Kudi Khao

Leaving Wat Kanlayanamit by the side gate takes us straight to the
bank of Bangkok Yai canal, where one will see the lock gate used to
control the water flow, and envy the gatekeeper who has a cosy little
office on top of the structure. Following the pathway will take us to
Arun Amarin Road. Cross over here, following the narrow waterway
that runs briefly alongside Bangkok Yai, and we are in another
distinctive community in this most ethnically diverse of districts, for this
is Kudi Khao, one of the oldest Muslim communities in Bangkok.
Three religions—Christian, Buddhist and Muslim—live peaceably
together in an area that can be traversed on foot within half an hour.
The Muslims of Kudi Khao are Sunnis. They are Cham in origin,
whose ancestors migrated from Borneo, some going into Vietnam and
Cambodia, and others finding their way to Ayutthaya, where they
became traders and farmers, living on rafts on the rivers and canals of
the capital. Early settlers had also made their homes on the Bangkok
Yai canal, and when Thonburi was founded more made their way
down the Chao Phraya to join them. The largest community formed on
the north bank, around the Tonson Mosque, but others settled here on
the south bank, where in the time of Rama I they built their own
mosque, officially Bang Luang Mosque, taking its name from the early
name for the canal, but usually referred to as Kudi Khao: the word
khao meaning “white”. There are no roads in this tiny community, only
narrow pathways built around the course of the waterway, which
forms the shape of a square and which is worryingly unguarded for
much of its length. Kudi Khao is in the centre of this maze of timber
houses, in a small clearing of residences and shops and so tightly
hemmed in that the thoroughfare is only a few metres wide. This is no
conventional mosque for at first glance it could easily be mistaken for a
Thai temple, the architectural form following the traditional Thai style.
The structure is entirely white, except for the roof, whose tiles are of
an Islamic green. Closer examination reveals the symbol of Islam on
the gable, adorned with Chinese-style stucco flowers. Thirty pillars
support the structure, signifying the thirty principles of the Koran, while
the twelve windows and one door represent the thirteen principles of
daily prayer. On the north side of the mosque is a timber sala, or
pavilion, serving as a gathering place for community members. The
only mosque in Bangkok built to this style, Kudi Khao is an
architectural gem that draws Muslim visitors from throughout Asia.