Kelantan Mosque Trail – Part 1

I already know what I am gonna blog!
MOSQUE TRAIL!

Ideally the mosque is close to each other lah, even better if it is walkable but itssokay as the mosque we visited are so unique and beautiful makes the drive worth it. I would like to these 4 unique mosques that we covered and amazingly each one of it has its own identity – design, material used, interior, motifs and many more. You must be wondering what I meant by material used kan, well… coincidentally the mosques were constructed either using wood or concrete (there was one using bamboo but I forgot to take a picture of it [facepalm]). And guess what, each mosque has different architecture and in fact one of it was constructed in 1867.

I saw a few that is still under construction and look amazing, so I suppose there would be a repeat trip soon.
 
Kelantan is well-known as a religious destination for Islamic learning in the Malay Archipelago, hence it is dubbed as the Serambi Mekah or Veranda of Mecca. Because of this, many students who studied here will further their studies in Makkah.


1. Muhammadi Mosque, Kota Bharu

Built in 1867, Muhammadi Mosque was originally constructed using timber and was later renovated using concrete in 1922, inaugurated by KDYMM Sultan Ismail on Friday 31st July 1931 and named the Masjid Muhammadi. It was known for being an Islamic Centre for Studies from 1860s-1960s, among the renowned teachers are Tok Kenali, Hj. Abdul Rahman Arab, Hj. Wan Abdullah, Hj. Che Samat, Hj. Nik Wan Daud, Hj. Wan Muhammad Gagah and Sheikh Daud al-Fatoni.

Photo credit : Gaya Travel Magazine (by Hasif Hamsyari)

Muhammadi Mosque

D1, Bandar Kota Bharu
Kota Bharu, Kelantan

 
2. Ar-Rahman Mosque, Mukim Kubang Batang

This opulent looking mosque was open for public since May 2021 is able to fit it 3,000 congregations. Also coined as the blue mosque, the interior is said to inspired by the most in Cordoba, Spain, and the carpet is aligned to the décor, door and ceiling. The center wall is written in jawi the 4 mazhab Hanafi, Maliki, Syafi'i and Hanbali, one has to look closely to noticed. I was told that the objective of the mosque is to instil love in attending the solat here, in learning Islam, in communication and many more. The upcoming plan is to build a hostel-like accommodation to accommodate those that came here for activities such Islamic/Quranic classes, seminar and etc.

Ar-Rahman Mosque
Mukim Kubang Batang
Jalan Kota Bharu - Pengkalan Kubor
Wakaf Bharu, Tumpat
Kelantan 


3. Noor Aini Mosque, Mukim Pasir Hol

Also known as Cahaya Mataku Mosque, located at Pasir Hor, Kubang Kerian this mosque unique selling proposition will be that it is made of wood that is intricately carved from an Indonesian woodman. It is said that the idea came from Tengku Noor Aini, a Kelantan royalty. This mosque is hand carved with Malay motif weaved with beautiful Quranic scripture, according to the locals the carving work is done in Indonesia and was shipped to Kelantan to be assembled.

Noor Aini Mosque
Mukim Pasir Hor
15100, Kota Bharu
Kelantan

 
4. Madrasah Ihya Ulumuddin

Honestly am not sure how to write this, and I hope I do this place justice. Plus, this is from my perspective when I first reach and learn about Madrasah Ihya Ulumuddin.

Truthfully I have been nor seen one and in my imagination every time I hear the word ‘sekolah pondok’ I ‘bayang’kan pondok lah (very layman huh). But this place cancelled what I always imagine of sekolah pondok, for one, it is open for children and adult above the age of 60, it has chalet/hut for student (small yet clean and sufficient), it has proper area for dining and learning. It has a huge mosque that is open for public as well, for organized religious activities ie during Ramadan such as Tadarus, Qiamulail, Khatam Quran, Tilawah Quran, Qurban and etc. They also open for infak of which I did for my late dad, and donated some to the madrasah. So, to me personally this is the new sekolah pondok.

The land belongs to one of the founding member’s family, and since then it has been used for a good cause – building Madrasah Ihya Ulumuddin, educating the leaders of tomorrow and spreading Islam to the land near and far.

Madrasah Ihya Ulumuddin
Kampung Berangan
16810, Selising
Kelantan


5. Razaleigh Mosque, Gua Musang

Inspired by Masjidil Haram in Makkah, the RM32 million mosque will open its door to its congregations soon. When we first saw it we were mesmerised by its beauty, I simply love the open air centre court concept as it makes the space more airy/windy, bright and welcoming. The mosque begins its construction in 2016 and was completed in 2021, this 70,000-sq-ft mosque is able to accommodate at least 3,000 congregations. It will be the place for locals to learn basic Hajj and Umrah Course to be attended by the prospective pilgrims.

Razaleigh Mosque

Jln Pejabat PAS
Pekan Gua Musang
18300 Gua Musang
Kelantan
 

I hope I get to cover more mosques in my future trip to Kelantan, these are truly a hidden gem that can and should be visited by travelers. You won’t regret it.

 

The Ihya’ Ramadan Kelantan 2022 Media Fam Trip is organized by Tourism Malaysia Wilayah Timur in partnership with all its sponsors.