Raya Tawau Mosque

Featuring the modern vernacular style, the two-storeyed building is situated at the outskirts of the town of Tawau, surrounding a cemetery, institutional buildings and residential areas. This modular typology has been built many places across Malaysia and was popular during the 1960’s. It features the use of multiple onion-shaped domes of different sizes surrounding the perimeter of the mosque.

The different sizes of the domes are used to define the four corners of the mosque and its entrance. The colour of the metal domes is purely decorative to reflect the gold color. A large central dome dominates the structure and defines the main prayer hall below, The tall double- height arches surround the perimeter wall al the mosque reflects the double volume space inside. It gives the mosque a perceived height of being o toll structure from a distance.

The mosque was built to replace the former Wilis Mosque standing on the same site,as the former mosque was too small to cater for the ever-increasing residents. When viewed externally from the Jalan OKK Abu Bakar, the mosque may seem to be a small regional mosque. Surprisingly, the mosque is large enough to accommodate the large number of worshippers from the nearby areas.

The gleaming onion -shaped domes ore distributed across the flat roof building. Some of them are placed on top of the pilasters and miniature minarets of the crenellations or turrets. An imposing detached minaret has been added to this Mughol-influenced mosque.

Its symmetrical elevation is arranged with the use of horseshoe arches, placed blow the triangular shaped crenellations between the pilasters, A large scale arch marks the entrance porch, which preludes into the open veranda area, surrounding the main prayer hall

The Great Mosque of Sabah has served the majority of the Muslim population in this eastern town of Sabah since 1972