The first Chinese-style mosque in Kelantan State of Malaysia -- the Sultan Ismail Petra Silver Jubilee Mosque, is finally completed.
Dubbed as the "Beijing Mosque" by the locals, the mosque features a pagoda architecture that makes it look Chinese, similar to the ancient mosque in Niujie, Beijing.
Although it is not officially opened, Muslims had begun to perform their prayer at the mosque beginning the fasting month that fell in September this year.
The double-storey mosque, whose construction started in 2005, also incorporates Indian and Uzbekistan features, especially for the interior decoration.
Located on 3.7 hectare along the Kota Baru-Rantau Panjang road in the state of Kelantan, the 8.8 million ringgit (2.51 million U.S. dollars) mosque can accommodate 1,000 people at a time.
Owing to its unique design, the mosque is deemed the new tourist spot for the state, attracting both local and foreign visitors while promoting Rantau Panjang that is also one of the three duty free-zones in the Kelantan State.
Earlier, Kelantan Economic Planning, Finance and Welfare Committee chairman Husam Musa reportedly said the state government had decided to allocate 50,000 ringgit (14,285.71 U.S. dollars) to a committee tasked to manage the mosque.
Amenities attached to the mosque include a multipurpose hall, library, kindergarten and a bazaar.
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