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Browsing Arts and Social Sciences by Author "Abd. Razak, Shah Rizal"

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    Konfigurasi dan peranan surau sebagai pusat ibadat di kompleks membeli-belah
    (Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2020) Abd. Razak, Shah Rizal
    A surau is a place of worship for Muslim, usually smaller in size than a mosque, and can be found widely in the Nusantara region. Research on the origin of surau are still lacking. However, it is suggested that surau was originated from the Java pagan structure known as parsoeroan which had a significant resemblance with suraukas, a Sanskrit word meaning 'an abode for gods or a temple'. Systematic approach research on surau architectural typology is also limited, especially surau in public buildings, and particularly in shopping malls. In Malaysia, while religious authorities do recognise surau, greater attention is greatly given to mosques. In addition, as mosques - but not surau - are allowed to conduct activities such as Friday prayer, tahiyyatul-masjid prayer, and iktikaf, surau in public buildings have been treated as purely utilitarian and seen as less significant and often marginalized. This results in a perception that surau have no ownership, and consequently surau in shopping malls which are intensely utilized may be subject to improper treatment. This research aims to establish the architectural typology of surau in public buildings towards a development of better surau. To this end, the following objectives were formed, namely to observe architectural configuration on current surau designs at shopping malls in order to establish the general design principles for the surau in malls, and to establish the possibility of surau being micro mosques within a city center. These objectives framed the research methodology which includes the literature on the origin of surau, the definition of mosque, musalla, and surau, as well as current mosque typology, design principles and the roles of Islamic religious centers. Next, 46 surau from 20 shopping malls in Kuala Lumpur were observed as case studies. On-site observation was also carried out using various tools mainly photographing, sketching, and notes. Locations of a surau relative to those of mosques in the city center were also recorded. From architectural standpoint, this research found various design typologies of surau in shopping malls, exhibiting the phenomenon of serious lacks of constancy and standard on surau designs. This finding highlights the fact that surau in shopping malls are absence of universal typology and consistency in architectural language. Findings also show that surau in shopping malls do not have definitive design principles nor play the roles as an Islamic religious center. Locations of surau in shopping malls at city centres, however, were found to be strategic to enable surau to become micro mosques and thus be part of the networks of mosques in city centres. This thesis recommends surau as a legacy of a place of worship worthy to be treated equivalent of a mosque, with all forms of religious activities be conducted, thus contributing towards the formation of a universal typology for surau architecture in public buildings. This thesis also suggests surau be assigned the role of a micro mosque within a city centre.