[2] It is located at the confluence of the Klang and Gombak rivers and may be accessed via Jalan Tun Perak.

The mosque was designed by British architect and soldier Arthur Benison Hubback, and built in 1909.

The name "Jamek" is the Malay equivalent of the Arabic word jāmiʿ (جامع) meaning a place where people congregate to worship.

[8][9] The construction of the mosque cost $32,625, funded in part by the Malay community with contribution from the British colonial government.

The mosque has since been expanded with extensions built, and the addition of a roof over the originally open-air forecourt.