The Great Mosque of Palembang (Indonesian ''Masjid Agung Palembang''), also known as Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin I Great Mosque after the former
Sultan of Palembang, is the main mosque of
Palembang
Palembang () is the capital city of the Indonesian province of South Sumatra. The city proper covers on both banks of the Musi River on the eastern lowland of southern Sumatra. It had a population of 1,668,848 at the 2020 Census. Palembang ...
, the capital of
South Sumatra
South Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Selatan) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the southeast of the island of Sumatra, The province spans and had a population of 8,467,432 at the 2020 Census. The capital of the province is Palembang. The pro ...
. The mosque is the largest in South Sumatra, and the third largest mosque in
Sumatra
Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
after the
Grand Mosque of West Sumatra
Grand Mosque of West Sumatra ( id, Masjid Raya Sumatera Barat) is a mosque in Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia. It is the largest mosque in West Sumatra, and the second largest mosque in Sumatra. It is located in Padang Utara Subdistrict, Padang, ...
and
Great Mosque of Pekanbaru.
History
![COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Veel mensen op het plein voor de Moskee Palembang TMnr 60033705](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f4/COLLECTIE_TROPENMUSEUM_Veel_mensen_op_het_plein_voor_de_Moskee_Palembang_TMnr_60033705.jpg)
The original mosque of Palembang was a royal mosque located within the ''
kraton'' (palace) complex of Kuto Gawang and was built by Sultan Ki Gede Ing Suro. After the destruction of this mosque in 1659 by Admiral Johan van der Laen of the
VOC
VOC, VoC or voc may refer to:
Science and technology
* Open-circuit voltage (VOC), the voltage between two terminals when there is no external load connected
* Variant of concern, a category used during the assessment of a new variant of a virus
...
, the Sultanate of Palembang, under the reign of Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin I Jaya Wikrama, decided to build a new mosque. Construction started on
Hijri 1
Jumadil Akhir 1151 (1738 CE) beside the Kraton Tengkuruk, also known as
Kuto Kecik.
Construction of the mosque took 10 years because of disturbances caused by tension with the Dutch. The mosque was only completed on 28
Jumadil Awwal 1161 (1748 CE). This new mosque, named the Sultan Mosque, was built in a typical
Javanese mosque architecture, featuring a multi-tiered roof supported by four main posts and topped with a ''mustaka'' (roof top ornament). The roof also features a sweeping curvature that rises at the corners of the roof which may be influenced with Chinese architecture, although now it is commonly accepted to be directly influenced by the vernacular
limas roof. At the time of its completion, the Sultan Mosque was believed to be the largest in Indonesia, even in Southeast Asia., having the capacity to accommodate 1,200 worshippers.
The first minaret's construction started in 1748 and was completed in 1812, being similarly delayed because of another conflict with the Dutch. This minaret is a 20-meter white brick tower, with a hexagonal layout, and topped with a clay tile roof that resembles the roof of a Chinese pagoda. In that same year, a 12 x 18 square meter extension was added to the mosque, expanding its capacity to 2,300 worshippers.
Further conflict with the Dutch caused destruction of the minaret, however in 1823, after the abolition of the sultanate, the mosque was renovated by the Dutch in an attempt at conciliation, with the destroyed clay tile roof of the minaret being replaced with shingle roof in 1825.
In 1848, the Sultan Mosque was considerably expanded by the Dutch Colonial government. The traditional styled main entrance was replaced by neoclassical porticoes with Doric-styled columns. Further expansion occurred in 1879, with the addition of a porch supported by a cylindrical concrete column.
In 1897, some lands around the mosque were acquired to expand the mosque complex. At this time, the mosque received its current name, the ''Masjid Agung'' or "Great Mosque" of Palembang.
In 1916, the minaret building was restored; In 1930, the pillar columns of the mosque was raised, adding its height to 4 meter.
Between 1966 and 1969, the Great Mosque of Palembang received another major expansion with the addition of second floors, expanding the area of the mosque to 5,520 square meter which enabled the mosque to accommodate 7,750 people. A new 45 meter high Ottoman-styled minaret was added to the mosque on January 22, 1970; its construction was sponsored by
Pertamina
PT Pertamina (Persero), formerly abbreviated from ''Perusahaan Pertambangan Minyak dan Gas Bumi Negara'' (lit. 'State Oil and Natural Gas Mining Company'), is an Indonesian state-owned oil and natural gas corporation based in Jakarta. It was cr ...
. The mosque also received a Middle-East styled dome. The original roof form was not demolished, however, the overall profile of the mosque changed dramatically.
The last major renovation of the mosque occurred in 2000 when the original architectural language of the mosque was restored. The mosque was completed on June 16, 2003 and was officially inaugurated by President
Megawati Sukarnoputri
Diah Permata Megawati Setiawati Sukarnoputri (; born 23 January 1947) is an Indonesian politician who served as the fifth president of Indonesia from 2001 to 2004. She previously served as the eighth Vice President of Indonesia, vice president f ...
. The mosque is now able to accommodate 9,000 people, and during the Friday prayer, when the field in the mosque complex is used, congregations inside the mosque complex can reach 15,000 people.
Conflict over the Lawang Kidul Mosque
In 1893, Masagus H. Abdulhamid, a businessman who had made fortune in wood and forest products, decided to build two new mosques in Palembang: the Muara Ogan Mosque on the estuary of the
Ogan River
The Ogan River is a river in South Sumatra, Indonesia. It is a tributary of the Musi River in Southern Sumatra. Flowing entirely in the South Sumatra province, it rises in Barisan Mountains (''Bukit Barisan'') and meanders slowly eastwards to joi ...
, and the
Lawang Kidul Mosque (which was originally a simple prayer space) located in
administrative district
Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...
5 Ilir. Being strategically located near the harbor, Lawang Kidul Mosque soon became a gathering point for those who went on the
hajj
The Hajj (; ar, حَجّ '; sometimes also spelled Hadj, Hadji or Haj in English) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried ...
to
Mecca
Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...
. The religious elite based in the Sultan Mosque saw the success of Lawang Kidul Mosque as a threat to the existing balance of power and demanded it to be closed. At one point the intervention of the Advisor on Native Affairs,
Snouck Hurgronje
Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje (8 February 1857 – 26 June 1936) was a Dutch scholar of Oriental cultures and languages and advisor on native affairs to the colonial government of the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia).
Born in Oosterhout in 1857 ...
, was even sought. On the basis of one-sided information, Hurgronje issued an order to close Lawang Kidul Mosque at the end of 1893. It was only after the retirement of Hurgronje in 1906 that Lawang Kidul Mosque was reopened. The decision was not met with resistance by the religious elite because by that time the Sultan Mosque was no longer able to contain all its worshippers.
Architecture
![Palembang Great Mosque](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Palembang_Great_Mosque.jpg)
The Great Mosque of Palembang features a green three-tiered roof, a typical
mosque architecture in Indonesia. The roof form displays a strong Chinese influences, though they are now generally considered to be directly related with the traditional ''limas'' (pyramidal) roof.
The Great Mosque of Palembang has two minarets, which is an unusual feature in Indonesian mosque architecture. The newer Ottoman-styled minaret is 45 meter high with 12 sides. The older 18th-century minaret shows influence from Chinese architecture.
During Ramadan, the grounds in front of it are turned into a market.
See also
*
List of mosques in Indonesia
This is a list of mosques in Indonesia. The Indonesian term ''Masjid Agung'' is translated as "Great Mosque", while ''Masjid Raya'' is translated as "Grand Mosque." ''Masjid Keramat'' is translated as "Holy Mosque." ''Masjid Jami'' is translated ...
References
Works cited
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{{Authority control
Buildings and structures in Palembang
Mosques in Indonesia
Religious buildings and structures completed in 1748
Palembang
Palembang () is the capital city of the Indonesian province of South Sumatra. The city proper covers on both banks of the Musi River on the eastern lowland of southern Sumatra. It had a population of 1,668,848 at the 2020 Census. Palembang ...