Patricia Tusa Fels waited out the pandemic working on the final edits of her book, Monsoon Mosques: Arrival of Islam and the Development of a MosqueVernacular (₹1,416, 2021). As the health crisis engulfed the world, the conservation architect moved, in 2019, to Uzbekistan on a grant and later travelled to Italy. Earlier this year the book was published and released by Mapin Publishing.
An in-depth study on a building style of the mosques of South East Asia — Malaysia, Java Sumatra and Indonesia, the book speaks of an architecture that responds to local climate and materials available. It is also peppered with fascinating tales of the early life and times of the countries.
Patricia lived in Kochi with her husband Don Fels, a visual artist, from 2005 onwards when she explored the vernacular architecture of some of the early mosques of the city. It resulted in Mosques of Cochin (2011). For two years from 2013, she made several trips to Java, Sumatra and Malaysia, to research the mosques of the region.
Patricia celebrates the legacy, “The mosques are reflective of the long history of Islam in the monsoon zone. Trade in spices brought Islam to this region. The Muslim merchants and Sufi wise men acknowledged the local culture. The architecture of the early mosques is a continuation of vernacular forms of the region.”
She sounds a note of caution on their conservation when she says, “All of the mosques are endangered.”
How did your study on the architecture of mosques begin?
In 2004 my husband received a Fulbright Scholar’s grant to India. We settled in Kochi. I had been asked by a US journal to write about conservation in Kerala and began interviewing local players. One of my interviewees was M. Iqbal, a former city councillor. He alerted me to the condition of the historic mosques in Kochi and the two of us began visits to the mosques. Iqbal was a font of knowledge on local history.
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Thus began my journey into the world of Monsoon Mosques. I had studied Islamic architecture at UC Berkeley as part of my architecture courses, but the world of timber-roofed mosques is little known or appreciated. In addition, my two years working on conservation in Penang Malaysia had already alerted me to this unique form of mosque construction.
There is a common notion that women are not permitted entry into mosques. Could you share some of your experiences while collating material for the book?
Roof at Masjid Asasi Nagari Gunung, Padang Panjang, Sumatra
I lived and worked in Malaysia (Penang) for two years so I knew the mosques and the communities well. Over the next couple of years, my husband and I visited the two most populous Indonesian islands, Java and Sumatra. Don took most of the photos in the book. Throughout SE Asia (I also visited mosques in Cambodia), women are welcomed into the mosques. Several of the smaller mosques I visited in Indonesia had women guardians. Most were great storytellers and very knowledgeable about the history of the mosques.
Through the architectural conservation network, I was connected to local people, including students, professors, and conservation advocates. I speak rudimentary Indonesian, which was quite helpful in Sumatra as we headed deep into the Minangkabau Highlands. Everywhere we went, we were welcomed.
Locals told the story of the mosque and answered my many questions. Often, they would call an elder or an imam to join us, which added a good deal to the visit. I measured many of the mosques, which was made easier when a student accompanied us.
For this book I included the mosques of Kozhikode. As is the situation in Cochin, women are officially not allowed in mosques. After repeated visits, however, I was allowed inside. Once the officials understood my project, they invited me inside at non-prayer times.
Could you explain the common architectural language of these mosques?
All of the Monsoon Mosques are roof-dominated. The soaring roof structure is always timber, the most easily obtained building material in these tropical climates. Typically, the giant roof is supported by a wooden post-and-beam construction. Many of the oldest mosques, especially in Sumatra, have wood floor systems. In Kerala and Java, a stone base anchors the mosque. These early mosques are a continuation of a monsoon vernacular, a building style that responds to the local climate and the materials available.
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Prior to the 20th century, people built in a way that responded to the climate. They created cool and comfortable spaces for the tropical climate. The architecture of the mosques reflects a broader pattern of incorporating local traditions into a new religion.
How much of the pre-Islamic architecture remains?
The early mosques of Kerala, Sumatra, Malaysia and Java are a continuation of vernacular forms of the region. Kerala mosques, built by locals, used many of the same techniques as the pre-existing religious structures. Most were built from scratch, raised up by the locals to provide a place for prayer. Because Islam requires a large gathering space, the local vernacular was expanded to create an interior space grand enough to hold the mosque community.
In Sumatra and Malaysia, the mosque is a direct descendent of the gathering space used by Malay people. Early wooden structures had the same peaked pyramid roof and post-and-beam structure. To mark its importance, the people added more peaks, creating multi-tiered roofs, most with three tiers but some up to five!
In Java, many mosques were funded by royalty, a practice not found in Sumatra and Malaysia. As the royalty embraced Islam, they built mosques not only in their capitals, but in the outlying areas. As in Sumatra, the multi-tiered timber roof dominates the structure. The Javanese had a sophisticated system of pavilion building. These open-air timber-supported and roofed spaces were the location of local gatherings, royal celebrations and religious events. Some of the Javanese mosques are built on ancient brick Hindu or Buddhist monuments.
Are the mosques well conserved or are they in danger of losing their heritage value?
All of the mosques are endangered. In Malaysia most of the original mosques are long gone, replaced by concrete manifestations of modernism. In Kerala, the old mosques are under attack by fundamentalists who do not understand their importance in representing the long history of Islam in Kerala. The faith remains strong inside the old mosques, and does not require a concrete structure for its current relevance.
In Java and Sumatra, the old mosques are respected and revered. There is, however, little understanding of maintaining them. Tile is placed on old brick, lime plaster is replaced with cement products, roofs are re-tiled in plastics. Thankfully there are exceptions, and there are people trying to help local communities in the conservation of their mosques.
As a conservation architect, what are your suggestions on conserving the mosques? How should organisations go about it?
First step is recognition of the importance of the mosques: for their relation to the history of the spice trade, for their importance in the story of Islam, for their architecture, for their role in the community. Once they are given recognition, then information on conservation can be given and hopefully received. In larger cities, a city-supported conservation architect could reach out to the mosque communities and give them information on repairs and maintenance.
Few cities have a designated conservation architect but as more and more of the historic fabric is destroyed, political support for conservation is crucial. Many of the mosques have funds for maintenance but little knowledge on appropriate methods. Other mosques have no funding and require some state support. This is easier in Indonesia where there is agreement on protecting the historic mosques, the only problem is that the government does not reach many of the villages in the vast archipelago.
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In Kerala, the mosques administrators are very wary of the government. Attempts must be made to reach out to the mosque communities, to offer support, to make clear to them the importance of their individual mosques. Once again, a government supported conservation architect who is open to dialogue, would be a positive move.
In all cases, the conservation architect needs to listen as well as give — a delicate manoeuvre that, in many places, is not happening.
You speak about the Arabisation of Islam. Does this reflect in the architecture of the early mosques and if so, from which era?
Islam became a world religion by acknowledging and integrating the many cultures that became a part of the faith. Just as Christianity is much more than its beginnings in the Middle East, so too Islam is more than its Arab origins. I see in the old mosques a rich history, a unique response to location and faith.
I do not see that in the new mosques, just as I do not see any reflection of local history or climate in the profusion of glass and steel spouting in skyscrapers throughout Asia. Considering the dangers of climate change and our present need to cut energy use, I believe we need to seriously reconsider the methods of building construction that used local materials. The builders understood local climate and produced livable, useable spaces, which consumed very little energy.
The mosque in Kozhikode visited by famous traveller Ibn Batuta
Carved gable at Chembitta Pali, Kochi
Today, these mosques still stand, in the Kuttichira neighborhood. Kuttichira is a lovely area, centered on the large tank/water body ( chira ), the adjacent Mithqal Palli and a historic market area. Lanes radiate out from the tank, connecting large multi-family homes that are in themselves of huge importance in telling the stories of the community. With the help of local friends I was able to visit many of these homes, called tharavadu , and talk to the families.
All had histories reaching far back and stories of timber merchants, elephants and spice traders filled my notebooks. The houses had many unique elements, including wooden structures with carved wooden beams, series of interior courtyards and plaster and laterite walls that many of the women said brought cool air up from the ground. In this part of Kerala, the matrilineal system remains and houses pass from mothers to daughters.
