Masjid Alkaff Upper Serangoon

Masjid Alkaff Upper Serangoon
أبر سيرنغون مسجد الكاف
The main facade of Masjid Alkaff Upper Serangoon that faces Pheng Geck Avenue.
Masjid Alkaff Upper Serangoon is located in Singapore
Masjid Alkaff Upper Serangoon
Location in Singapore
Religion
AffiliationSunni Islam
Location
Location66 Pheng Geck Avenue, Singapore 348261
CountrySingapore
Coordinates1°19′59″N 103°52′14″E / 1.3329822°N 103.8704478°E / 1.3329822; 103.8704478
Architecture
TypeMosque
StyleEclecticism in architecture
FounderSyed Abdul Rahman Alkaff
Established1920
Completed1932
2014 (Reconstruction)
Minaret1
Designated as NHL
Designated19 December 2014 (19 December 2014)
Reference no.68

Masjid Alkaff Upper Serangoon is a historic mosque located in the Potong Pasir subzone of Toa Payoh, Singapore. Built in 1932 by the prestigious Alkaff family, it features an eclectic architectural style combining European styles and traditional Islamic elements, such as Ottoman architecture. In 2014, the mosque was gazetted as a national monument.

Background

The House of Al-Kaff, more commonly known as the Alkaff family, was a prestigious Arab family in Singapore that had emigrated from Yemen.[1][2] The Alkaffs were known for their grand constructions throughout colonial Singapore, which included Alkaff Mansion, Alkaff Arcade, and Masjid Alkaff Kampung Melayu.[1][2] After the Second World War, the Alkaffs decided to return to their trading business and hence sold most of their properties while also releasing the mosques they built as awqaf under the management of the Muslim Endowments Board.[1][2]

History

In the 1920s, the Alkaff family hired architectural firm Westerhout & Oman to design plans for a proposed mosque to be built near the Serangoon area.[3][4] A small, temporary surau had already been established at the site in 1920.[5][6] Although the plans had been drawn up by 1927, construction on the mosque was delayed in 1929 after the death of one of the firm's founders, leaving his remaining partner unable to complete directing the project. The Alkaffs then hired the Swan & Maclaren Group to redesign the mosque from the existing plans.[3][4] In 1930, Syed Abdul Rahman Alkaff, the patriarch of the family, donated land as awqaf and financed the construction of the mosque, which was completed in 1932 at a cost of $40,000.[7][8][9] It was built within close proximity to the Bidadari Cemetery and also served as a replacement when the main mosque serving the cemetery was torn down in 2007 to make way for redevelopments around Woodleigh.[10][11]

In 2012, the mosque was closed down in order to undergo an extensive renovation to increase the capacity of the main prayer hall.[5][12][13] Renovation works were ultimately completed in mid 2014 and the mosque was reopened on 29 March 2014 by Yaacob Ibrahim, the contemporary Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs.[14][15] The reopened mosque was also gazetted as the sixty-eighth national monument of Singapore on 19 December 2014 by the National Heritage Board.[16][17] Then on 18 October 2015, the mosque emerged as one of four winners of the Architectural Heritage Award from the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA).[18][19] Judges from the URA cited the meticulous attempts to preserve the original mosque building as being the reason for their decision.[18][19]

Architecture

Masjid Alkaff Upper Serangoon is built in an eclectic style, primarily inspired by European architecture and blending in Moorish and Indo-Saracenic styles.[20] The minaret of the mosque is built in the Ottoman architectureal style, with a fluted balcony and pointed conical dome, all of which are also modelled after minarets of Masjid al-Haram as well.[7][20] Intricate carvings line the tops of the pillars holding up the main prayer hall of the mosque, while the front of the main prayer hall is adorned by a concrete mihrab and a wooden minbar.[20] The exterior appearance of the mosque is generally the same as it was in 1932, with the exception of colours and an annexe building visible at the back of the mosque.[18] A monumental plaque is also embedded in the front wall of the mosque, having been installed on 16 January 2015 to commemorate the mosque's status as a historic site and national monument.[21]

The mosque has a capacity of 1,200 worshippers. Architectural firm, Shing Design Atelier, was responsible for overseeing and managing the 2014 reconstruction project.[18] Within the rear compound of the mosque is Darul Ihsan Lilbanat, a girls orphanage that serves as the female counterpart to Darul Ihsan Boys' Orphanage that is situated next to another mosque, Masjid Sallim Mattar.[22]

Transportation

Situated within the Sennett Estate, consisting of landed houses along Pheng Geck Avenue, Masjid Alkaff Upper Serangoon is accessible from Exit B of the Potong Pasir MRT station, within a 350-metre walking distance.[23]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Maurice, Gary; Frecaut, Dwor (1 August 2023). "Alkaff Lake Gardens". National Library Board. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 Seow, Renee (15 March 2013). "Alkaff Mansion". National Library Board. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  3. 1 2 National Heritage Board (21 January 2021). "Places: Alkaff Upper Serangoon Mosque". Roots. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  4. 1 2 Devi, G.U. (2002). "Alkaff Mosque". Singapore's 100 Historic Places. Singapore: National Heritage Board. ISBN 9789814068239.
  5. 1 2 "Masjid Warisan 'Dibaharui'" [Heritage Mosque 'Renovated']. Berita Harian (in Malay). 25 May 2012. p. 26. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  6. ↑ "Kerja Peningkatan Perlukan $2.5 Juta" [Improvement Work Requires $2.5 Million]. Berita Harian (in Malay). 15 June 2012. p. 23. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  7. 1 2 "New Mosque, $40,000 Edifice Opened at Bidadari". The Straits Times. 27 June 1932. p. 16. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  8. ↑ "Sekilas" [A Glimpse]. Berita Harian (in Malay). 5 January 2007. p. 4. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  9. ↑ "Wajah baru masjid" [New face of mosque]. Berita Harian (in Malay). 5 May 2014. p. 13. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  10. ↑ Eunos, Nadzri (5 January 2007). "Giat hidupkan masjid agar tidak terkubur". Berita Harian. p. 4. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  11. ↑ "Several alternatives available after Bidadari Mosque closes". The Straits Times. 18 May 2007. p. 56. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  12. ↑ "Alkaff 'baru' siap akhir 2013" ['New' Alkaff ready by end of 2013]. Berita Harian (in Malay). 22 September 2012. p. 25. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  13. ↑ "Masjid Mula Jalani Peningkatan" [Mosque Begins To Undergo Improvements]. Berita Harian (in Malay). 5 May 2012. p. 27. Retrieved 8 August 2006.
  14. ↑ "Mosque reopens after upgrade". The Straits Times. 29 March 2014. p. 8. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  15. ↑ "Masjid Alkaff Upper Serangoon dirasmi" [Alkaff Upper Serangoon Mosque inaugurated]. Berita Harian (in Malay). 29 March 2014. p. 2. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  16. ↑ "Masjid Alkaff jadi monumen negara" [Alkaff Mosque becomes national monument]. Berita Harian (in Malay). 19 December 2014. p. 2. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  17. ↑ "Mosque added to monument list". The Straits Times. 19 December 2014. p. 10. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  18. 1 2 3 4 Zaccheus, Melody (20 October 2015). "Restored Alkaff mosque wins heritage design award". The Straits Times. p. 2. Archived from the original on 21 October 2015.
  19. 1 2 "Awards for heritage buildings". The Straits Times. 20 October 2015. p. 2. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  20. 1 2 3 Zaccheus, Melody (2018). Lam, Sally (ed.). Monumental Treasures: Singapore’s Heritage Icons. Singapore: Straits Times Press. ISBN 9789814747936.
  21. ↑ "Mosque honoured with monument plaque". The Straits Times. 17 January 2015. p. 15. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  22. ↑ "Semoga khidmat kebajikan akan terus bergerak maju" [Hopefully, welfare services will continue to move forward]. Berita Harian (in Malay). 31 July 1982. p. 4. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  23. ↑ "Masjid Alkaff Upper Serangoon (Mosque) - 66 Pheng Geck Avenue (S)348261". www.streetdirectory.com. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
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