The Expression of Cultural Identity in Mosque Architecture in Brunei Darussalam

Abstract

The mosque connotes a place of prostration towards Allah. As a sacred space, mosque designs use great detail to respect specific ceremonial functions and some requirements outlined in the Quran, but accommodate diverse styles and construction materials that several traditional and cultural factors determine. As early as the seventh century, as Islam spread across the Mediterranean, North Africa, East Asia, and Southeast Asia, the mosque remained a quintessential Islamic building for local Muslim communities. Consequently, mosque architecture presents diverse styles and forms. It does not follow a normative design form besides having an essential hall to accommodate the congregation and visibly indicating the qibla. This paper explores mosque architecture designs in Brunei Darussalam to analyse expressions of cultural identity and constructions of a collective identity. Since the 1950s, mosque architecture in Brunei has distinguished itself by amalgamating designs that culturally significant historical exchanges within and beyond the Malay world dictated. The paper argues that specific governmental, social, cultural and economic contexts necessarily inform the built environment and, particularly, that of religious architecture, resulting in the development of autochthon styles.

An Architectural-Visual Validation of the Photograph of Kuching Mosque, Malaysia

“…This study must consider that mosques of its time that share some normative design forms. Some common aspects of these mosques have been discussed by many, among them including having a square hall, a niche in the qibla wall that indicates the direction of Mecca, and a multi-tiered pyramidical roof (Lopes and Hasnan, 2022;Ahmad, 2013;Budi, 2006;Ruggles, 2000). Normative architectural design forms therefore are used as conceptual ideas in validating the photographic evidence.…”