jalan ke Kuala Kangsar.. raya 2010 (masjid Ubudiah)

from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubudiah_Mosque

Masjid Ubudiah - ranking high on the list of Malaysia's most beautiful mosques, the Masjid Ubudiah (or Ubudiah Mosque) stands proudly and majestically in Kuala Kangsar, with its golden dome and minarets creating a spellbinding sight, from near and afar.

The mosque was designed by Arthur Benison Hubback, a government architect who is notably credited for the design of the Ipoh railway stationand the Kuala Lumpur railway station.

Built in 1917 during the reign of the 28th Sultan of Perak, Sultan Idris Murshidul'adzam Shah 1, the Masjid Ubudiah is located beside the Royal Mausoleum on Bukit Chandan. It was commissioned on the orders of the Sultan, who vowed that he would build a mosque of great beauty as thanksgiving for recovery from an illness which plagued him in those early days.

The construction of the mosque was not without difficulties. Work was interrupted several times, once when two elephants belonging to the sultan's and Raja Chulan were fighting and ran over and damaged the imported Italian marble titles.

The mosque was finally completed in late 1917 at a total cost of RM200,000- quite an astronomical figure for those days. It was officially declared open by Sultan Abdul Jalil Karamtullah Shah, successor to Sultan Idris. This imposing structure is now a symbol of great pride to all Muslims in the state of Perak Darul Ridzuan, the Land of Grace

from: http://www.asiaexplorers.com/malaysia/ubudiah_mosque.htm

The Story of Ubudiah Mosque

Once upon a time, in the Silver Kingdom, there lived an ailing Ruler. Knowing that his days were well numbered, this ruler made a decision - to built the most magnificent mosque in all the lands. He commission the finest architect to design this mosque. It would be placed a short distance from his palace, on a hill near the banks of the Silver River. The mosque was to be called "Ubudiah", which means, "surrender me now to Allah".

Sad to say, this ruler, Sultan Idris Murshidul Adzam Shah I, 28th Ruler of the Kingdom of Perak, never saw his masterpiece completed; he departed to the bosom of his Creator in 1916, a year before his "Taj Mahal by the Perak River" was completed.

While still recuperating, His Royal Highness returned to Perak, where he instructed Colonel Huxley of the Public Works Department, to work on the design of a palatial mosque. The architect chosen for this project was AB Hubback, the same architect noted for putting up several notable buildings in Kuala Lumpur, such as the Masjid Jamek, the Old High Court, the Selangor Railway Office (presently the Textile Museum), and the Royal Selangor Club. If you explore Kuala Lumpur and examine the heritage buildings there, you will see much resemblence to that of the Ubudiah Mosque, especially in the Moorish architecture and the fondness for the "layer cake" design.

Work on the mosque commenced in September 1911, and was immediately delayed when the marble, imported from Italy, was damaged when two elephants belonging to Sultan Idris and Raja Chulan got into a fight. The building was only completed in 1917 at the cost of $189,000. Sadly, Sultan Idris never got to see it to its completion, having passed away a year earlier.
The Ubudiah Mosque was enlarged in 1933, when extensions were made at the sides. Staff rooms and washrooms were also added. The extension took two years to complete, and with it, the mosque could hold up to 2300 worshippers at any one time.

Recently, in 2002, His Royal Highness Sultan Azlan Shah, the 34th Ruler of Perak, instructed the state government to embark on a restoration of the mosque. Great care was taken during the restoration to preserve the Mughal (often incorrectly labelled "Moorish") architecture of the structure. Along with the restoration, the prayer hall was completely refurbished, air-conditioning was installed, and its ceiling reconstructed by a team of craftsmen from Uzbekistan. A new concrete compound was laid out, while the grounds re-landscaped. The project took 3 months to complete, at a cost of RM4.8 million, and was just in time for His Royal Highness' 75th birthday on 19 April 2003.