- Capturing the vivid stories behind some of Sri Lanka’s most beautiful mosques
Sri Lanka’s legacy as a trading hub and melting pot of cultures shows itself in almost all aspects of our lives today. One of the most notable ways our diversity displays itself is through our architecture, most especially, the architecture of religious significance, for these beautiful buildings, across all religions, capture stories of how that religion has evolved and adapted to the Sri Lankan way of life.
Recently, a coffee-table book, Iconic Masjids of Ceylon, was published that showcases this unique relationship between religion and local heritage. Written by journalist and author Asiff Hussein and published by the Ceylon Baithulmal Fund, Iconic Masjids of Ceylon is a comprehensive work detailing some of Sri Lanka’s most beautiful mosques, exploring them as their places of worship and recording their history, evolution, and architecture.
This monumental, painstakingly crafted work is the most noteworthy contribution to recording the rich heritage of mosques in Sri Lanka. With a beautifully designed hard bound cover and richly illustrated fine art paper replete with a hundred photographs on top of its captivating stories, the book brings out the ambience of mosques in all their splendour and variety.
Iconic Masjids of Ceylon covers 31 iconic mosques of Sri Lanka, from what is supposed to be the oldest standing mosque in the country, Masjidul Abrar in Beruwala, said to have been built in the year 920 but embellished over the years, to the ultra-modern Jamiah Naleemiah Mosque, which has been compared to a flying saucer. The book also covers a number of little-known mosques of great antiquity, such as the Bakinigahawela Mosque near Monaragala with its thick walls and traditional local architecture that goes back several centuries, as well as heritage mosques showing profound colonial influence, such as the Meeran Mosque in Galle Fort.
Brunch reached out to Iconic Masjids of Ceylon author Aasiff Hussein for a little more insight on how the book came to be.
Excerpts of the interview are below:
What inspired you to write Iconic Masjids of Ceylon and how did the book come about?
The book was commissioned by the Ceylon Baithulmal Fund, a charitable organisation, after one of its younger members named Sharhan Muhseen came up with the idea. The President of the organisation, Illiyas Admani (President’s Counsel) lost no time in approving the project, and soon a special committee was formed to steer it under a prominent member, Dr. Ameer Zainudeen.
I was entrusted with writing the book, which involved many field visits and interviews, meeting with trustees of mosques, and compiling information from both published works and unpublished material. I already had some knowledge of mosques, since for several years I have been heading the Mosque Tours Programme, an outreach initiative of the Centre for Islamic Studies Harmony Centre.
But I must say this was a challenge, as it involved a detailed study of local mosques, their history, and architectural features. The special committee formed for the purpose proved to be very helpful and placed at my disposal much of the information I needed, not to mention translating some little-known works from Tamil to English. I was also helped in my task by two young ladies, Hafeezah Zainudeen and Nadia Firdouse, who very kindly shared details of mosque architecture, which helped improve the work considerably.
What is your personal favourite of the iconic masjids you covered in the book?
Abrar Mosque, which adorns the front cover of the book and is believed to be over a thousand years old. It is supposed to have been originally built in the year 920, though the present structure is more recent, dating to Dutch or British times. The mosque is located in the Maradana area of Beruwala, which is one of the earliest Arab settlements in Sri Lanka.
What can looking at Sri Lanka’s masjids tell us about Islamic tradition in Sri Lanka and how it has grown and evolved over the years?
It tells a lot about how local Muslims, like those elsewhere, freely adopted the architectural features of neighbouring cultures and even colonial influences. Time and place mattered a great deal when it came to mosque architecture. The beauty of a mosque is that it lends itself to a variety of architectural styles, since Islam does not lay down hard and fast rules as to how a mosque should be built.
Thus, we have the very old Bakinigahawela Mosque in the Uva Province that looks more like the house of a Kandyan nobleman, with very thick walls and a tiled roof instead of a dome; mosques like Galle Fort’s Meeran Mosque and Abrar Mosque in Beruwala, which incorporate colonial features; and ultra-modern mosques like Jamiah Naleemiah’s University Mosque in Beruwala, which has been compared to a flying saucer that has just landed. Many modern mosques also incorporate “internationalist” Islamic features such as domes, as one could see in many mosques built post Independence, like Seeniwatte Mosque in Aluthgama and Huloor Mosque in Trincomalee.
Any interesting facts that emerged from the research?
Yes, quite a lot. For one thing, it showed that Muslims lived in peace with neighbouring communities. I found several instances of co-operation between Muslims and the neighbouring Sinhalese and Tamil communities, including putting up mosques, for instance in the case of Porwa Mosque in Godapitiya, Akuressa, and the Jaffna Grand Mosque simply known as “Periyapalli” or “Great Mosque”.
Another interesting fact that emerged is that Muslims generally tended to build mosques by the side of main roads, which must have emerged from caravan paths or near the bazaars where they dealt in merchandise, since they were very much a mercantile community. This is why you find mosques on the sides of roads and looking conspicuous. This is in sharp contrast to the Buddhist tradition of building viharas or temples in calm or peaceful surroundings, away from the hustle and bustle of it all, reflecting the concept of an arama or “retreat” from worldly life. So now you know why mosques seem so conspicuous when one travels on the main roads, it’s simply a matter of locality.
Finally, I must say that the vast majority of mosques here seem to bear the name “Muhiyiddin” or derived forms like “Muhiyaddin” or even “Mohidin”. This is seen in almost every part of the country, and reflects the reverence local Muslims had for the best-known Saint of Islam, Abdul Qadir Jilani, on whom was bestowed the epithet Muhiyiddin or “Reviver of the Faith”.
Iconic Masjids of Ceylon can be purchased at the office of the Ceylon Baithulmal Fund, No. 44, Haig Road, Colombo 4 or ordered online. Cost per book is Rs. 3500; courier charges will be added.
