AYUTTHAYA HISTORICAL RESEARCH



THE TAKIA YOKHIN MOSQUE





The Kingdom of Ayutthaya (1351–1767 CE) was one of the most cosmopolitan trading centres in early modern Asia. Situated at the crossroads of maritime and overland commercial routes, the city attracted merchants, diplomats, and religious scholars from across the Indian Ocean and beyond. Among the diverse communities that settled in Ayutthaya were Muslims from Persia, India, the Malay world, and other parts of Southeast Asia. [1]


Within this multicultural environment, the Takia Yokhin Mosque emerged, an institution that continues to serve as a symbol of the long-standing Islamic presence in central Thailand. The mosque's importance extends beyond its architectural and religious functions. It is also the centre of a sacred complex associated with Tok Takia, a Muslim saint whose memory has been preserved through oral traditions for centuries. [2]


The Takia Yokhin Mosque, also known as Tok Takia Mosque or Chao Phra Khun Takia Mosque, is situated along the Chao Phraya River, on a stretch before known as the Bangkok River, which was a part of the Lopburi River before the Chao Phraya was diverted to Ayutthaya in the mid-19th century. The mosque is located south of Khlong Takhian (1), just below the former Makassar Settlement at Ban Takia and north of Wat Kai Tia.





(Old photograph of the maqam of Tok Takia – unknown author)



The legend goes that this site was once a Buddhist temple, Wat Thep Chumphon (some sources state Wat Chetuphon), established in the middle of the Ayutthaya period.


According to local oral traditions, the story goes as follows: Tok Takia was a Muslim holy man who arrived in Ayutthaya from the Indian subcontinent during the reign of King Chakkraphat (1548-1569 CE) in the sixteenth century. [3]


Tok Takia was a Sufi missionary with exceptional spiritual authority and miraculous powers. Various traditions identify him by names such as Sheikh Samat Maimun and Shah Allah Yar, suggesting links to broader Islamic religious networks spanning the Bay of Bengal (2). [4]


Diwan Chao, the abbot of Wat Thep Chumphon, was paddling along the east bank of the old Lopburi River, collecting alms. Upon arriving opposite his temple, he saw a stranger dressed entirely in white, wearing a white head covering, whom he recognised as an Indian holy man. The stranger, Tok Takia, signalled for a ride across the river. The abbot replied that his boat was too small and asked him to wait while he fetched a larger one. When the abbot reached his monastery, he was astonished to find Tok Takia already waiting for him. According to tradition, Tok Takia had somehow crossed the broad river without a boat. Realising that this visitor possessed extraordinary spiritual power, the abbot welcomed him into the temple. [5]


The story implies that Tok Takia crossed the river by supernatural means, thereby demonstrating the divine favour local believers accord him. Within Islamic hagiographic traditions, such acts are understood as ‘karāmah’, or miracles granted to saints by God. [6]





(Masjid Takia Yokhin Rachamit Jinja Siam -Picture taken January 2010 CE)



There are many stories about how this Buddhist temple became a mosque.


After the meeting, Tok Takia and Diwan Chao discussed religion and spiritual matters. Eventually, they agreed to a contest. The two spiritual leaders pledged that the loser would become the winner's disciple. [7]


There was a series of tests, including building a pagoda out of chicken eggs with strategically placed windows without breaking or cracking a single one, and turning sugar inside a merchant's boat into salt, then turning it back into sugar.


In another version, Tok Takia demonstrated his spiritual power by opening a fresh coconut to reveal live shrimp inside—something that would be impossible under ordinary circumstances. The same trick was repeated later with a live fish. The miracle supposedly helped convince observers that he was a saint endowed with divine favour. [8]


Although surviving accounts offer few details of the specific feats, the outcome is clear: Tok Takia emerged victorious. The legend states that Diwan Chao subsequently became Tok Takia's disciple and embraced Islam. The religious site associated with the abbot was then converted into the mosque that stands today. [9]


Takia died in the month of ‘Jamadul Awwal’, the fifth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, in the ‘Year of the Rooster’, 1579 CE. The Fine Arts Department noted that Tok Takia’s house was built in 1554 CE, during the reign of King Chakkraphat. After his death, the house was converted into a shrine (Ar. maqam).





(Masjid Takia Yokhin and Maqam Tok Takia - Picture taken January 2010 CE)



Aqa Muhammad


Surprisingly, there may be some evidence supporting the legend mentioned above. In “The Ship of Sulaiman”, a Persian diplomat wrote that King Narai (reign 1656 -1688 CE) tore down a temple and replaced it with a mosque in honour of a man named Aqa Muhammad. The story may have been embellished over the following decades.


“The present king of Siam actually came to the imperial throne through the help of resident Iranians who at the time of the change in power were performing the ta'ziyat in honor of Abu 'Abdu ’llahu’l-Hussain. I will describe the details of that whole situation later in my account. In gratitude for their past service the king has accorded these Mughals the right to perform their religious rites of mourning once a year. The king even demolished a pagan temple in the vicinity of the royal residence and had a mosque with an adjoining upper court built here in honor of the late Aqa Muhammad.” [10]


Aqa Muhammad is recorded in Thai sources as Okphra Sinaowarat (died 1679 CE). He was Iranian, originally from Astarabad, and one of the chiefs of the Moor community in Ayutthaya. He was among King Narai's favourite courtiers. Aqa Muhammad maintained close ties with the Golkonda Kingdom and Bengal, and sent ships to many ports across the Indian Ocean and the China Seas (3). [11]





(The mausoleum of Tok Takia - Picture taken in December 2008 CE)



The aftermath


The mosque was abandoned after the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767 CE. King Chulalongkorn (1868-1910 CE) noticed the building while boating along Khlong Takhian and had it repaired to serve as a place of Muslim worship. He bestowed the honourific title Rachamit Jinja Siam (“Royal Islamic Teacher of Victorious Siam”), elevating the mosque’s status as a recognised national heritage site. The king donated ceremonial furnishings, including a cabinet, which are still preserved at the mosque today.


The Tok Takia Shrine lies south of the mosque. It is an octagonal concrete pavilion with a tiered roof topped by a green dome, reflecting a harmonious fusion of Buddhist and Islamic architectural traditions. Tok Takia's tomb is in the inner maqam. At the centre lies a marble coffin elevated on a platform, flanked by two vases of artificial flowers. Between them rests a brass bowl filled with holy water, a quiet symbol of ritual purity.





(Tomb of Tok Takia – Picture downloaded from Facebook: Wat Phutthaisawan Royal Temple on 12 June 2026 CE)



Diwan Chao's tomb is in the outer maqam. To the west of the main maqam lie five graves, which a grey corrugated-iron roof has covered in recent decades.





(Tomb of Diwan Chao – Picture taken from Bangkok Post - Faith amid tragedy by Karnjana Karnjanatawe – Published on 28 Sep 2016 CE)



Tok Takia's influence extends beyond his lifetime through the shrine erected over his tomb. Pilgrims visit the site seeking blessings, healing, and spiritual assistance. [12]


An especially noteworthy feature of the shrine complex is the presence of both Muslim and Buddhist visitors. Residents recount instances of people from different religious backgrounds making vows at the shrine and returning to offer thanks after their wishes were fulfilled.


The mosque is referred to as Wat Khaek Takia in the “Description of Ayutthaya” (Athibai phaen thi phranakhon si Ayutthaya), probably compiled early in the Bangkok era, based on the memories of people who had lived in Ayutthaya before 1767 CE.


The paragraph translates as follows: “Many traders’ rafts are moored on the western side of the river in rows all along from the mouth of Ironwood Canal to the frontage of Wat Khaek Takia and beyond to the boundary of Wat Kut Bang Kaja opposite Wat Jao Phanangchoeng.” [13]


Modern historians approach the Tok Takia traditions with caution. While there is insufficient evidence to verify the miraculous events described in local narratives, scholars regard the traditions as valuable historical sources. [14]





(Masjid Takia Yokhin Rachamit Jinja Siam -Picture taken January 2010 CE)



Footnotes:


(1) Khlong Takhian is a still-existing canal south of Ayutthaya's city island, running mainly through Pak Kran and Khlong Takhian sub-districts. The canal is named after the Malabar Ironwood, a tree often used for making boats and ship masts. The canal originates at the Chao Phraya River near the St Joseph Church in the former Cochin Chinese Settlement. It has its mouth further south, back in the Chao Phraya River, below the former Portuguese settlement and opposite the northern tip of Rian Island (Ko Rian). The canal was a man-made shortcut or 'Khlong lat' between two stretches of the old Lopburi River. At that time, the waterway surrounded Ayutthaya and was used by boats to avoid the river's heavy current and the turbulent waters near the Bang Kraja confluence. Takhian is likely a corruption of the name of a former village, Ban Tha Khia, near the mouth of the canal. The canal is also known as Khu Lakhon Chai. A floating market was held at the mouth of this canal.

(2) Modern scholarship proposes that Tok Takia may have been associated with Sufi traditions originating in South Asia, particularly those linked to the Qadiriyyah order. Researchers have further noted parallels between local traditions in Ayutthaya and devotional practices associated with major Sufi centres in present-day India. Although the historical details of Tok Takia's life remain difficult to verify, scholars generally accept that he was likely a real religious figure whose influence helped shape an enduring Muslim community in Ayutthaya. (Ibrahim, "Tok Takia's Legacy.")

(3) Some sources state, based on the account of the author of “The Ship of Sulaiman”, that Aqa Muhammad is buried at the Takia Yokhin Mosque.


References:


[1] Chris Baker and Pasuk Phongpaichit (2017). A History of Ayutthaya: Siam in the Early Modern World. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[2] Marcinkowski, Muhammad Ismail. "Ayutthaya's Seventeenth-Century Shi'ite Muslim Enclave: A Reassessment."

[3] Azra, Azyumardi, et al. "Islamic Networks and Religious Mobility in the Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asia." Various publications.

[4] Joll, Christopher Mark & Aree, Srawut (2023). Tok Takia's Legacy in Ayutthaya, Thailand: Tracing Qadriyyah Circulations through the Bay of Bengal. Studia Islamika, Center for the Study of Islam and Society (PPIM) Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University of Jakarta.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Ernst, Carl W. Sufism: An Introduction to the Mystical Tradition of Islam. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2011.

[7] Joll, Christopher Mark & Aree, Srawut (2023). Tok Takia's Legacy in Ayutthaya, Thailand: Tracing Qadriyyah Circulations through the Bay of Bengal. Studia Islamika, Center for the Study of Islam and Society (PPIM) Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University of Jakarta.

[8] Ibid.

[9] Ibid.

[10] Muhammad Rabi' ibn Muhammad Ibrahim (1972). The Ship of Sulaiman. Translated by John O' Kane. New York: Columbia University Press.

[11] Nagashima, Hiromu. Iranians Who Knocked the “Closed Door” of Japan in the Edo Period. JCAS Symposium Series.

[12] Joll, Christopher Mark & Aree, Srawut (2023). Tok Takia's Legacy in Ayutthaya, Thailand: Tracing Qadriyyah Circulations through the Bay of Bengal. Studia Islamika, Center for the Study of Islam and Society (PPIM) Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University of Jakarta.

[13] Baker, Chris (2011). Before Ayutthaya Fell: Economic Life in an Industrious Society. Markets and Production in the City of Ayutthaya before 1767: Translation and Analysis of Part of the Description of Ayutthaya. Journal of the Siam Society. Vol. 99.

[14] Joll, Christopher Mark & Aree, Srawut (2023). Tok Takia's Legacy in Ayutthaya, Thailand: Tracing Qadriyyah Circulations through the Bay of Bengal. Studia Islamika, Center for the Study of Islam and Society (PPIM) Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University of Jakarta.



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HISTORY OF AYUTTHAYA



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