Sultan Mosque is one of Singapore’s iconic mosques; doubling as both a religious site and serves as a landmark for tourists to learn and appreciate the Muslim Singaporean culture. Built in 1826 at the heart of the famous Arab street, Sultan Mosque is undoubtedly an impossible sight to miss with its distinctive golden domes and tall minaret towers visible from afar.
For those unaware, a grand mosque like this actually holds more than just congregational prayers. There also hold:
- Islamic Learning classes
- Ad-Hoc Projects during the month of fasting month or Ramadhan
- Korban or slaughtering of livestock animals during Eid al-Adha
ARCHITECTURAL STYLE OF SULTAN MOSQUE
The mosque features an Indo-Sarcenic architectural style, with heavily influences from Islamic Architecture. A highlight from Islamic Architecture is its consistency in using the same, if not similar features for every mosque around the world. These include the inclusion of minaret towers, arabesque design (through its Islamic calligraphy) as well as constructing the prayer hall to face the Kaaba in Mecca.
Through this sketch, I plan on capturing the essence of its front facade that overlooks the Sultan Gate- a path often packed with visitors to the area.
INCLUSION OF THE COMMUNITY
A motive by Architect Denis Santry was the inclusion of soy sauce glass bottles in the black ring just below the domes.
With donations of glass bottles from the wealthy and poor, we witness how Muslims from all walks of life were given the chance to support the design of arguably the most iconic mosque in Singapore.
The idea of allowing the community to contribute to such a grand landmark rightly reflects what the Muslim community is all about; with each Muslim being a brother or sister to one another- despite their varying backgrounds.
I decided to use my time afterwards to cover Arab street and sketched my observations.
As Sultan Mosque is still an active religious site, visitors who wish to enter are reminded to dress modestly to respect its users while on location.
Material:
1. Leuchtturm 1917 A5 Hardcover Notebook
2. Sakura Micron 005
References:
Atlas Obscura- Soy Sauce Bottles of Sultan Mosque
Be the First
Keep up the date with the latest posts and releases. Directly to your inbox.
zikry nasrullah 
One thought on “Sultan Mosque, Singapore”