The Ubudiah Mosque is in the royal town of Kuala Kangsar, Perak, Malaysia. The 28th Sultan of Perak, Sultan Idris Murshidul’adzam Shah, suffered from an illness. While convalescing, he vowed to build a mosque in Bukit Chandan. After his recovery, he commissioned the construction of the mosque as a sign of his gratitude. Today, the mosque is a symbol of pride for the state of Perak and its people.
The construction began in 1913 with a formal ceremony but it was interrupted for 2 years for two reasons.
Firstly, the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 delayed the import of Italian marble. Secondly, the elephants belonging to the royal family, reportedly, fought and damaged the Italian marble tiles which had to be ordered again from Italy. The construction of the mosque was completed in 1917. It underwent a renovation in 1991 to accommodate more people but its appearance remained unchanged.
The Ubudiah Mosque was designed by Arthur Benison Hubback.
A.B. Hubback was the chief government architect in the British-run Federated Malay States (FMA). He also designed some notable landmarks in Kuala Lumpur such as the Railway Station. The design of the mosque was influenced by Indo-Saracenic architecture, a style imported directly from British India.
The Ubudiah Mosque is octagon-shaped and is linked to the ablution area at the rear of the building which is also in the form of a smaller octagon. In general, the plan was designed symmetrically. The design of the mosque is different from the typical mosques in Malaysia. The main dome is surrounded by four minarets, each topped with a chhatri and a small dome.
The mosque is considered ”one of a kind” and one of the most beautiful mosques in Malaysia with its lavish dome, minarets, and turrets.
