Alwi Mosque

Masjid Alwi is the oldest landmark in central Kangar and the most architecturally unusual — a Mughal-influenced building of a kind you rarely see this far north in Malaysia. Construction ran from 1931 to 1933, and it was officiated by the Raja of Perlis, Syed Alwi Ibni Al-Marhum Tuan Syed Saffi Jamalullail, whose name it carries.

Its funding is part of the story. The 64,684 ringgit it cost was raised entirely by donation — from Muslim merchants, officials and ordinary residents — with no government loan behind it.

Architecturally it is a hybrid: arched windows and worked balustrades from the colonial period, two obelisk-like towers, and above it all an onion dome set on an octagonal drum. It served as the state mosque until 1973, when that role passed to the new state mosque at Arau.

It was recognised as a national heritage site in 1988 and gazetted as a heritage building by the National Heritage Department in 2008. It remains a working mosque, so dress modestly and avoid prayer times if you are visiting to look.

Sources: Islamic Tourism Centre of Malaysia — Masjid Alwi, Kangar, Perlis Geopark — Masjid Alwi