Blue Mosque, Singapore

For other uses, see Blue Mosque (disambiguation).
Blue Mosque, Singapore
Masjid An-Nur
The mosque as seen from the Woodlands Checkpoint.
Religion
AffiliationSunni Islam
Location
Location6 Admiralty Rd, Singapore 739983
CountrySingapore
Location in Singapore
Coordinates1°26′27″N 103°46′19″E / 1.4409299°N 103.7719226°E / 1.4409299; 103.7719226
Architecture
ArchitectTony Tan Keng Joo
TypeMosque
StyleModern, Islamic architecture
Completed1980
Specifications
Dome1
Minaret1
Minaret height55 metres

Masjid An-Nur, later called the Blue Mosque (Jawi: مسجد کبود; Malay: Masjid Biru), is a mosque located in the Marsiling neighbourhood inside Woodlands, Singapore. Built in 1980, it is the first mosque to be built in Woodlands. Well known for its predominately blue colour scheme and imposing minaret, the mosque is also adjacent to the Woodlands Checkpoint that connects the traffic of Johor and Singapore.

Etymology

The name of the mosque, An-Nur, is an Arabic word that means "The Light" and is the title of a chapter from the Qur'an, specifically the twenty-fourth chapter.[1] The mosque was later popularly known as the Blue Mosque although it still remains with its former name on governmental databases.[2][3]

History

Plans to construct a mosque in the Woodlands neighborhood were confirmed in 1978, with a scale model being made as well.[4][5][6] The foundation stone for a new mosque, Masjid An-Nur, was mounted at the building site in 1979 by Sidek Saniff, a Member-of-Parliament for the Kolam Ayer area.[7] Construction on the mosque was completed by March 1980, however the mosque still had insufficient funds to operate.[8] Finally, it was opened to the public by the Senior Minister of State, Rahim Ishak, on 20 April 1980.[9][10][11]

Due to its close proximity to the Woodlands Checkpoint, the mosque was a popular destination for travellers coming to Singapore from Johor.[11][12] The mosque was extensively renovated in 2013, expanding its prayer hall and doubling its capacity to fit six thousand worshippers.[2][13] It was reopened on 26 May of that same year after all minor reparations had been completed.[14]

Architecture

The mosque is built in a modernist architectural style, with references to traditional Islamic architecture. The front of the main prayer hall is topped by a large blue onion dome. There is a single fifty-five metres high minaret, situated at the western side of the mosque and topped by a smaller onion dome.[6][11] Wooden carvings and batik patterns are present as decorative elements inside the main prayer hall.[11] Due to the predominately blue colour of the mosque, it has received the name of "Blue Mosque" akin to other mosques in Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan.[2]

  • A carpeted area for Iʿtikāf outside the main prayer hall.
  • The main prayer hall of the mosque.
  • The muezzin reciting the call to prayer in the mosque.
  • View underneath the dome of the mosque.

See also

References

  1. ^ al-Tabari (1994). Jāmi' al-bayān 'an ta'wīl āy al-Qur'ān [Collection of Statements on the Interpretation of the Verses of the Qur'an] (in Arabic). Beirut, Lebanon: Muʾassasat al-Risālah.
  2. ^ a b c "'Masjid biru' di Woodlands kian selesai dipertingkat" ['Blue Mosque' in Woodlands nears completion of upgrades]. Berita Harian. 23 February 2013. p. 4.
  3. ^ Rubiah, Mohammed (2025-07-27). "Buku raikan 45 tahun Masjid An-Nur pancar 'Cahaya Menara Biru' di Marsiling" [Book celebrates 45 years of An-Nur Mosque, with "Light of the Blue Minaret" in Marsiling]. Berita Harian (in Malay). Retrieved 2026-01-21.
  4. ^ "Ceracak Masjid An-Nur di Woodlands akan ditanam tak lama lagi" [The minaret of the An-Nur Mosque in Woodlands will be planted soon]. Berita Harian. 28 March 1978. p. 2.
  5. ^ "An-Nur dibina ikut keadaan sekitar" [An-Nur was built according to the surrounding conditions]. Berita Harian. 31 October 1978. p. 1.
  6. ^ a b "$2 million mosque in Woodlands will be the most expensive in S'pore". The Straits Times. 12 November 1978. p. 17.
  7. ^ "Batu asas An-Nur" [The foundation stone of An-Nur]. Berita Harian. 10 October 1979. p. 8. Anggota Parlimen Kolam Ayer, Encik Sidek Saniff, akan meletakkan batu asas Masjid An-Nur pada 9.00 pagi 4 November depan. [Kolam Ayer Member-of-Parliament, Mr. Sidek Saniff, will lay the foundation stone of the An-Nur Mosque at 9.00 am on November 4.]
  8. ^ "An-Nur kurang $30,000 untuk dilengkapkan" [An-Nur needs $30,000 more for completion]. Berita Harian. 26 March 1980. p. 3.
  9. ^ "Rahim sertai gotong-royong bersihkan Masjid An-Nur" [Rahim joins in gotong-royong cleaning of An-Nur Mosque]. Berita Harian. 14 April 1980. p. 8.
  10. ^ "Opening". New Nation Newspaper. 16 April 1980. p. 6. The Senior Minister of State (Foreign Affairs), Encik Rahim Ishak, will open the Masjid An-Nur mosque, Woodlands, on Sunday at 9.30 a.m.
  11. ^ a b c d e "Masjid An-Nur, Woodlands Heritage Trail". Roots. Retrieved 2026-01-21.
  12. ^ Rashid, Yaakub (14 June 1982). "Wajah masjid-masjid baru" [The faces of new mosques]. Berita Harian. p. 4.
  13. ^ "Wajah baru, menara biru" [New face, blue minaret]. Berita Harian. 23 February 2013. p. 1.
  14. ^ "An-Nur dibuka Isnin" [An-Nur to be opened this coming Monday]. Berita Harian. 21 May 2013. p. 3.
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