Ki-oil paint: Masjid Zahir Alor Setar, Kedah #2
genre: heritage
title: masjid zahir alor setar, Kedah #2
medium: oil paint
measure: 60" × 36"
year: 2018
price: myr 22,000.00
The magnificent of Zahir Mosque is located in the heart of Alor Setar City in Kedah Darul Aman. It is the State Mosque. The history of the Zahir Mosque began with its construction on 11th March 1912. The mosque was fully completed in 1915.
The site of this mosque has originally been built an old mosque. It was made of wood, and its Nipah roof which was built during the reign of Sultan Muhammad Jiwa Zainal Adilin Muadzam Shah II in 1735. At the site there is also a graveyard of the fallen Kedah warrior, while he was defending the state from the Siamese attack in 1821. In giving way to the construction of a state mosque, the old mosque was moved to Alor Merah.
The construction of the mosque is managed by a committee headed by Tunku Mahmud Ibni Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin Mukarram Shah, the Leader of the State Council at that time, who is in charge of Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah's duty. Members of the committee include Tunku Ibrahim Ibni Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah, Syed Hassan Shahabuddin (Chief Justice), Muhammad Ariffin bin Muhammad Arshad (State Secretary), W.G. Maxwell (British Advisor) and J. Gorman was a State Engineer.
J. Gorman is also responsible for reviewing the architecture of the Azizi Mosque of the Langkat Sultanate in Tanjung Pura, North Sumatra in Indonesia. It is to be the main guide for constructing of the Mosque of Zahir, as the Azizi Mosque was the most beautiful mosque in the archipelago at that time. The architecture of the Zahir Mosque has Middle Eastern and Indian influences that have many domes. Zahir Mosque has 5 domes which symbolize 5 pillars of Islam. Even the mosque was a main building, in addition the cannons were taken from Kuala Kedah City, was set in the Sultan's aisle to the right of the mosque. Zahir Mosque had experienced a process of enlargement, it was the first time in 1960 and the second time in 1975.
The opening ceremony of the Zahir Mosque was held on Friday, October 15, 1915 by the late Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah. On that day, Tunku Mahmud served as khatib while the Sultan was a Friday Prayer priest.
The article in above is matched from an article in Malay language, I translate and interpret it by my way.