The first mosque built in Singapore, Masjid Omar Kampong Melaka, was built by and named after an Arab merchant from Hadhramaut, Syed Omar bin Ali Aljunied (1792 – 1852). The original mosque was established in 1820 at the southern end of Kampong Melaka. The area then became a social hub for the Malay community as well as Muslims originating from India, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
As the population grew, the original timber mosque at Kampong Melaka was rebuilt in 1855 by Syed Abdullah bin Omar Aljunied, the son of Syed Sharif Omar. The new building was a sturdier and larger brick hall linked by a paved road to the surrounding neighbourhood. It was built in the Malaccan style, with a two-tier pyramidal tiled roof. This structure remained until the 1980s, when a major reconstruction of the mosque took place. A 28m high minaret with a small roof dome was added to the mosque entrance in 1985. In 2009, the mosque added new classrooms and a women’s prayer area.
Masjid Omar Kampong Melaka was declared a historic site by the National Heritage Board in 2001.
