{{Short description|Historic mosque and national monument of Singapore}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2026}} {{Infobox religious building | name = Sultan Mosque<br>{{lang|ms|Masjid Sultan}} | native_name = {{lang|ms-arab|{{Script|Arab|مسجد سلطان}}}} | native_name_lang = ms | image = The facade of the Sultan Mosque facing Bussorah Street (Cropped).jpg | image_size = 300px | image_upright = | alt = | caption = The main facade of the Sultan Mosque that faces Bussorah Street. | mapframe = yes | mapframe-zoom = 14 | mapframe-wikidata = yes | map_type = Singapore | map_size = | map_alt = | map_relief = | map_caption = Location in Singapore | coordinates = {{coord|1.3022|103.8590|display=inline,title}} | coordinates_footnotes = | religious_affiliation = Islam | locale = | location = 3 Muscat Street, Singapore 198833 | country = Singapore | tradition = Sunni Islam | patron = | website = {{url|http://sultanmosque.sg/}} | architect = Denis Santry of Swan & Maclaren | architecture_type = Mosque | architecture_style = Indo–Saracenic | capacity = 5,000 | founded_by = Hussein Shah of Johor | creator = | funded_by = Sir Stamford Raffles (original structure, 1820s) | general_contractor = Swan & Maclaren | established = {{start date and age|1824|df=yes}} (original)<br/>{{start date and age|1929|df=yes}} (current) | groundbreaking = {{start date and age|1824|df=yes}} (original) <br/>{{start date and age|1924|df=yes}} (current) | year_completed = {{start date and age|1826|df=yes}} (original)<br/>{{start date and age|1932|df=yes}} (current) | construction_cost = 3,000 spanish dollars (original) <br/>S$200,000 (current){{efn|Estimated, the common currency used in Singapore at the time was the Straits dollar.}} | date_demolished = <!-- or | date_destroyed = --> | facade_direction = | length = | width = | width_nave = | interior_area = | height_max = | dome_quantity = | dome_height_outer = | dome_height_inner = | dome_dia_outer = | dome_dia_inner = | minaret_quantity = | minaret_height = | spire_quantity = | spire_height = | site_area = | temple_quantity = | monument_quantity = | shrine_quantity = | inscriptions = | materials = | elevation_m = <!-- or | elevation_ft = --> | elevation_footnotes = | nrhp = | designated = {{designation list|embed=yes|designation1=Singapore|designation1_date={{Start date and age|df=yes|8 March 1975}}|designation1_number=14}} }} The '''Sultan Mosque''' is a historic mosque located within the Kampong Glam locality of Rochor, Singapore. Built in 1826 and later rebuilt into its present form in 1932, it is the most well-known mosque in the country and has been gazetted as a national monument. The mosque was named after Sultan Hussein Shah of Johor, who was a major figure in the founding of Singapore.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Devi |first=Uma |title=Singapore's 100 Historic Places |publisher=National Heritage Board |year=2002 |isbn=9789814068239 |location=Singapore}}</ref>

== History == The original mosque was a single-story wooden building with a double tiered roof, built in the 1826 at the behest of Sultan Hussain Shah of Johor.<ref name="Gok">{{Cite book |last=Lee |first=Geok Boi |title=The Religious Monuments of Singapore: Faiths of Our Forefathers |publisher=Landmark Books |year=2002 |isbn=9789813065628 |edition=1st |location=Singapore |pages=94–96 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Gretchen">{{Cite book |last=Liu |first=Gretchen |title=In Granite and Chunam: The National Monuments of Singapore |publisher=Landmark Books |year=1996 |isbn=9789813065031 |edition=1st |location=Singapore |pages=103–108}}</ref> After handing Singapore over to the British, he requested that a mosque for the Muslim community be built adjacent to his istana ("palace") that was located in the same place. Sir Stamford Raffles agreed to his request and contributed $3,000 to the funds for the mosque.<ref name="Gok"></ref><ref name="Gretchen"></ref> The land of the mosque was expanded in 1875 by Tunku Alam, a grandson of Sultan Hussein, who bought parts of land surrounding the mosque and donated them to be used within the mosque's awqaf endowment. Aside from the expansion of land, Tunku Alam also appointed a committee to manage the mosque with permission from the relevant colonial authorities.<ref name="Century">{{Cite book |last=Puzi |first=Mohammed |title=The Grand Mosque of Singapore |publisher=Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura |year=2025 |isbn=9789819418374 |edition=1st |location=Singapore |pages=69–154 |language=en}}</ref> A domed mausoleum, reserved for the relatives of Sultan Hussein, was also established behind the mosque in the 1920s.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Dunearn |first=Adelfi |date=25 September 1925 |title=The Sultan Mosque |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitsbudget19250925-1.2.59.10?qt=%22sultan%20mosque%22&q=%22Sultan%20Mosque%22 |work=The Straits Budget |pages=17}}</ref>

The building began to gradually dilapidate over the years, which prompted the committee of the Sultan Mosque to propose a complete reconstruction that was estimated to cost at least $200,000.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=4 November 1926 |title=Matters Muslim Column |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/singfreepressb19261104.2.53 |work=The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser |pages=11–12}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Choo |first=Elizabeth |date=18 September 1971 |title=The Sultan Mosque, an imposing structure in green and white |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/page/newnation19710918-1.1.7 |work=New Nation |pages=7}}</ref> The mosque was rebuilt in phases, partly due to a lack of funds and also to prevent disrupting the daily prayers, which were continued to be held in the mosque.<ref name=":3" /> Deemed usable for the general public, the mosque, which was still unfinished, was officially reopened in December of 1929.<ref name="Century"></ref> Construction would only be completed by 1932, while the minarets were slightly renovated in 1936 to accommodate the installation of loudspeakers for the adhan.<ref>{{Cite news |date=5 April 1932 |title=Completion of a new Singapore Mosque |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19320405-1.2.84.24 |work=The Straits Times |pages=7}}</ref>

During World War II, the mosque was damaged by air raids conducted by the Japanese aerial forces.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1942-01-23 |title=The Sultan Mosque at North Bridge Road suffered damage during a Japanese bombing attack of Singapore |url=https://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/photographs/record-details/9d2031cc-1162-11e3-83d5-0050568939ad |access-date=2026-04-03 |website=National Archives of Singapore}}</ref> After the war, the mosque became the centre of the Maria Hertogh Riots in 1950 when the rioters hid inside the mosque from colonial police. With approval from a qāḍī, Muslim officers were able to enter the mosque and disperse the rioters.<ref>{{Cite news |date=12 December 1950 |title=Five dead, a hundred hurt in the riots |url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19501212.2.2.aspx |work=The Straits Times |pages=1}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=17 December 1950 |title=Only Muslim police went into mosque |url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19501217.2.11.aspx |work=The Straits Times |pages=1}}</ref> Ownership and management of the mosque was transferred to the Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS) after the independence of Singapore. In 1968, King Faisal of Saudi Arabia donated $37,000 to assist in funding major restoration works on the mosque.<ref>{{Cite news |date=11 April 1968 |title=King Faisal’s Gift to Mosque |url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19680411.2.24.aspx |work=The Straits Times |pages=4}}</ref>

The Sultan Mosque was officially gazetted as a national monument of Singapore on 8 March 1975, due to its historical significance of being one of the earliest mosques to be built in Singapore, second only to Masjid Omar Kampong Melaka.<ref name="Gok"></ref><ref name="Gretchen"></ref> In 1987, an annexe building was constructed next to the mosque within the same compound. This new annexe was officially opened on 8 July 1993 by the then Prime Minister, Goh Chok Tong.<ref>{{Cite news |date=8 July 1993 |title=$4.2m annexe for Sultan Mosque |url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19930708-1.2.59.6.8.aspx |work=The Straits Times |pages=22}}</ref>

The mosque underwent an extensive renovation starting in 2014 which was sponsored by the MUIS.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Zaccheus |first=Melody |date=9 February 2014 |title=Sultan Mosque to get $4 million facelift |url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes20140209-1.2.14.4 |work=The Straits Times |pages=14}}</ref> Restoration works were conducted, which included replacing broken and unusable doors and windows with new, identical ones as well as re-tiling of several parts of the mosque, while the electronics and lighting of the mosque were inspected.<ref name=":1" /> The renovation took two years and was completed by early 2016.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news |last=Lee |first=Pearl |date=2016-01-16 |title=Restoration of Sultan Mosque complete |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/restoration-of-sultan-mosque-complete |access-date=2026-04-03 |work=The Straits Times |language=en |issn=0585-3923}}</ref>

== Architecture == Designed by Denis Santry from the architectural firm Swan & MacLaren, the present-day Sultan Mosque is a highlight of Indo-Saracenic architecture in the country.<ref>{{Cite news |date=8 July 1993 |title=History of the Sultan Mosque |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19930708-1.2.59.6.9?qt=sultan,%20mosque&q=Sultan%20Mosque |work=The Straits Times |pages=22}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Leu-Jiun |first=Ten |date=2013-04-01 |title=The Invention of a Tradition: Indo Saracenic Domes on Mosques in Singapore |url=https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/vol-9-issue-1-apr-jun-2013-tradition-indo-saracenic |website=National Library Board}}</ref> The mosque and its ancillary building skewer off the street grid to face the direction of Mecca. A boundary wall, support railings and different entry gates surround the compound of the mosque.<ref name="Gok" /><ref name="Gretchen" /><ref name=":5">{{Cite news |last=Choo |first=Elizabeth |date=18 September 1971 |title=The Sultan Mosque, an imposing structure in green and white |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/page/newnation19710918-1.1.7 |work=New Nation |pages=7}}</ref> thumb|The main prayer hall of the Sultan Mosque. The most notable features of the mosque are the two identical onion domes on each end of the mosque, both of which are golden in colour.<ref name="Gok" /><ref name="Gretchen" /> The base of each dome is adorned with bottle caps collected from the poor, which was a decision made by Sultan Hussein Shah who requested that everyone from the community contribute to the mosque regardless of wealth or background.<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Teoh |first=Eliza |date=20 March 1997 |title=Let the poor contribute bottles |url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19970320.2.79.3.5.aspx |work=The Straits Times |pages=6}}</ref> The first dome tops the entrance to the main prayer hall, while the second dome tops a private mausoleum belonging to Tunku Alam and other close relatives of Sultan Hussein Shah.<ref name="Gok" /><ref name=":2" /> A careful choice has been made to separate the burial ground entirely from the main mosque via the qibla wall, as the matter of having a gave within a mosque is of disputed controversy within the Islamic world.<ref name=":2" /> thumb|The tomb of Tengku Alam behind the qibla wall is not officially a part of the main mosque. At each corner of the mosque are minarets which are accessible from the rooftop balcony. Each minaret is eight stories high and topped by a small golden dome.<ref name="Gok" /><ref name="Gretchen" /> Within the tops of the minarets are loudspeakers for the adhan to be recited aloud.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Pratama |first=Fikri Surya |last2=Erasiah |first2=Erasiah |last3=Fitri |first3=Anggi Meydel |last4=Yelni |first4=Aletri |date=2023-12-11 |title=A HISTORICAL AND POLITICAL REVIEW OF SINGAPORE'S POLICY TOWARDS THE MALAYS AND THE MUSLIMS: TINJAUAN HISTORIS-POLITIK ATAS KEBIJAKAN POLITIK SINGAPURA TERHADAP ORANG MELAYU DAN MUSLIM |url=https://jurnalrepo.kemenag.site/index.php/repo/article/view/36 |journal=Journal of Religious Policy |volume=2 |issue=2 |pages=269–294 |doi=10.31330/repo.v2i2.36 |issn=2987-5749|doi-access=free }}</ref>

The mosque was formerly green and white in colour.<ref name=":5" />

== Gallery == === Exterior of the mosque === <gallery> File:Aerial shot of Masjid Sultan - 20250628 - RSKY.jpg|An aerial view of the Sultan Mosque. File:Aerial perspective of Masjid Sultan in Singapore.jpg|An aerial view of North Bridge Road with the mosque in the foreground. File:2016 Singapur, Kampong Glam, Meczet Sułtana (22).jpg|Gate to the mosque from Muscat Street. File:2016 Singapur, Kampong Glam, Meczet Sułtana (21).jpg|The annex building, with the mosque visible in the background behind it. File:Masjid Sultan 15.JPG|Rooftop pavilion on the annex building. File:Masjid Sultan 12.JPG|Pinnacles along the balcony of the annex building. File:Sultan Mosque1.jpg|The minaret of the mosque at night, lit up with a light display. File:Sultan Mosque Ramadan Light Show 2022.jpg|A festive light show at the mosque during the Islamic month of Ramadan in 2022. </gallery> === Interior of the mosque === <gallery> File:2016 Singapur, Kampong Glam, Meczet Sułtana (10).jpg|The main prayer hall of the mosque. File:Minbar of the Sultan Mosque.jpg|The minbar of the mosque, used mainly during the Friday prayer. File:Ablution area of the Sultan Mosque.jpg|One of the few ablution areas located within the mosque boundaries. </gallery> === Historic photographs of the mosque === <gallery> File:174a Singapore (51252306736).jpg|The mosque in 1971. The dome has not yet been painted in gold at the time. </gallery>

== Transportation == The nearest form of transport to the Sultan Mosque is the Bugis MRT Station on both the Downtown Line and the East–West Line.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sultan (Mosque) - 3 Muscat Street (S)198833 |url=https://www.streetdirectory.com/sg/sultan/3-muscat-street-198833/14101_15149.html |access-date=2026-04-03 |website=www.streetdirectory.com}}</ref>

== See also == * Islam in Singapore * List of mosques in Singapore

== Footnotes == {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

== References == {{reflist}}

== External links == {{Commons category|Masjid Sultan}} * [https://www.google.com/maps/@1.3023154,103.8586731,3a,75y,89.17h,124.29t/data=!3m5!1e1!3m3!1ssQhAXPCMH7cNmtmfKsUn1g!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DsQhAXPCMH7cNmtmfKsUn1g%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26ll%3D0.0,0.0%26yaw%3D89.0%26pitch%3D-34.0%26thumbfov%3D98%26cb_client%3Dgmm.iv.android?utm_source=mstt_0&g_ep=CAESBzI2LjEyLjUYACCBgQEqigEsOTQyNjc3MjcsOTQyOTIxOTUsOTQyOTk1MzIsMTAwNzk2NDk4LDEwMDc5Nzc2MSwxMDA3OTY1MzUsOTQyODQ1MDIsOTQyODA1NzYsOTQyMDczOTQsOTQyMDc1MDYsOTQyMDg1MDYsOTQyMTg2NTMsOTQyMjk4MzksOTQyNzUxNjgsOTQyNzk2MTlCAlNH&skid=3be804f2-0568-4ce9-b73c-4f1e58277f92&g_st=ac&g_st=ac Google Maps StreetView of the Sultan Mosque from North Bridge Road] * [https://www.google.com/maps/@1.3019933,103.8593445,3a,75y,317.98h,107.28t/data=!3m5!1e1!3m3!1sCIHM0ogKEICAgIDqq8nttgE!2e10!6shttps:%2F%2Fgz0.googleusercontent.com%2Fgpms-cs-s%2FAFfmt2bQYwvoGSRkJIEWEEBUR3HANy_8o844b117b87eNtXY_yXCH2S-gTi-Llorux5drWTpOMFmsxK0HC96dZhene8vg4f9HN6AB5XMxkWPO4P-ZV_JhothqR17Ru7qMFBPMtK_VKp8VQ%3Dk-no-w900-h600-pi-17.000000-ya94.504608-fo100.000000?utm_source=mstt_0&g_ep=CAESBzI2LjEyLjUYACCBgQEqigEsOTQyNjc3MjcsOTQyOTIxOTUsOTQyOTk1MzIsMTAwNzk2NDk4LDEwMDc5Nzc2MSwxMDA3OTY1MzUsOTQyODQ1MDIsOTQyODA1NzYsOTQyMDczOTQsOTQyMDc1MDYsOTQyMDg1MDYsOTQyMTg2NTMsOTQyMjk4MzksOTQyNzUxNjgsOTQyNzk2MTlCAlNH&skid=a93939be-7628-41ea-aa16-19b30b13b114&g_st=ac&g_st=ac Google Maps StreetView of the Sultan Mosque from Muscat Street]

{{Mosques in Singapore}} {{National monuments of Singapore}} {{Authority control}}

Sultan Category:Tourist attractions in Singapore Category:National monuments of Singapore Category:Mosques completed in 1928 Category:Rochor Category:20th-century architecture in Singapore Category:Swan & Maclaren Group