With its iconic minaret and stunning façade, this is the most outstanding landmark along Canberra Road. Built in 2004, Masjid Assyafaah has won accolades for its architecture.
When a local company, Forum Architects, took on the project, they wanted the design to fit into a multi-racial and multi-religious community. At the same time, the building had to stand out as a mosque so that Muslims could recognise it. The result was an architecturally contemporary mosque which used space creatively and with traditional Islamic symbols.
The first thing most people notice about the mosque is the ten-storey minaret, made of rusted metal plates for its natural tones. At night, the minaret ‘disappears’, leaving the lit crescent and moon symbol to hover over the mosque!
Another feature is the re-interpretation of the arabesque, a traditional symbol in Islamic art. Arabesque screens create an interesting play of light and shadows while ensuring ventilation. The carpet, too, is designed with arabesque motifs. These are just some of the distinctive architectural features in the mosque. What makes it even more interesting is that the history of the Muslim community in this modern mosque goes back to the 1920s.
Masjid Assyafaah originates from two older mosques in Sembawang; the Masjid Jumah Sembawang and Masjid Naval Base. Masjid Jumah Sembawang was established in the 1920s by Indian Muslim migrants who came here to work in the Naval Base. It was a well-known landmark along Sembawang Road before it was demolished in 1995.
Masjid Naval Base began as a surau (Malay: small prayer house) for Muslim naval dockyard personnel. As the Muslim community grew larger, the surau could no longer meet their needs. In 1968, Masjid Naval Base was built with the support of the British and officially opened by Commodore F. C. W. Lawson. The mosque, located at the junction of Canberra Road and Delhi Road (now defunct) became open to the public in 1972, after the British withdrawal. It was demolished in the mid-2000s, after Masjid Assyafaah was built.