The Great Mosque of Central Java (Indonesian: Masjid Agung Jawa Tengah) is a mosque in the city of Semarang,
Central Java.
The mosque complex covers 10 hectares (25 acres). There are three central
buildings arranged in the shape of a U, with the domed mosque at the centre;
all buildings have pitched, tiled roofs, while the central mosque has four
minarets. The central roof resembles the roof of a "joglo", the
traditional Javanese house, and symbolises the rising steps toward heaven or to
gain God's blessing. The long buildings forming the arms of the U house a
library and auditorium respectively;[2]
the auditorium can hold up to 2,000 people.
In the central courtyard are six large
hydraulically operated umbrellas, inspired by the ones at Al-Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina,
which are used to protect worshipers; the six umbrellas represent the six
tenets of iman. More than 15,000 worshipers can fit in
the 7,669-square-metre (82,550 sq ft) prayer area. At the open end of
the U is a series of Arabic-style arches, with Arabic calligraphs of 99 attributes of Allah, stood on 25
pillars, each representing one of the named
prophets in Islam.[3]
Beyond the arches is an inscription on a 3.2-metre (10 ft) tall, 7.8 ton
stone from Mount Merapi, designed by Nyoman M. Alim. Nearby
is the 99-metre-tall (325 ft) Asmaul Husna Tower, designed to resemble the
minaret
of Menara Kudus Mosque in Kudus;
the height represents the 99 attributes of Allah. Used for calling Muslims to prayer,
the tower also houses a radio station for da'wah
and museum at its base and restaurant and observation deck near its summit. The
upper levels are accessible by lift.
On premises there is also a 23-room hotel.
Preparations for the mosque's
construction began on 6 June 2001, when the governor of Central Java formed the
Coordination Team for the Construction of the Great Mosque (Tim Koordinasi
Pembangunan Masjid Agung) which consisted of state bodies such as the
provincial and city governments as well as private bodies such as the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI). Of the waqf land once under the
purview of the Kauman Mosque of Semarang, only the site at Jl. Gajah was deemed
large enough. In September 2001 the team published a proposed construction
schedule.
Funding came from the provincial government.
Construction began on 6 September 2002, when minister of religion Said Agil
Husin al-Munawar, head of MUI Sahal Mahfudz,
and governor of Central Java Mardiyanto laid the first stake. While the mosque was still
under construction, Chabib Thoha led Friday
prayers on 19 March 2004.
The mosque was dedicated on 14 November 2006 by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his wife. In October 2008, a rotating restaurant
opened on the eighteenth floor of the Asmaul Husna Tower; at the time of its
opening, it was the furthest off the ground in Indonesia and could seat twenty
diners.[6]
The mosque is also a tourist attraction, with buses and trams available to
transport visitors around the grounds.
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