Masjid Lama Bandar Taiping, The Oldest Mosque in Taiping

As we know, the word 'masjid' (mosque) comes from an Arabic term meaning a place for prostration. Since long ago, mosques have been used as dedicated places of worship, such as for prayers and i'tikaf, for those who embrace the Islamic faith.

Buildings known as mosques also serve as centers for culture, commerce, the development of Islamic da'wah, and community activities for Muslims. Mosques do not have a fixed architectural style; it depends on the culture and customs of the local Muslim community. Just look within the state of Perak; there are various mosques with unique architectural designs that are not limited to one ethnic culture, but are instead reflective of the diverse cultures we can see in places like

the Chinese Mosque in Tasek Ipoh

and many mosques that draw design inspiration from Indonesia.

If you are a loyal reader of orangperak.com and visit the town of Taiping, your eyes will surely be drawn to an old mosque in the middle of town by the roadside. Its unique location is situated amidst the bustle of Taiping town, specifically on Jalan Kota, Kampung Jambu. For your information, this mosque is named Masjid Lama Bandar Taiping. This Masjid Lama Bandar Taiping was built in 1893 by the family of

Ngah Ibrahim

himself. This mosque was actually built to replace the original building, which was a madrasa with wooden walls. As we can see, Dutch architectural influence inspired the architect to build the first mosque made of brick in Taiping.

These are the interesting facts about Masjid Lama Bandar Taiping. As mentioned earlier, this was the first mosque built of brick at the time, and it is also the oldest mosque in Taiping. For your information, loyal readers of orangperak.com, Masjid Lama Bandar Taiping has been gazetted as a heritage building in Taiping. This mosque, which has stood firm in Taiping for over 100 years, also has many graves behind it that date back over a century. All the graves there are well-preserved and maintained to this day. On average, the graves there belong to great and famous figures in the state of Perak and throughout the Malay Peninsula.

Among the graves of the figures there are the grave of the wife of

Ngah Ibrahim

, named Toh Puan Halimah Binti Laksamana Mohd Ami, the grave of Tengku Menteri (the son of

Ngah Ibrahim

) named Wan Mohd Isa Bin

Ngah Ibrahim

, relatives and descendants of Long Jaafar, the grave of Sheikh Makhbuli, who was a famous Islamic scholar in the Taiping district, Datuk Seri Dr. Burhanuddin bin Ungku Muhammad Nor, who was the 3rd President of PAS, and many other local figures.