ARCHITECTURE
Conservation & Preservation Architecture
The mosque is the fourth under MUP Phase 1 to be completed. Other mosques upgraded and reopened under MUP Phase 1 were Muhajirin (Braddell Road), Hajjah Rahimabi Kebun Limau (Kim Keat), An-Nur (Admiralty) and Al-Ansar (Bedok) Mosque. Its restoration works were so impressive and well planned that the mosque was among the four winners of the URA’s Architectural Heritage Award 2015. The mosque was also declared by the National Heritage Board on 19 December 2014 as the 68th National Monument.
History of Alkaff Upper Serangoon Mosque Masjid Alkaff Upper Serangoon was built in 1930 by Syed Abdul Rahman Bin Shaik Alkaff, nephew of Shaikh Bin Abdul Rahman Alkaff who was the first from the Alkaff family to arrive in Singapore in 1850s. The planning of the mosque was mooted in 1920 but only materialised in building in 1930. The architect of the original mosque worked for a well-known British architecture firm, M/s Swan & Maclaren. This is the same firm which built Sultan Mosque in 1824. The mosque was originally managed by Trustees appointed by the court. The last Trustees appointed in 1939 were Shaikh Omar Bin Abdullah Bamadhaj, Hadjee Manjoor Sahib Marican and Kassim Ahmad Angullia. The mosque was originally a small building with a main prayer hall, a veranda surrounding the main prayer hall that acted as extension to the prayer hall. At the time it was the only mosque to feature a Turkish influence minaret. The mosque has undergone several renovation works – the last was carried out in 1998 when its praying hall was extended to accommodate 800 congregants. There was another mosque which carries the Alkaff name i.e. Masjid Alkaff Kampung Melayu at Jalan Abadi (off Jalan Eunos). The original mosque was phased out in 1994 and was replaced with a new MBMF mosque with the same name at its current location at Bedok Reservoir Road. Alkaff Upper Serangoon Mosque will serve the religious needs of Muslim residents in Potong Pasir, Sennet Avenue and parts of Geylang Bahru, as well as office workers and students of nearby schools. The mosque will also serve residents of the future Bidadari housing estate. Weekend classes and Islamic education for adults can now be held at the Masjid in comfort.
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Southeast Asia Building MAR-APR 2016