SINGAPORE - A mosque built by a prominent Arab family in Singapore 84 years ago was named a national monument on Thursday.
The Alkaff Upper Serangoon Mosque at 66 Pheng Geck Avenue is the 68th national monument, and the sixth mosque on the list, the highest order of preservation status in Singapore.
The national monument was opened by the Alkaffs and is one of the two mosques established by the family in the 1930s. The other one is the Alkaff Kampong Melayu Mosque, at Bedok Reservoir Road.
NHB's director of the Preservation of Sites and Monuments division Jean Wee said: "The Alkaffs...are known as (one of ) the earliest Arabs to arrive in Singapore after 1819. Alkaff Upper Serangoon Mosque is gazetted as a reminder of the significant contributions by the Alkaff family."
The Alkaff Upper Serangoon Mosque has retained most of its earliest structures despite undergoing several expansions and renovations, with the most recent one completed in March. Now managed by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis), the mosque can accommodate up to 2,500 worshippers. It serves mainly the local Muslim community in the Potong Pasir, Bendemeer, Kallang Bahru and Bidadari areas.
Muis' director of mosques Mohd Helmy Isa said: "With the preservation, Alkaff Upper Serangoon Mosque will continue to be a hub of activities for the local Muslim community."
