Istiqlal Mosque, Jakarta
| Istiqlal Mosque | |
|---|---|
| Masjid Istiqlal | |
Istiqlal Mosque, largest mosque in Indonesia and South East Asia
|
|
 Location in Indonesia
|
|
| Basic information | |
| Location | Jakarta, Indonesia |
| Geographic coordinates | 6°10′11″S 106°49′51″E / 6.169804°S 106.830921°ECoordinates: 6°10′11″S 106°49′51″E / 6.169804°S 106.830921°E |
| Affiliation | Islam |
| Branch/tradition | Sunni Islam |
| Ownership | Indonesian State Secretary with Ministry of Religious Affairs of the Indonesian Republic |
| Leadership |
|
| Website | istiqlal |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) | Frederich Silaban |
| Architectural type | Mosque |
| Architectural style | International |
| General contractor | Republic of Indonesia |
| Date established | 1978 (renovated in 1999) |
| Construction cost | Rp 7 billion (US$ 12 million) |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 200,000 jama'ah |
| Dome(s) | 2 |
| Dome dia. (outer) | 45 m (148 ft) |
| Minaret(s) | 1 |
| Minaret height | 96.66 metres or 317.1 feet high; 66.66 m or 218.7 ft marble coated structure, plus 30 m or 98 ft stainless steel pinnacle |
| Materials | steel and concrete structure, marble tiles on floors, walls and domes, ceramics tiles, stainless steel ornaments and metalworks |
Istiqlal Mosque, or Masjid Istiqlal, (Independence Mosque) in Jakarta, Indonesia is the largest mosque in Southeast Asia. This national mosque of Indonesia was built to commemorate Indonesian independence and named "Istiqlal", an Arabic word for "independence". The mosque was opened to the public 22 February 1978. Within Jakarta, the mosque is positioned next to Merdeka Square and the Jakarta Cathedral.
After the Indonesian National Revolution 1945–1949, followed by the acknowledgement of Indonesian independence from The Netherlands in 1949, there was a growing idea to build a national mosque for the new republic, which had the largest Muslim population in the world. The idea of constructing a grand Indonesian national mosque was launched by Wahid Hasyim, Indonesia's first minister for religions affairs, and Anwar Cokroaminoto, later appointed as the chairman of the Masjid Istiqlal Foundation. The committee for the construction of the Istiqlal Mosque, led by Cokroaminoto, was founded in 1953. He proposed the idea of a national mosque to Indonesian President Sukarno, who welcomed the idea and later helped to supervise the mosque's construction. In 1954 the committee appointed Sukarno technical chief supervisor.
Several locations were proposed; Mohammad Hatta, Indonesian vice president, suggested that the mosque should be built near residential areas on Thamrin avenue, on a plot where Hotel Indonesia stands today. However, Sukarno insisted that a national mosque should be located near the most important square of the nation, near the Merdeka Palace. This is in accordance with the Javanese tradition that the kraton (king's palace) and masjid agung (grand mosque) should be located around the alun-alun (main Javanese city square), which means it must be near Merdeka Square. Sukarno also insisted that the national mosque should be built near Jakarta Cathedral and Immanuel Church, to symbolize religious harmony and tolerance as promoted in Pancasila (the Indonesian national philosophy and the five principles which constitute the philosophical foundation of Indonesian nationhood). It was later decided that the national mosque was going to be built in Taman Widjaja Kusuma (formerly Wilhelmina park), in front of the Jakarta Cathedral. To make way for the mosque, the Citadel Prins Frederick, built in 1837, was demolished.
...
Wikipedia