Masjid Sultan Abu Bakar: Visi Besar 1892


Masjid Sultan Abu Bakar di Johor Bahru, siap dibina pada tahun 1900, menelan belanja sekitar 400,000 Dolar Selat – jumlah yang amat besar pada ketika itu.

Jika dikira dengan nilai hari ini, ia bersamaan lebih kurang £7 juta (USD9 juta / RM42 juta) berdasarkan inflasi, atau sehingga £40–50 juta (USD50 juta / RM240 juta) dari segi kuasa ekonomi.

Dibina di bawah pemerintahan Sultan Abu Bakar, masjid ini menggabungkan gaya seni bina kolonial Victoria dan Moorish, dengan marmar diimport dari Itali serta menara yang menyerupai menara jam. Terletak di atas bukit menghadap Selat Johor, ia kekal sebagai mercu tanda paling ikonik di negeri ini.

Lebih 100 tahun kemudian, masjid ini masih berdiri megah sebagai simbol kemewahan, cita-cita dan keterbukaan Johor pada penghujung abad ke-19.


(Sebagai perbandingan, Masjid Besi di Putrajaya telah dibina dengan kos RM208 juta)


* Gambar dan info asal kos pembinaan - The Towns Of Malaya


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