KOTA BARU: Masjid Ar-Rahman in Pulau Gajah, Sabak, near here, has become a new tourist attraction due to its unique architecture and strategic location.
Pictures of the mosque, which resembles a small island surrounded by a river, have gone viral and attracted tourists.
Mosque committee chairman Hasan Mahmood, 79, said the mosque was built at a cost of RM6 million to replace the old one.
“I discussed with a businessman the need to build a new mosque. He agreed to have it built on his 0.8ha piece land near the old mosque. The area was a mangrove forest before it was turned into what now looks like a small island.
“Construction began in 2016 and it was completed two years later. It can accommodate 1,000 worshippers.
“The mosque was later handed over to the Kelantan Religious and Malay Customs Council (Maik),” he said yesterday.
Hasan said the businessman and his wife contributed the idea and concept of the mosque’s architecture.
“They regularly visit mosques in Morocco, Indonesia, Turkey and Yemen, and must have been inspired by what they saw there.
“For example, the pillars where the imam prays were built from palm trees from a Middle Eastern country, two entranceways were from Yemen, a Quranic drawing on the ceiling was from Turkey and a drum in the courtyard was from Indonesia. The khat carvings around the mosque were produced by Indonesian experts.”
Hasan said after pictures went viral, the mosque received visits from domestic and foreign tourists who wanted to see its architecture.
“A jetty will be built near the mosque for tourists to visit by boat.”