Masjid Tun Abdul Aziz (Masjid Bulat), Petaling Jaya

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Situated in a busy commercial district of Section 14 in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, this unique mosque was built some 38 years ago and it is now a landmark mosque of the neighbourhood. Masjid Tun Abdul Aziz, is arguably amongst the biggest mosques in the city of Petaling Jaya and is widely known as “Masjid Bulat” or the “Round Mosque” because of its unique circular design.
The mosque’s other name was coined from its radial architecture, a round layout building of three storeys. It is prominently situated at the intersection site of two main roads and visible from the street level. It is an expression of pure modernist eclectic architecture, with the Mughal and Arabian elements added to the structure to relate to its Islamic theme.
The mosque was built as a result of the organised communal effort of the residents of Section 14 of Petaling Jaya in 1973. Their resolution was later approved by the then Menteri Besar of Selangor, Datuk Harun Idris, with the cost that was fully funded by the State Government of Selangor. The first Eid prayer was held in the mosque in 1977.
Masjid Tun Abdul Aziz, was later officiated by the late Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah in 1977. The mosque’s name was picked in honour of the fourth Menteri Besar of Selangor, Tun Abdul Aziz Majid, who served in 1955.
The modernist eclectic mosque expression is prevalent throughout its elevation, with a series of curve and pointed crenulations wrapped around its parapet wall of the building. A central pointed dome sits on top of the round structural beam, above the main prayer hall. It is paired with a slender round minaret, finished with a similar dome design, but smaller and located on the north side of the mosque area.
Apart from the main prayer hall and the female prayer gallery, various facilities are available, including a hall, office, classrooms, kiosks and small shops, ablution and toilet facilities. The radial layout has been clearly utilised wisely in an adequate spatial planning, with a spacious large column-free open main prayer hall that provides for a conducive worshipping area Fringed with repetitive glass windows, the generous daylight gives a grandeur expression to the space. With an elaborate internal dome ornamentation and a grand chandelier, it is a discernible match with the mihrab-minbar feature of the mosque. A customised high mihrab niche is equipped with a timber clad minbar platform, with the imam’s room and a store located behind it.