Indonesia Conference Directory

To promote Malaysia as the most desired Islamic tourism hub in the world, it is significant to identify and popularize the uniqueness of Malaysia in terms of tourist spots, experience, facilities and Muslim friendly practices. Currently Malaysia as an Islamic tourism hub is in tough competition with similar hubs such as Turkey and UAE. Staying ahead in this race requires efficient -Rebranding- of the tourist spots and facilities i.e. the Islamic Architecture of Malaysia which can attract more tourists to choose Malaysia as their prime location for Islamic tourism. In general, Malaysia as a nation was developed in the richness of the cultural diversity and varies of influences. It is reflected with the wide range of architectural style that creating the colors and defining the uniqueness of Malaysian architecture style. In the micro context, one of the building typology which carrying this -unique spirit are mosque. Throughout the Malaysia, there are numbers of mosques architectural typologies had been identified, with the range of vernacular, colonial, modernism and up to modern contemporary architecture style. Malaysia has various mosques in the country and has adopted different architectural designs inspired by varying ethnic subcultures, periods of colonialism, foreign influence, technology utilization, and the political environment. In this research, three contemporary mosques selected. Generally, the architectural styles of the modern mosque can be classified into two categories. The first category is the modern styles which emphasize the advancement in building technology and engineering (i.e. Masjid Tunku Mizan Zainal Abidin). The second category of the modern mosque is the Islamic influences which incorporate the styles of many mosques found in Islamic countries including Turkey, the Middle East, and Northern Africa (i.e. Masjid Putra). This research will attempt to formulate framework in reevaluating the contemporary mosque of both types through identifying and documenting the unique attributes of these mosques as well as taking into account how the tourists perceive these attributes to prioritize Malaysia as their No. 1 Islamic tourism hub.