Cultural Expressions, Identity and Malayness: A Case Study of the Architectural Form of Traditional Mosques in Malaysia

As a cornerstone of religious architecture, mosques have various architectural forms and hold significant importance within the Malaysian Malay-Muslim community. Malay traditional mosques, boasting multi-layered designs and local distinctions, epitomize the fusion of Islamic and local Malay architecture cultures. This paper adopts qualitative research methods such as literature research, fieldwork and case analysis, taking Malay traditional mosques as the research object to explore the cultural expression and identity changes behind the architectural form. Based on the previous research on the architectural form of mosques, this paper creates an analysis framework of typology, then divides the mosques in Malaysia into three cultural types: Malay vernacular mosques, semi-Malay vernacular mosques or Rojak mosques, and non-Malay vernacular mosques. The case study finds that the architectural form of mosques in Malaysia reflects Malayness or Malay identity. Malayness is uniquely constructed and dynamic, in which Islamic identity and Malay cultural identity are the two core elements of the current Malayness composition. Besides, there is a competitive relationship between the two in the expression of Malayness in the architectural form of mosques, which is manifested in two types: explicit and implicit. It is of great theoretical and practical significance to study Malay traditional mosques to understand the current change in Malayness.