International Journal of Membrane Science and Technology, 2023, Vol. 10, No. 2, pp 3016-3025 3016 Uncovering the Geo-Location of the Grand Mosque of Melaka Sultanate Fauzan Mustaffa 1 , Ziad Baydoun 2 , Mohamad Izani Zainal Abidin 3 , Muhammed Fauzi Othman 4 1,2 Faculty of Creative Multimedia, Multimedia University, Persiaran Multimedia, Cyberjaya, Selangor, Malaysia 3 Faculty of Applied Media, United Arab Higher Colleges of Technology, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates 4 Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Johor, Malaysia; E-mail: fauzan.mustaffa@mmu.edu.my Abstracts: Historical records make note of a magnificent stone-built mosque, renowned throughout the region, within the city of the Melaka Sultanate. According to these accounts, the mosque was said to have been dismantled after the 1511 war, and its stones were repurposed. Scholars have debated its likely form, ornamentation, and symbolism based on the visual precedents of mosques from that era. However, until now, there has been limited effort to pinpoint its exact location within the contemporary geographical context. This study represents a crucial step towards its objective of furnishing vital data for potential empirical investigations, using ground-penetrating scanning technology to explore the mosque's remains for the first time in over five centuries. The rationale for this research is rooted in the belief that a grand stone-built mosque would almost certainly have an extensive stone-built foundation, making its complete removal an exceedingly challenging task. This study employs two methods of analysis: i) Narrative analysis, which examines historical texts containing descriptive clues about the mosque's nature, location, and its significants. ii) Visual anthropological analysis, which investigates historical visuals pertaining to city planning during the colonial era. The latter phase of the investigation is centered on a singular objective: the identification of structures depicted in the municipal plans of Portuguese and Dutch Melaka, guided by the 'qibla test,' a geospatial mapping technique that scrutinizes the alignment between (i) structures in the municipal plans, (ii) satellite imagery of the location, and (iii) the qibla direction. This research has unveiled a corresponding structure in a relatively uncommon Dutch Melaka municipal plan. It comprises two square shapes that exhibit remarkable accuracy in alignment with the qibla: (i) a larger square site, conceivably representing the primary structure of the mosque, and (ii) a smaller square site, potentially indicative of the minaret. The identified geographical location corresponds to the parking lot of Melaka's History and Ethnography Museum. Nonetheless, it is important to acknowledge the limitations of this study, which include reliance on English translations for Portuguese ancient manuscripts, as well as the utilization of colonial Melaka municipal plans instead of those from the Sultanate period. Nevertheless, the study presents a compelling case for identifying the specific site of the historical mosque, which warrants further verification and reconstruction studies aimed at historical tourism, aligning with Sustainable Development Goals 8.9 and 11.4. Keywords: Melaka Sultanate, Mosque of Melaka Sultanate, Melaka Sultanate City, Geo-Mapping, Reconstruction Study. 1. INTRODUCTION Tome Pires described the presence of a splendid mosque constructed during Sultan Mansur Syah's rule, emphasizing its uniqueness and regional fame. [4]. He stated that the mosque was unprecedented and renowned in the region [4]. Additionally, Canstanheda noted that the mosque was of substantial size and within close proximity to the Sultanate palace [2], while Corriea mentioned that it was constructed using stone cubes [5]. Pires depicted Sultan Mansur Syah as a devout Muslim, dedicating himself more to mosque-related matters than anything else [4]. Pires also described, at times when Sultan Muhammad Shah wished to pray on the ‘twenty-seventh night of Ramadhan’, where he will be accompanied by “his courtiers who carried his prayer rug together with his betel bowl, drums, royal turban, cassock, litter and dais all mounted on an elephant” [7]. Religion held a significant role in shaping the cultural customs of this society. According to Hashim [1], in the Malay states before the coming of colonial influence, the fundamental law of the land was the law of Islam and the common law of Malays. Religious institutions like a mosque for instance not only provide a space for ritual activities but it can also be a ‘community centre’ for Muslims [1]. Given the estimated population of around 200,000 in the central city of the Sultanate [2], it's reasonable to assume that a substantial portion of the residents were Muslims. as such most likely the Sultanate mosque would have been very busy during Friday prayers, Eidul Fitr, Eidul Adha or even during the five-time daily prayers. Consequently, the Sultanate mosque would likely have been bustling during Friday prayers, Eidul Fitr, Eidul