The Karwa Mosque has been serving the local Muslim community living in an old seaside village called Tanjong Tokong on the island of Penang, Malaysia since 1897. This area used to be a quiet fishing village until the 1970s when urbanisation and densification started to take over. The most dramatic changes had been the new coastline created by land reclamation activities which allow the building of malls and high-rise condominiums.

The planning of a new mosque started in late 2014 with a very small budget of not more than RM2 million to replace the old structure that had been extended haphazardly over the years. The original building and its extensions were removed completely to make way for a new building.

The new mosque sits surrounded by tall buildings and marks a gateway to the existing village to its northeast which consisted of old half-timbered houses built based on the vernacular style. It is located at a tight corner of a very busy road intersection which leads to the village.

location: Tanjong Tokong, Penang, Malaysia
Completion Year: 2019
Architect: Eleena Jamil Architect
Photography: Marc Tey & TWJPTO
Civil & Structural engineer: MSJ Engineering Consulting
M&E engineer: AM Engineering Consultant
Mihrab contractor: ZEQ Holdings Sdn Bhd
Facade contractor: Archifacade Sdn Bhd
Main contractor: Jamil Ghani Construction Sdn Bhd
Lighting: Lightmakers Malaysia
Landscape: Mutiara Alam Enterprise
Built-ins: Midor Interior & Furnishings Sdn Bhd