The Al-Anshor Mosque ( id, Masjid Al-Anshor) is arguably the oldest mosque in Jakarta,

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

. It is located at Pekojan,

Tambora, Jakarta Tambora is a subdistrict of West Jakarta, Indonesia. Tambora Subdistrict is bounded by a railway to the west and to the north, Kali Krukut - Kali Besar canal to the east, and Duri Selatan Road to the south. The Roa Malaka Administrative Villag ...

and was built in 1648.

History

The first existence of this mosque is known from a report of a pastor to the Council of Church in 1648. At that time, the mosque of al-Anshor is not only for worship, but also as a religious school to study Koran in Kampung Pekojan. The mosque was originally founded by the traders from

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

and

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

, who at that time used to visit Jakarta for trade. According to Adolf Heuken SJ, in the book 'History of Jakarta', Yemeni and Indian Muslims were settled at Pekojan. From there they spread Islam to several areas in Jakarta, such as in Krukut, Sawah Besar, Jati Petamburan, Tanah Abang, Kwitang, Jatinegara and Cawang. Al-Anshor Mosque stands on the wakaf land of Indian Citizens with proof of certificate number: M.166 dated 18-03-92 AIW / PPAIW: W3 / 011 / c / 4/1991 dated 8-5-1991. This mosque also includes a cultural heritage protected by the government of DKI Jakarta. Al-Anshor mosque has no minarets and domes, and is far from luxurious. It is in a densely populated settlement, the building is more like a house than a mosque. Its pillars of four straight wooden beams that serve an unadorned buffer. Although it has been built since 1648, it is difficult to determine which part of the building is still fairly original. Because after being updated in 1973 and 1985, the old style of the building was somewhat lost.

References

Mosques completed in the 1640s Mosques in Jakarta Religious buildings and structures completed in 1648 {{Indonesia-mosque-stub

History

See also

References