THE air fills with the unmistakable muezzin call to prayer the moment I push the car door ajar.
Giving my legs a good stretch upon alighting, I breathe a sigh of relief at having the good fortune of getting a parking spot directly under a tamarind tree, away from the sweltering late afternoon sun.
The three-hour long drive from Hat Yai has taken a toll on my limbs and the numb sensation takes a while to wear off.
During the wait, the chance conversation which I’d had with the Centara Hotel Hat Yai concierge during check-out comes to mind.
He was visibly excited after learning about my intended Pattani stay.
Enthusiastically, he’d shared: “I hail from that province. You must visit Masjid Kerisik and Masjid Jamek, two of the most famous mosques in southern Thailand. With Hari Raya just around the corner, you’ll also get to enjoy the air of festivity at those places of worship. Don’t forget to check out the various food stalls too!"
My legs back to normal now, I make quick work of the short distance between my car and Masjid Kerisik.
The mosque, known also as Masjid Krue Se to the locals, turns out to be my first stop in Pattani as it is closest to the Highway 42 exit.
Like all mosques around the world, Masjid Krue Se reinforces its role as the focal point for the local Muslim community to gather, pray, listen to sermons and strengthen communal bond.
According to the latest complied statistics, there are in excess of 3,800 registered mosques in Thailand.
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
Completely captivated by the building's interesting Middle Eastern-inspired architectural styles and imposing circular support pillars, I accidentally bump into an elderly gentleman who’s on his way out.
Dressed in a long, white robe and matching skull cap, he offers a faint smile when I apologise profusely.
The smile widens further to reveal a pearly white set of teeth when he learns of my country of origin. There’s a noticeable improvement in his demeanour after hearing the word Malaysia.
Speaking in fluent Malay with a hint of Kelantanese accent, he immediately volunteers the names of several relatives living south of the Malaysia-Thai border.
"Southern Thailand shares a close relationship with northern Malay states. A long time ago, we were united under the great kingdom of Langkasuka," he explains before shifting my attention to the top section of the mosque.
"Do you realise something queer about this building?" he asks. When I shrug my shoulders, he points out something so obvious that I should have noticed upon arrival.
"This four-century-old mosque, built during the reign of King Naresuan the Great (1578 - 1593), is incomplete. Popular belief has it this building is related to a curse but I’m rather sceptical about certain parts of the legend," he admits.
"Legend? Tell me more please!" I implore, excited at the prospect of learning a local lore. It takes a bit more persuasion before my new-found friend finally relents.
INFLUENTIAL CHINESE SETTLER
The construction of Masjid Krue Se, he enlightens, coincided with the arrival of a wealthy Chinese trader named Lin Daoqian.
With his extensive commercial connections in major ports around the South China Sea and an entourage of some 2,000 hardened mariners and fighters, Lin soon emerged as a dominant military and economic figure in Pattani.
It was said that this injection of hybrid Chinese wealth and manpower underlay the rise of Pattani to become one of the leading Southeast Asian entrepots by the early 17th century.
Lin eventually married Raja Ijau, the sister of Sultan Bahadur, the Pattani ruler who was assassinated in 1584, and converted to Islam.
One of his first acts as a Muslim leader was to help build Masjid Krue Se and make it a community centre for the social and spiritual development of the Pattani people.
Pausing from his tale, my friend points to a nearby unplastered wall and quips: “Chinese labour was used to construct these red brick walls. At that time, this was the only brick mosque in this region, utterly unlike the traditionally square-shaped wooden mosques that were predominant then."
Adding that the bricks were held together by a special mortar concoction consisting of a mixture of crushed shells, black glutinous rice, egg white and diluted honey, he relates that work on the wall plaster and dome were about to start when Lin's sister suddenly made an appearance in Pattani.
CURSED BY SIBLING
She tried to persuade Lin to return to China with her but the latter refused.
The siblings fought a bitter duel where Lin emerged victor. Reluctant to return to China as a failure, Lin's sister committed suicide by hanging herself from a tree on a slight rise directly behind Masjid Krue Se.
Seconds before taking her own life, Lin's sister was said to have placed a curse on her brother, saying that he’d never be successful in all endeavours from that day onwards and that he’d suffer a gruesome death.
Work on Masjid Krue Se resumed soon after her demise but, once construction was completed, a huge storm enveloped the skies of Pattani and unleashed a terrible series of lightning strikes that reduced the newly-built dome to rubble.
Refusing to relate the incident to his sister's curse, Lin had the dome rebuilt only for it to be struck down again by a similar lightning strike. Lin resigned to fate after his third attempt also ended with the same result.
Years passed and no one was willing to recommence construction. As a result, Masjid Krue Se remains in its unfinished state until this very day.
As for Lin, the last part of his sister's curse held true when he attempted unsuccessfully to cast three bronze cannons for an impending battle with an army of invading marauders.
After two major setbacks, he vowed to sacrifice himself should the third attempt be successful. Unfortunately, Lin lost his life when the cannon he was testing malfunctioned and blew up.
At the end of the interesting tale, my friend takes leave to help his family prepare for breaking fast later in the evening.
Before parting ways, he echoes the suggestion given by the Hat Yai hotel concierge earlier in the day. "It should be nearly time to break fast by the time you finish exploring Masjid Jamek. Go check out the delicious food sold near there," he recommends before slowly making his way towards the main road.
LARGEST AND MOST BEAUTIFUL MOSQUE
Known also as the Pattani Central Mosque, Masjid Jamek is just a 15-minute drive away from Masjid Krue Se.
Located on Yarang Road and right in the middle of Pattani town, this majestic place of worship is widely held as one of the largest and most beautiful Muslim religious structures in Thailand.
Plans were set in motion in 1954 when the Thai government approved a substantial budget for the construction of this mosque. The building took nine years to complete and was finally opened for public use in 1963.
At a glance, the architectural style mirrors that of the famous monument built by Shah Jahan, the great 17th century Mogul ruler, to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
Like the Taj Mahal, the Pattani Central Mosque sports a large central dome that’s surrounded by four small yet imposing minarets.
The careful consideration of placing a large centrally located pool by the main entrance to greet visitors produces a pleasing effect of spacious elegance in addition to giving the mosque an overall well-balanced proportion feel.
Venturing closer to the building reveals a large prayer hall flanked by two spacious and long corridors. Fruit trees and flowering plants close by provide sufficient shade for mosque congregations to pray in comfort even during the hottest of afternoons as well as give the compound an unmistakable sense of peace and tranquillity.
Three decades after it was built, Pattani Central Mosque had the honour of hosting King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit during their royal visit to southern Thailand on Oct 21, 1993.
While touring the mosque compound, King Bhumibol informed Education Minister Samphan Thongsamak of his wish to have the mosque renovated.
Facilities were then upgraded and the building was spruced up just in time for the royal golden jubilee in 1996.
MOSQUE ACTIVITIES
Like Masjid Krue Se, the Pattani Central Mosque is not only popular among the local Thai community but also to foreign visitors such as Malaysians and Indonesians as the preachers speak in Malay when delivering their sermons or khutbah.
As the most important centre for Islamic activities in southern Thailand, the Pattani Central Mosque regularly organises public preaching that touches on general matters like ways to bring up children according to Islamic teachings, instilling good attitudes and putting them into daily practice, preparations for the afterlife as well as discuss ways to foster good relationships with other Muslims and non-Muslims.
Fridays are the busiest days when as many as 2,000 Muslim congregate for prayer.
The mosque also plays host to large crowds during important events like Isra Mi’raj and the celebration of Prophet Muhammad's birthday.
The latter is often held in an especially extravagant manner. Known also as Maulud Nabi, it’s attended by thousands of people as well as important guests that include representatives of the local governor and police top brass.
Usually held in the afternoon after Asar prayers, this two-hour long programme, conducted in both Thai and Malay languages, enjoys wide national television and radio broadcast coverages.
The sight of a troop of children in uniform walking past just as I’m about to make my way towards the exit calls to mind the popular kindergarten run by the Pattani Central Mosque education committee.
Known also as the tadika, this day care centre provides Islamic education as well as basic science and mathematics lessons for Muslim children preparing to enter elementary school.
With a capacity of up to 500 children, the tadika conducts classes five days a week from 9am to 4pm.
Leaving the mosque, I notice that the streets outside are busier than before. There’s also a noticeable increase in foot traffic going in and out of the mosque as people start preparing to break fast.
Each Ramadan, various activities are organised by the Pattani Central Mosque committee.
Apart from the obligatory prayers which are held five time daily, the mosque also provides sahur (meal consumed prior to fasting) as well as iftar (food and drinks consumed in a social gathering style to mark the end of the fast) for about 500 needy Muslims daily.
It’s not uncommon for the mosque's solat terawih, which is held after Isyak prayers during the fasting month, to be attended by no less than 5,000 people.
The prayer hall is also a hive of activity during the last 10 days of Ramadhan where up to 1,000 followers congregate for itikaf, a practice where Muslims choose to remain in the mosque and devote themselves to ibadah or servitude by staying away from worldly affairs.
Tucking into some delicious fare during iftar, my attention is drawn to the call to Maghrib prayers emanating from the mosque.
Hari Raya Aidil Fitri will be here soon and I can just imagine the air of festivities enjoyed by the people of Pattani at two of their most treasured mosques.