Macau Mosque and Cemetery

The Macau Mosque and Cemetery (Chinese: 澳門伊斯蘭清真寺及墳場; Portuguese: Mesquita e Cemitério de Macau) is the only mosque and Muslim cemetery in Macau, China, located in the parish of Nossa Senhora de Fátima.

Macau Mosque and Cemetery
  • 澳門伊斯蘭清真寺及墳場 (Chinese)
  • Mesquita e Cemitério de Macau (Portuguese)
Religion
AffiliationIslam
Branch/traditionSunni
Location
Location4 Ramal Dos Moros, Nossa Senhora de Fátima, Macau, China
Macau Mosque and Cemetery is located in Macau
Macau Mosque and Cemetery
Shown within Macau
Geographic coordinates22°12′10″N 113°33′16″E
Architecture
Typemosque, cemetery
Completed1980s[1]
Capacity100 worshipers
Macau Mosque and Cemetery
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese澳門伊斯蘭清真寺及墳場
Simplified Chinese澳门伊斯兰清真寺及坟场
Portuguese name
PortugueseMesquita e Cemitério de Macau
Macau Mosque
Macau Muslim Cemetery

History

It is believed that Macau Mosque was built by Muslims who arrived with the Portuguese army. Originally, these Muslims were recruited from South Asia by the army. Within the complex area, there are also Muslim cemetery with some of the tombs dated back for hundreds of years, indicating that Islam had arrived in Macau since hundreds of years ago.[2]

In 1996, the IAM submitted a redevelopment plan of the mosque to Portuguese Macau government but was not approved. To accommodate the increasing number of Muslims in Macau, in 2006 the IAM applied for government permission to build a new larger mosque in area adjacent to the current mosque building. In the late months of 2007, Macau Mosque underwent renovation.

In the future, the new mosque is planned to be double in size to be a more modern mosque for Macau with a total area of 1,881 m2, 50 meters high and can accommodate up to 600 worshipers. An Islamic center, cheap Halal restaurant, 30-room hostel and classroom and 127-meter high 38-story residential building will also be constructed.[3][4]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Macau ordered the mosque to be closed for one month.[5]

Architecture

The Macau Mosque and Cemetery area consists of Macau Mosque, extended area of the mosque, Macau Muslim cemetery, headquarters of the Islamic Association of Macau, ablution place, badminton court and playground. The size of Macau Mosque is around 6.5 meter x 12 meter which can accommodate around 100 worshipers.[6] The Macau Mosque and Cemetery entrance gate was donated by Halima binti Sheik on 27 June 1973 in the memory of Adam Sheik.

Activities
Islamic Association of Macau headquarters

Macau Mosque houses the headquarters of the Islamic Association of Macau (IAM; Chinese: 澳門伊斯蘭會; Portuguese: Associação Islâmica de Macau), which manages the daily operation of the mosque.[7] The association was founded in 1935 in Portuguese Macau.[8][4] The association is financially assisted by the Islamic Union of Hong Kong in Hong Kong.[9]

More people visit the mosque on Sunday during their off days due to their tight working schedule in the weekdays or for wedding and during big Islamic festivities, such as Eid al-Adha.[10] Most of them do the Quran reading or Islamic studies activities.[11][12][13] During Eid al-Adha, the Muslims sacrifice cows and slaughter them at the Macau Slaughter House.[14]

Transportation

In the future, Macau Mosque and Cemetery will be served from Zona do Nordeste Station of the Macau LRT. However, the LRT Macau Line project has been put on hold.

See also

References
  1. "Macau Mosque and Muslim Cemetry, Macau Special Administrative Region, Macau – Islamic Centers, Masjids Mosques, Muslim Owned Businesses, Islamic Schools and Colleges". Islamicfinder.org. 15 March 2013. Archived from the original on 2 May 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  2. "Macau Mosque – Mosques in China". muslim2china.com. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  3. Fazle Elahi Ahmad. "Muslim Population". Islamicpopulation.com. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  4. "Yearbook 2003" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 December 2013. Retrieved 25 December 2013.
  5. Pinheiro, Gonçalo Lobo (28 August 2020). "Covid-19 has shrunken Macau's Islamic community". Plartaforma. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  6. "Segala berkaitan Muslim di Macau yang anda perlu tahu sebelum ke sana !" [Everything about Muslims in Macau that You Need to Know before Making a Visit!]. Surga Route (in Malay). 27 May 2020. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  7. "Islamic Association of Macau – Islamic Centers, Masjids Mosques, Muslim Owned Businesses, Islamic Schools and Colleges".
  8. Humphrey, Gilbert (20 April 2023). "What Ramadan and Eid-al-Fitr mean to Macao's Muslims". The Macao News. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  9. "Islamic Union of Hong Kong (IUHK)". The Incorporated Trustees of the Islamic Community Fund of Hong Kong. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  10. Pinto, Catarina (25 September 2015). "Muslims gather to celebrate Eid al-Adha in Macau". Macau Daily Times. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  11. Sasongko, Agung (19 September 2016). "Denyut Islam di Macau" [The Beat of Islam in Macau]. Republika.co.id (in Indonesian). Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  12. "Macau's Muslims celebrate 'Festival of Sacrifice'". Macau Daily Times. 19 November 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  13. "Masjid Gerbang Empat Bahasa: Lawatan ke Masjid-masjid di Mancanegara (4)". Wisata.kompasiana.com. Archived from the original on 26 December 2013. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  14. Lau, João Pedro (6 October 2014). "Local Muslim community celebrates Eid al-Adha". Macau Daily Times. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
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