Masjid Jamae Chulia, alternatively simply known as Masjid Jamae (, Jawi: , ), or the Periya Palli (பெரிய பள்ளி; meaning "Big Mosque") is a mosque located in Chinatown, Singapore. Built in the 19th century by Indian Muslim immigrants from South India, the mosque is one of the earliest to be built in the country. Along with its neighbour, the Sri Mariamman Temple, both of them stand out in the predominately Chinese district and have been gazetted as national monuments.

The appearance of the mosque has remained generally the same as when it was first built in the 1830s.

Etymology

The name of the mosque, Jamae, is a romanticization of the Arabic word jāmi (جَامِع) which is a term used for congregational mosques that conduct the Friday prayer. Supporting this is the fact that the mosque was also known as Masjid Khuṭba, named after the khutbah, the name of the sermon given before the Friday prayer. In Tamil, the mosque is known as Periya Palli, which literally means "big mosque" due to the fact that the mosque is the largest in the Chinatown area.

History

thumb|Masjid Jamae as seen in an image from the 1900s.

The mosque was established in 1826 by the Chulias, a group of Indian Muslim migrants who worked in what is now the Chinatown district. This was a first in the series of mosques built by the Chulias; who later established Masjid Al-Abrar and the Nagore Durgha, both along Telok Ayer Street in the same locality. The present structure was completed between 1830 to 1835. In the late 19th century, the mosque was taken over by Twelver Shi'ites, who celebrated the festival of Muharram in the mosque. The mosque was later returned to the hands of Sunni Muslims before 1894, where the state courts assigned a group of trustees to look after the mosque. Then in 1917, management of the mosque was given to the Muslim and Hindu Endowments Board.

The mosque was gazetted as a national monument on 19 November 1974. The burial ground in the courtyard behind the main prayer hall was closed for burials in 1973. This burial ground, with the exception of the mausoleum, was exhumed in 2001. In 2008, $5 million was donated to help conserve both Masjid Jamae and Masjid Al-Abrar among other monuments in the area.

In 2022, Minister of State for National Development, Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim announced a massive restoration project that cost at least $3 million. With assistance from the MUIS, the restoration was completed in 2024, which included the mosque being extensively repainted, elderly-friendly features improvised; while a new madrasa was established within the mosque.

Architecture

thumb|The main building of Masjid Jamae which contains the ancillary hall.

Masjid Jamae's architectural style has been described as eclectic, blending different Indian and European styles together including Indo-Saracenic and Neoclassical elements. The general appearance of the mosque has not changed and has remained the same since the original structure, which was built between 1830–1835 and renovated in the late 1880s. The minarets date back to the late 1880s and before this, were formerly smaller and cylinder-like in appearance. The mausoleum does not intersect with the qibla of the mosque, due to an Islamic ruling that forbids praying in the direction of graves.

The mosque has only one entrance which faces South Bridge Road. There were reportedly more entrances to the mosque in the 1850s, such as one which faced Mosque Street, but these entrances do not exist anymore.

Exterior of Masjid Jamae

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File:Masjid Jamae (Chulia), Singapore; October 2016.jpg|The mosque before the repainting.

File:Singapore - Temple Street - Jamae Chulia Mosque IMG 9236.jpg|The mosque in the late afternoon, during the Asr prayer.

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Interior of Masjid Jamae

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File:Masjid Jamae, Singapore (2025) - img 03.jpg|Main entrance of the mosque.

File:Entrance to Masjid Jamae.jpg|The entrance to the ancillary hall of the mosque.

File:Ancillary hall of Masjid Jamae.jpg|Inside the ancillary hall of the mosque.

File:Main prayer hall of Masjid Jamae.jpg|The interior of the main prayer hall.

File:Mihrab and minbar of Masjid Jamae.jpg|The mihrab and minbar inside the main prayer hall.

</gallery>

Historic photographs of Masjid Jamae

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File:2016 Singapur, Chinatown, Meczet Jamae (01) (cropped).jpg|An image of the mosque from the 1900s.

File:25 stereographs depicting Singapore town views Or. 27.423 - photo 017.tif|The mosque appears in stereographs of South Bridge Road from the 1900s.

File:Ingangen van een hindoeïstische tempel en een moskee te Singapore, RP-F-F01025-BQ.jpg|A postcard from the 1900s depicting Masjid Jamae and the neighbouring temple. Note the smaller minarets.

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Transportation

Masjid Jamae is accessible from both the Chinatown MRT station and the Maxwell MRT station.

See also

  • Islam in Singapore
  • List of mosques in Singapore

References

  • Heritage Sites of Chinatown
  • Google Maps StreetView of Masjid Jamae along South Bridge Road