Masjid Lama Terusan, Negeri Sembilan – 1840

“Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.” – Les Brown

(Masjid Lama Kg Terusan)

GPS: 2.786933, 102.326732
02°47′12.96″N 102°19′36.24″E

It was quite a challenge to locate Masjid Terusan using the GPS given by Google Map. We ended up in some bushes along the main road.

(The signage to the two mosques)

(My first glimpse of the preserved old mosque)

(Masjid Lama Kg Terusan stands silent)

After driving back and forth several times we failed to locate the mosque and decided to use Waze which led us to Masjid Kariah Terusan a few kilometres away. The Masjid Lama Terusan is no longer being used for jemaah prayers since it has been replaced by a mosque built in 1965 by Hj Ibrahim bin Abdullah. The Masjid Lama Terusan is located just behind the new mosque.

(Resting at the gazebo, the side view of the mosque)

(The posterior view of the old mosque)

Masjid Lama Terusan was built circa 1840 by the villagers led by Dato' Siamang Kahar. The original building was made of timber with zinc roofing. The mosque was traditionally built on raised pillars with stone steps. In 1928, the mosque underwent major repairs and upgrading. The original wooden flooring was replaced with concrete flooring. The base of the wooden pillars was also encased with concrete to strengthen the structure.  It is believed that the installation of the dome to replace the topmost tiered roof was also done at the same time.

(Two cemented kolah on each side use for ablution)

(Inspecting the structure of a historical mosque)

(Interior shots of the mosque)

(Wooden flooring has been replaced by cemented flooring)

We noticed a few peculiar characteristics of this mosque not found in any other mosques that we had visited earlier. The main entrance to the prayer hall is built low so that a person needs to lower his head as he enters the mosque, a sign of respect before going into the house of God. 

Another distinctive feature is that there are low horizontal openings along the four walls decorated by carved wooden grills for natural ventilation and lighting, in Malay it is called 'Sisip Angin'. The wooden grills not only serve as decoration but also protection from intruders. This horizontal opening is positioned low, the same height as when a person is sitting down.

 

(Sisip angin or air vents for air circulation)

(The kubah to replace tiered roof)

(An old well beside the mosque)

The impressive Masjid Lama Terusan is an interesting mosque to visit and appreciate. This mosque seems to be faring far better than the one in Kg Pelangai. Masjid Lama Terusan is currently undergoing major preservation works and would be used as a madrasah or a mini museum and would become one of the tourist attractions in the area.

 

(A side gate to Masjid Lama Terusan)

(Peeping through overgrown bushes)

Despite being more than 180 years old, the preserved structure looks pretty sturdy.

(The old and the new Masjid Lama Terusan)

When we arrived in Kampung Terusan, it was already time for Zohor prayer so we performed our prayers with the jemaah in the new Masjid Kariah Kampung Terusan.

Masjid Kariah Kampung Terusan shares the same compound as the old Masjid Terusan. This mosque is a modern mosque, spacious and fully air-conditioned.

(Jalan Kampung Terusan)

(Frontal view, huge bullet minaret)

(Sideview of the new mosque)

(Ample parking space)

(Can accommodate more than 300 jemaah)

(Spacious ladies prayer hall)