Masjid Abu Bakar Johor Bahru

It’s been my favourite masjid in Johor Bahru since I first stepped into its courtyard. That was 19 years ago, when my cousin steered his van with us inside for our solat, en route to Singapore.

The architecture and finishing of the masjid is amazing, while being simple. The black small domes are distinctive, and I really like the brass fittings adorning its white doors and windows.

I would never miss the chance to go for solat Jumaat in this very place, and 3 weeks ago I did. The parking space is always crowded, so I went there quite early. Parked only at the sides of the entrance way, to ensure my easy way out after the solat. While it may seem that the masjid would be congested, it is actually not so. There’s ample space. Another thing I like about it is that there’s an array of water faucets for ablution along the covered pavement leading towards the side entrances. Seldom I have to queue for my turn.

These facts below I gathered from an information board erected on the masjid grounds:

• Located atop Bukit Kecil, overseeing Selat Tebrau. You can see Singapore from here, and the view is simply breathtaking.
• Construction took 8 years to finish, sice 1893, costing $400,000. I’m not sure whether the sum is based on current value, or the amount at the time of construction. If it is from 1893, that’s an awful lot of money.
• First opened in 2^nd February 1900, officiated with a solat Jumaat.
• The marbles are from Italy.
• The mimbar is from Turkey.

No info on the sparkling chandelier, though.

Photo by Pasha Razak Photography