Kowloon Mosque (1st generation) [c.1896-1980] | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

Kowloon Mosque (1st generation) [c.1896-1980]

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Submitted by David on Fri, 2009-04-24 14:45
Current condition: 
Demolished / No longer exists
Date Place completed: 
c.1896-01-01 (Year, Month, Day are approximate)
Date Place demolished: 
c.1980-01-31 (Day is approximate)
Tags: 
mosque
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1897
1900
1900
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Comments

Submitted by David on Mon, 2010-05-31 18:41.

The Islamic Union of Hong Kong's website says that the current Kowloon Mosque:

opened in 1984, replacing the old mosque built in 1896 on the same site

Wikipedia has a slightly different explanation:

The Kowloon Masjid and Islamic Centre was first established in 1896, on the site where the Tsim Sha Tsui Police Station now stands. It was originally intended to serve the Indian Muslim troops of the British army stationed at nearby Whitfield Barracks, now the site of the adjacent Kowloon Park. In the late 1970s, the building suffered structural defects due to the underground construction carried out for the Mass Transit Railway. With the compensation given by Mass Transit Railway Corporation and donations from Muslims, a new Mosque was built in 1984 on the present site at 105 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, to replace the old one.

Photos from the HKPL collection also suggest there was an earlier, temporary (matshed) mosque in TST, eg this photo, and this one. 

If you know anything about the temporary mosque, or the firm dates for the opening of the first permanent mosque, please could you leave a comment below?

Thanks, David

Submitted by Klaus on Wed, 2020-05-13 17:29.

From: Islam and China's Hong Kong: Ethnic Identity, Muslim Networks and the New Silk Road by Wai-Yip Ho

Online available on Google Books here.

The second mosque [in Hong Kong] is the Kowloon Mosque, which is located at 105 Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui. It is considered to be the biggest mosque (16,000 square feet) in Hong Kong and can accommodate up to 2,000 people. The existing mosque is a reconstruction of the original one which reopened in 1984 and has become a famous landmark of Hong Kong. The reconstruction cost, according to information provided by the Public Relations Officer of the Islamic Union of Hong Kong, was HK$25 million and was donated by the Islamic Union of Hong Kong. The brief history of the establishment of the Kowloon Mosque was also attributed to the colonial rule. On 7 May 1892 the Hong Kong Regiment of the British Army had arrived to serve in Hong Kong. The original mosque was built by the Hong Kong Regiment for the 'Mohammedans of Upper India' in 1896 on the same site under the supervision of Col. E.G. Barrow and reconstructed with the help and permission of Major Berger in 1902. The Muslim soldiers financi­ally supported the construction and the reconstruction project was finished on 22 January 1902. Service at the Kowloon Mosque was suspended in October 1978 because of the construction work of the nearby Mass Transit Railway (MTR). The most recent reconstruction project was started in January 1980 and the mosque reopened on 11 May 1984 and remains open to this day.

(Found this reference on the German version of the Kowloon Mosque on Wikipedia)

Submitted by TST Dave on Sun, 2020-05-17 18:45.
Wikipedia is probably wrong when it says "The Kowloon Masjid and Islamic Centre was first established in 1896, on the site where the Tsim Sha Tsui Police Station now stands". The 1896 mosque is shown in more-or-less the same location as the current one on 1896 and 1901 maps: https://gwulo.com/atom/36420 https://gwulo.com/atom/33921 and this location ties in with the damage to the old mosque caused by 1970s construction of the neighbouring TST MTR exit.