Masjid Omar Salmah
| Masjid Omar Salmah | |
|---|---|
Jawi: مسجد عمر سلمى | |
Masjid Omar Salmah in 2025 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Sunni Islam |
| Location | |
| Location | 411B Jln Mashhor, Singapore 299173 |
| Country | Singapore |
Location in Singapore | |
| Geographic coordinates | 1°20′04″N 103°49′56″E / 1.3345733°N 103.8320835°E |
| Architecture | |
| Completed | 1973 |
| Capacity | 300 |
Masjid Omar Salmah (Jawi: مسجد عمر سلمى) is a mosque located along Jalan Mashhor in Thomson, Singapore. It was built in 1973 by Syed Ibrahim, an Arab merchant from the Alsagoff family. A traditional village-styled mosque, it has a capacity of around 300 worshippers and is within walking distance of the Bukit Brown MRT station which has yet to be constructed since 2005.
History
The mosque was built along the Jalan Mashhor road in 1973, with extensive financial support from Syed Ibrahim bin Omar Alsagoff, an Arab Singaporean merchant.[1][2][3] It was opened on 27 September of that same year while the first khutbah (sermon) was held on 5 October.[1] The mosque was originally intended to serve the residents of a nearby village, Kampong Jantai.[2] With the exception of Lorong Buangkok, all villages in Singapore have been demolished for urbanisation and thus Kampong Jantai is no longer existent.[4] Following redevelopment in the area, the mosque was threatened with demolition twice but the plans for demolition work were cancelled afterward.[5]
The mosque is located on land that is renewed every year to maintain the mosque's survival.[2][5] Redevelopment efforts in places around the Bukit Brown Cemetery resulted in concerns about the mosque's survival, until 2012 when the government confirmed the mosque would be completely unaffected.[6]
The mosque is well known for its very isolated location in the country.[3]
Architecture
The mosque is built in a traditional Malay architectural style.[2] According to the Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura, Masjid Omar Salmah has a total capacity of 300 worshippers.[7]
Incidents
On 29 March 2012, a large tree collapsed on the road in front of Masjid Omar Salmah. At least 50 worshippers were unable to leave the mosque due to the massive tree blocking the entrance. The tree was eventually removed and cut down when rescue services arrived at the site.[8]
Accessibility
The mosque is within walking distance of the Bukit Brown MRT station; which is still under construction since its establishment in 2005, hence the mosque is not able to be accessed from there yet, as of now.[6][9] Currently, the nearest MRT station to the mosque is Caldecott MRT station.[9]
Gallery
Exterior
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The entrance to the mosque as seen from the hill below.
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A rear view of the mosque, its zinc roof very visible.
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A closeup of the golden dome of Masjid Omar Salmah
Interior
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The entrance to main prayer hall with digital clock for prayer times on the left side.
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Inside the prayer hall.
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The mihrab and minbar of the mosque, along with a cabinet full of mushaf (copies of the Qur'an).
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The ablution area of the mosque as well as the male restrooms.
Panoramas
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Exterior view, 2019
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East facade, 2019
See also
References
- ^ a b "First khutbah in Masjid Omar Salmah to start tomorrow". Berita Harian. 4 October 1973. p. 5.
- ^ a b c d "Friday issue | Feature on Masjid Omar Salmah at Jalan Mashhor". Berita Harian. 22 June 2007. p. 6.
- ^ a b "Despite being very secluded, Masjid Omar Salmah is still visited". Berita Harian. 4 February 2018. p. 8.
- ^ Low, Samantha (26 May 2021). "Singapore's last surviving village". BBC.com. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
- ^ a b Azaleah. "Faith unforgotten (Part 3): threats to the mosque". www.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
- ^ a b "Masjid Omar Salmah will not be affected by the plans for Bukit Brown". Berita Harian. 21 April 2012. p. 1.
- ^ "Omar Salmah Mosque | learnislam". Retrieved 9 May 2025.
- ^ "Tree collapses, worshippers are stranded for eight hours in a mosque". Berita Harian. 31 March 2012. p. 1.
- ^ a b "Location View of 490 Jalan Mashhor, 299176". streetdirectory.com. 27 June 2020. Archived from the original on 19 November 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2020.