By Rick Gregory

Photography By Mat Zain Abdullah

While Malaysia is experiencing tremendous economic growth, so too is the construction of Islamic symbols

While Malaysia is experiencing tremendous economic growth, so too is the construction of Islamic symbols such as mosques. Rick Gregory looks at some of the recent trends in mosque architecture and the way it deals with its Islamic legacy

To gain a sense of place in Malaysia, one has to understand its foreign origins. In a country that is situated in the geographic heart of Southeast Asia and is surrounded by historic sea passageways, Islam came from outsiders. Spreading throughout the Malay Peninsula from the trading port of Malacca, where Muslim merchants from India and the Middle East bartered in pottery, spices and textiles, mosques and madrasas sprang up in communities settled by Javanese, Arabs and Pakistanis. And each of these groups, along with their ethnic cultures and languages, brought their own brand of architectural style.