{"id":6170,"date":"2026-06-10T05:54:04","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T05:54:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/?p=6170"},"modified":"2026-06-10T05:54:05","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T05:54:05","slug":"masjids-in-the-mandalay-palace-grounds-%e1%80%99%e1%80%94%e1%80%b9%e1%80%90%e1%80%9c%e1%80%b1%e1%80%b8-%e1%80%94%e1%80%94%e1%80%ba%e1%80%b8%e1%80%90%e1%80%bd%e1%80%84%e1%80%ba%e1%80%b8%e1%80%97","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/2026\/06\/10\/masjids-in-the-mandalay-palace-grounds-%e1%80%99%e1%80%94%e1%80%b9%e1%80%90%e1%80%9c%e1%80%b1%e1%80%b8-%e1%80%94%e1%80%94%e1%80%ba%e1%80%b8%e1%80%90%e1%80%bd%e1%80%84%e1%80%ba%e1%80%b8%e1%80%97\/","title":{"rendered":"Masjids in the Mandalay Palace Grounds \u1019\u1014\u1039\u1010\u101c\u1031\u1038 \u1014\u1014\u103a\u1038\u1010\u103d\u1004\u103a\u1038\u1017\u101c\u102e\u1019\u103b\u102c\u1038"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Written by Maung Maung (Shwe Keraweik) | Translated by Dr. Ko Ko Gyi<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Note:<\/strong> Although my brother wrote this post separately, I believe it belongs in the “Meiktila” translation series, as the 1997 Mandalay riots\u2014orchestrated by the Myanmar military\u2014are already part of the original series. I hope our readers can appreciate this non-linear presentation, much like a modern novel or the Star Wars saga, where events are sequenced out of strict chronological order.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Origin of the Shwe Pannet Ya Masjid<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

During the reign of King Mindon, Abdul Kareem Khan served as the Chief of the Royal Bodyguard unit. As a devout Muslim, he regularly performed his five daily prayers in congregation (Salah al-Jama’ah<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Initially, he attended prayers at the Wali Khan Masjid, located just outside the palace grounds. Traveling in and out of the palace gates routine was simple at first, but everything changed following the failed coup d’\u00e9tat by the Myin Khun and Myin Khone Tine princes, which resulted in the tragic assassination of Crown Prince Kanaung.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following the attempt, security was heavily tightened. The palace gates were ordered shut from dusk until dawn, with strict orders allowing no one to enter or exit during the night. This curfew-like restriction made it nearly impossible for Abdul Kareem Khan to leave for Fajr<\/em> (pre-dawn), Maghrib<\/em> (sunset), and Isha’a<\/em> (night) prayers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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When he petitioned King Mindon for a security exemption, the King chose an even more generous alternative. Instead of granting a special pass to bypass the gates, King Mindon personally donated land and sponsored the construction of a mosque inside the palace compound, located at the southeast corner near the moat. It was named the Shwe Pannet Ya Masjid<\/strong> (Golden Foundation Mosque) because the King himself attended and laid the symbolic foundation stone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Colonial Relocation and Military Destruction<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

During the British colonial era, the mosque was relocated to a new site west of the Mya Nan San Kyaw Palace to clear land for a polo ground built for British officers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This historic structure, known to many as the Nandwin Masjid<\/strong> (where I have personally prayed many times), stood for over a century until it was completely destroyed in 1997 by the Myanmar military under the command of General Tun Kyi, the Divisional Commander at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On that fateful day in 1997, multiple mosques across Mandalay were simultaneously targeted and damaged by orchestrated crowds. To mask their actions, government provocateurs fabricated rumors of an alleged assault in the Ah Lae Baung quarter. This was a deliberate distraction to divert public anger away from the military government, which was widely suspected of drilling into the abdomen of the sacred Maha Myat Muni Buddha image to steal a legendary, priceless ruby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While other historic mosques in the city were only partially damaged, the military targeted the Nandwin Masjid for total eradication, completely leveling it with bulldozers. The other mosques attacked and damaged during this wave included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n