
Mosque Architecture in the Malay World
Mosque Architecture in the Malay World is originally published in Malay edition entitled Seni Bina Masjid di Dunia Melayu-Nusantara pada tahun 1995. The mark of the existence of Islam in the Malay Archipelago is the mosque. The shape of earlier mosques constructed after the spread of Islam in this region is not clearly known. Only after the 15th A century were the architectural trends and influences clearly defined and it distinctly shows the influence of architectural elements present before the arrival of Islam in the region. These may be attributed to either the Hindu architecture or established local architecture. It is now clear that the architecture of the earliest mosques in the Malay archipelago featured elements such as the Mew roof, or layered roof and this style is known as the Nusantara Malay design.
In the course of this Mosque Architecture in the Malay World book, it became apparent that the Demak mosque in Java is the earliest mosque to be built in the Malay Archipelago, that is in the late 15th century. Such mosque design spread throughout the Malay World especially in the area occupied by Muslims. The expansion of Islam throughout the archipelago in the 15th and 16th centuries was accompanied by the building of mosques. During that period, there already existed Islamic administrative centres in the region such as the Islamic governments of Java, Brunei, the Philippines, Pattani, Sumatera and Melaka.