Kuala Kangsar was founded by the late Sultan Muzafar after a period of confusion and civil war in the State. This happened in the 1740s when the Sultan had a dispute with his brother and decided to move up Sungai Perak and rule the inner district of Perak from Kuala Kangsar. Here, he built a palace and fort. Various ministers were appointed to help him in his royal duties. As time went by, Kuala Kangsar became an important meeting point and the ‘royal residence’ for Malay rulers.

Today, the surviving monuments from the past provide visitors a snapshot of Kuala Kangsar’s indigenous royal and religious importance and its magnificent architecture.

One fine example is the Ubudiah Mosque whose shimmering golden domes and minarets have made it a renowned Malaysian landmark. Said to be one of the country’s most beautiful mosques, it was designed by the government architect AB Hubback with distinctive elements of Mogul and Moorish architecture. The foundation stone was laid by Sultan Idris Murshidul’azam Shah in 1913.

However, the completion of the mosque was delayed as the outbreak of World War I prevented the delivery of the required marble from Italy. After his death In 1916, Sultan Idris’ successor, Sultan Jalil Karamatullah Shah, officially opened the mosque in 1917. In the compound stands the Royal Mausoleum housing the graves of Perak royalty and their family members. Ubudiah Mosque was the State Mosque until the completion of the Sultan Idris Shah II Mosque in Ipoh