Sultan Idris Shah II Mosque

History

The construction of the mosque began in May 1966 and taken two and half years to complete. In late 1968 it opened as Perak’s State Mosque, but it was not ‘officially’ opened until a decade later (15h September 1978) by the eponymous Sultan Idris Shah II of Perak as part of his 54th birthday celebration. The cost to construct the mosque was RM1,840,000.00.

The original vision for ​​building this mosque came from (Allahyarham) Orang Kaya-Kaya Commander of Bukit Gantang Seri Amar Diraja Abdul Wahab in 1951. At the time he was the Menteri Besar (First Minister of Perak). During that period, mosques in Ipoh were unable to handle the large number of worshippers, especially for Friday Prayers and occasions such The Day of Arafah (the Great Day of Islam).

Sultan Idris Shah II Mosque

It is located in Ipoh’s Old Town, a very short walk from the train station and facing the Birch Memorial Clock Tower. It is Ipoh’s largest mosque. In addition to the prayer hall, Perak’s State Mosque has a library and a conference centre. It is also a wedding venue.

Architecture

Architecturally the design of Sultan Idris Shah II Mosque is quite modern. It is two-storey building with a towering square minaret standing at 125 feet (38 metres) high. It has 44 golden coloured domes. The mosque is also decorated with tiny Islamic mosaic tiles.

See and Do

While Sultan Idris Shah II Mosque is open around the clock, it is only open to visitors on weekdays between 8am and 5pm. There is no admission fee, but a donation is encouraged.