External factors such as the extreme monsoon season, facing the South China Sea and being nearly 10 years old, have been identified as some of the causes for the wear and tear on Masjid Kristal.

Terengganu State Economic Development Corporation (PMINT) chief executive officer Samiun Salleh said the two major problems at the mosque was roof leakage and damage to 28 pieces of crystal detected late last year.

News about the sorry state of Masjid Kristal in Taman Tamadun Islam has gone viral on social media following a newspaper report on Friday.

Samiun said the major repair work at the mosque worth RM900,000 was expected to be completed by the end of this year.

"This is a major maintenance of Masjid Kristal after nearly 10 years of operation," he added.

Masjid Kristal is among the most beautiful mosque in the world, and visited by 500,000-600,000 tourists each year.

-- BERNAMA