Malaysian eclectic social identity and its reflection in art & architecture : Masjid Wilayah as a case study

Abstract

Eclectic architecture emerged and gained rapid momentum in the field of Malaysian mosque architecture during the past two decades. It appears that the multicultural fabric of Malaysian society and its welcoming attitude towards outside world in the past couple of decades have contributed immensely to the creation of suitable environment for the acceptance of foreign influence, especially in the field of art & architecture. This has prepared grounds for the appearance of numerous eclectic mosques on the Malaysian urban plane. The eclectic style of Malaysian mosques has not been the subject of many researches. This study deals mostly with the social and cultural grounds of eclectic architecture in Malaysia. After determining the process of eclectic mosque architecture in Malaysia, this research provides a somewhat critical analysis of Masjid Wilayah as a prominent example of eclectic mosque architecture. The library research and personal observation of mosque architecture are the basic methods used in this study. Investigating mosques with eclectic architecture at different periods of time in Malaysian mosque architecture revealed that the eclectic mosques were built during the British period and have a dominant style which includes elements and details from other styles too. However, today eclectic mosques try to have different elements from various styles and combine all together in a single work. This research discusses the forms and functions of the Wilayah Mosque and traces its features, i.e. dome, minaret, minbar, mihrab, to their regional/historical origins namely Ottoman, Persian, Mughal, Malay and Moroccan.