Tranquerah Mosque, Malacca

Transquerah Mosque, Malacca (29 December 2006)

Tranquerah Mosque (GPS: 2.20409, 102.23199), also called Masjid Tengkera, is one of the oldest mosques in Malacca. It is located in Melaka Tengah, along Jalan Tengkera to the northwest of Malacca town. Until the mosque at Bukit Pala was built, Tranquerah Mosque was the main mosque for Malacca.

Tranquerah Mosque was first built in 1728 - the same year as Kampung Hulu Mosque - after the Dutch relaxed the rule on the freedom of worship of non-Protestant faith. The design of Tranquerah Mosque - which reflects elements of Sumatran architecture - bears testament that Islam has been in Malaysia for 600 hundred years. The original mosque structure was made of wood with timber brought from Kalimantan, Indonesia. Since then, it has undergone renovation and restoration several times.

The first recorded restoration of the Tranquerah mosque was carried out in 1780. The structure as seen today dates back to that time. The whole structure was rebuilt except for the minaret. As with most of the mosques in Malacca, the main prayer hall was built with three-level roof. The prayer hall was divided into the main prayer hall and the balcony. The decoration bear elements of Malay, Chinese and Indonesian styles and ornamentation. During restoration, the ceiling of the prayer hall was returned to its original design. The entrance gate and doors were also repaired. The mosque bears some resemblence to Masjid Kampung Laut, the oldest mosque in Malaysia.

Within the grounds of Tranquerah Mosque is the tomb of Sultan Hussein Muhammad Shah of Johor, the sultan who ceded Singapore to Stamford Raffles on 6 February, 1819. Tranquerah Mosque was declared a historical building by the Museum and Antiquities Department in 1976.