan Alaeddin himself. There are six steps to climb before reaching the first platform level. On the top most level, a minbar chair is placed for the Imam. The roof of the minbar is also adorned with intricate carvings (Aziz, A. A., 2016).