Preface

A building is recognisable by its facade. Its builders ought to give it character through design and artistry. Sometimes the details on the facades may convey a message, and sometimes they're just interesting enough for others to appreciate.

Mosques may be recognisable in many ways. Perhaps the most common image representing a mosque in many people's minds would be a domed building with a minaret, adorned with crescent-and-star motifs. It may come to a surprise for them when they see a building that does not match such a description, but are told that the building is in fact a mosque.

Mosques in Modern Singapore

The earliest existing mosques in Singapore date back to the early 1800s, though it is likely that there were already mosques that were built prior to the 19th century, considering that the island was within the Sultanate of Johor's territory. Thus it is improper to say that mosques started to appear in Singapore only after the arrival of the British. Nevertheless, it cannot be ignored that newer mosques were actively being built following their arrival.

Being a cosmopolitan port city under British rule, one may find that the mosques in Singapore were built in many different styles. From the multi-tiered roofs of Nusantara (Maritime Southeast Asia) region to the bulbous Indo-Persian domes of the Indian subcontinent, mosque architecture in Singapore reflects the Muslim community's diverse background and rich history.

In 1977, Masjid Muhajirin was officially opened for worshippers. Located at Bradell Road, it was the first mosque that was built using the Mosque Building Fund (MBF, later renamed Mosque Building and Mendaki Fund, or MBMF), a community fund that was set up to assist Muslims with the building of new mosques in new towns. The MBF was set up in a time when Singapore was undergoing major redevelopment. New housing estates were built to resettle communities that used to live in villages and settlements before their land was acquired by the government for redevelopment. 

In addition to serving Muslim residents of the new housing estates, a number of the early MBF mosques were built to replace smaller existing mosques that were located nearby. Masjid Muhajirin, for example, was built to replace three mosques: Masjid Kampong Marican at Woodsville Road, Masjid Hajjah Puteh at Kim Chuan Road, and Masjid/Surau Kampong Rokok at Kallang Basin.

Grateful for the Present, Hopeful for the Future

I hold the belief that it is important to express gratitude for the good things in life, and there is no doubt that the MBF is a good thing for the community. The building of new mosques in Singapore every few years, mosques that can hold up to thousands of worshippers at any given time, is a direct rebuttal to outsiders’ claims that mosques in Singapore are under constant threat of shutting down.

That said, it is a pity that we have lost a good number of old-generation mosques to the country’s mission towards development and progress. In some cases, the land that was acquired for redevelopment remains undeveloped. A good example for this scenario is Masjid Onan, a small pre-WWII building that was located near the junction of Onan Road and Changi Road. At the time of writing this piece, the land remains empty.

Every mosque has its own history that is closely tied to the community that surrounds it. The presence of a mosque is often an indicator of a Muslim community that lives around it. A mosque is not merely a house of worship in most Muslim communities, but also a place of learning and where the community gathers. Even when the community moves away to other places, the mosque that still stands in its place serves as a reminder of the community that it used to serve. Take away the mosque, and another piece of the community’s history becomes a mere memory. 

In recent years, there has been some sort of awakening among Singaporeans. People started to feel that the country is rapidly modernising that it seems that anything that is old has to give way to the new. People take steps to preserve their history, heritage and culture. With this collection of works that I have done, I hope to contribute to the preservation of the Muslim heritage and history in Singapore. If we do not make the effort to preserve our own history, someone else will tell us their version of our history. 

Why This Blog Was Set Up

I started illustrating Singapore's vanished mosque structures in early 2025. Well, actually I started in the previous year with some untidy pen-drawn pictures, but it was in 2025 that I seriously considered illustrating them digitally, as it would allow me to edit them if I find new information relating to the buildings.

When I started out, I would post on my Instagram first, and would opt for the post to appear on my Facebook account as well. The main problem when posting on Instagram is that it has a wordcount limit for the accompanying caption, and more often than not I had to delete some information that would add more value to the image. I did consider compiling the images in a book, but that would require me to quote the sources of the information that I received, something that I overlooked. 

Additionally, I have opened this account for a school project more than a decade ago. I thought to myself: Why not we just utilise this platform? I do not expect a lot of views, but at least there is a platform where I can archive my posts.