The mosque was constructed in 1907, and major restoration of the building was completed in 2003. The mosque is currently owned byMajlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS).
The mosque is also known by the following variant names:Abdul Gafoor Mosque,Abdul Gafor Mosque,Abdul Gaffor Mosque,Abdul Gaphore Mosque,Abdul Gapore Mosque,Dunlop Street Mosque andIndian Mosque.
Masjid Abdul Gaffoor is located in the area known asKampong Kapor, which was an active business hub for Indianmerchants and for those who worked at the oldrace course atFarrer Park. The mosque on this site was originally a building with timber partitions and a tiled roof known as Masjid Al-Abrar, built in 1846 to serve the religious needs of theSouth IndianMuslim merchants andBaweanesesyces andhorse trainers residing in Kampong Kapor.
In 1881, adeed of assignment dated 14 November 1881 created the Dunlop Street Mosque Endowment orwakaf. The twotrustees wereIsmail Mansor andShaik Abdul Gaffoor bin Shaik Hydert. Abdul Gaffoor was chiefclerk at a legal firm. Thewakaf was created for the building of a mosque for the Muslim community in Singapore. The deed of assignment also placed in trust several otherproperties including a Muslimburial ground and a house in Race Course Road. The burial ground was closed in 1921.
In 1887, as mosque trustee, Shaik Abdul Gaffoor applied to construct shophouses and sheds on the land around the original mosque. More shophouses were added in 1903. The rental of these buildings generated income which then went towards building the new mosque.
Building began in 1907 and it appeared to have taken quite a few years for the mosque to be completed because its completion date is not known. In 1910, when the new mosque was partially completed, the old mosque was demolished. When Shaik Gaffoor died in 1919, it was apparently still not completed. After his death, his son took over the management of the mosque and thewakaf properties. In 1927, the Dunlop Street Endowment was taken over by theMuslim and Hindu Endowments Board. The building was presumably complete then.
Today, the mosque stands facing a row of shophouses that are now used forQur'an classes and other subjects, as well as for communal activities.
The prayer hall is raised above the ground and surrounded withverandahs at the entrance and sides. It is oriented towardsMecca and thus skewed away from the lot lines and the street.
The verandahs are enclosed by abalustrade with circular andlancet-shaped openings and framed by repetitivecinquefoilarches double-framed with heavymouldings. Thebays are marked out withpilasters with ornatecapitals. The wide openings give the interior an airiness that contrasts with the heavycolumns in the centre of the prayer hall.
On either side of the main entrance are two graduated cinquefoil arched openings. The larger ones are nearest the entrance, while the smaller ones are further away.
The main entrance to the prayer hall ispedimented with an elaboratesundial in which the 25rays of thesunburst are done incalligraphy. The sundial is flanked on either side by a series of pilasters and columns in miniature. The pediment above the sundial is shaped like anonion dome. The two squareminarets on the left and right are complete with miniature columns and arches.
The interior of thecupola at the centre of the prayer hall is supported by four large cluster columns that form semicircular arches. Square and round calligraphic inscriptions decorate the interior of the cupola.
The cluster columns that hold up the cupola have elaborate mouldings and capitals.
From the exterior, the cupola emerges from theroof deck as ahexagonal-shaped tower that is divided into three levels and marked out withDoric pilasters.
On the first level of the tower are eight cinquefoil windows withcoloured glass panes that let light through to the interior. These windows are ornamented with recessedmihrab-shaped moulding and cinquefoil arches.
The second level has pilasters and capitals and is topped by a balustrade with bottleneckbalusters.
There are minarets at the corners of the hexagon. These minarets are crowned with onion-shaped domes with acrescent moon and a star at the pinnacle. The very centre of the hexagon is crowned with a large onion dome topped with a smaller onion dome. On the pinnacle is a star and crescent moon.
The corners of the front verandah have simpler and less elaborate cupolas.
The four corners of the building are anchored by largeCorinthian columns in a cluster with elaborate capitals in a leaf design. The interior and exterior of the mosque have several types of columns and pilasters. They are both structural and ornamental and range from Doric to Corinthian. Columns can be paired with pilasters and pilasters are inset into columns.
Themihrab is plain. There is a narrow rectangular panel with a quotation from the Qur'an above it. Next to themihrab is theminbar, a three-step timber staircase from which theimam leads prayers.
Above the prayer hall is a flat roof deck surrounded by aparapet wall with bottle-shaped balusters. It is topped with a line of 22 small six-level minarets crowned with onion domes, each with a crescent moon. The miniature minarets rise from the pilasters that frame the cinquefoil arched openings below.
The distinctive star-and-crescent moon motifs are repeated throughout the mosque building.
There is also a type of single-leafed window that is recessed and framed by an elaborate cinquefoil arch. It is flanked with pilasters and pedimented and has the same star-and-crescent pattern of the larger arched openings.
Theablution area in this mosque was originally a pool. This was later drained and a modern wash area put in. It is located outside at the southwest end of the mosque.
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