Masjid Kampung Papan

Masjid Kampung Papan (18 June, 2011)


Masjid Kampung Papan is an old mosque in the town of Papan, Perak. Its design is different from most of the mosques in the state. This is because Masjid Kampung Papan was built in the Mandailing style of Sumatra. I led a group from the Penang Heritage Trust to visit this mosque. We were on a heritage tour of Perak in the company of Mr Law Siak Hong, the Vice President of the Perak Heritage Society.

According to Mr Law, Masjid Kampung Papan is the oldest mosque in the Mandailing architectural style. It is even older than mosques in the Mandailing homeland of Sumatra. According to Namora Sende Loebis, the representative of the Mandailing All Clans Assembly for Malaysia and Singapore, the mosque was built in 1888 by Raja Bilah, the nephew of Raja Asal, a Mandailing overlord and founder of the Mandailing settlement at Pangkalan Kacha, in present-day Changkat Piatu. Raja Asal was given permission to establish a Mandailing settlement in the Pengkalan Kacha area by Raja Idris (who later ascended the throne as the 28th Sultan of Perak, Sultan Idris Murshidul Azam Shah, 1887-1916). Later, when Papan became a tin-fueled boom town, his nephew Raja Bilah established the Mandailing village there.

Masjid Kampung Papan is located beside the hillock where Raja Bilah built his residence, Rumah Asal, and the guild hall, Rumah Besar Raja Bilah.

Masjid Kampung Papan (18 June, 2011)


Masjid Kampung Papan (18 June, 2011)

Masjid Kampung Papan is on the Map of Papan

Acknowledgement

Exploring Malaysia expresses thanks to Law Siak Hong for helping visiting this house, and Namora Sende Loebis for graciously reviewing and commenting on the information provided in this article.

List of Mosques in Malaysia

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