Masjid Qariah Alai, Melaka – 1890

"The power of imagination makes us infinite..." - John Muir

(Masjid Qariah Alai, Melaka)

Masjid Qariah Alai is a mosque located in the Melaka Tengah district. It was gazetted on May 6, 2004. This mosque was built in 1890 with funds donated by the public. The date of construction of the original mosque is unknown. According to old folks, the first mosque built in Kampung Alai was one small mosque made of wood, located a distance away from the current site. At that time, there was also a large pool where people use the water for ablution.

(A three-tiered roof)

(A new site for the mosque)

When the residents of this village increased in number a new road was built. The villagers agreed to relocate the mosque to a land donated by Tuan Haji Yahya bin Sipang. The original built-up area of ​​the mosque was small. The timber used for the construction was mostly pulled by buffaloes or using bullock carts collected from the large forest near the Punggur River. The sand came from the sand dunes near the Punggur River. The coral stones were carved to decorate the peak and corners of the roof of the mosque which can still be seen until today. These coral stones were said to be taken from Pulau Besar. According to old folk’s story, when there was a full moon or when the night was bright, villagers would come out to help carry the building materials.

In 1925, this mosque was reconstructed into a larger and magnificent mosque made of stone and wood.