Palopo Old Mosque ( id, Masjid Tua Palopo) is a historical mosque in

South Sulawesi South Sulawesi ( id, Sulawesi Selatan) is a province in the southern peninsula of Sulawesi. The Selayar Islands archipelago to the south of Sulawesi is also part of the province. The capital is Makassar. The province is bordered by Central Sula ...

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 ...

. Constructed in 1604, the mosque is one of the oldest mosques in the archipelago. The mosque is noted for its unique vernacular architectural style.

Description

Palopo Old Mosque was built in the city of

Palopo Palopo or Kota Palopo is a city located in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, and the second-largest city in the province. Until it acquired its autonomy, Palopo was the capital of Luwu Regency. The area of the city is 247.52 km2, and it had a popu ...

around 1604 by a scholar from

West Sumatra West Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Barat) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is located on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. The province has an area of , with a population of 5, ...

, Datuk Sulaiman who was renowned as Daruk Pattimang. The mosque was constructed during the height of the Kingdom of Luwu, which had embraced Islam, under the rule of Datu Payung Luwu XVI Pati Pasaung Toampanangi, or Sultan Abdullah Matinroe. Architecturally, it is mostly made of rock and chalk. The main column is made of local wood known as ''cinna gori''. The mosque is also sustained by five pillars which symbolize the

Five Pillars of Islam The Five Pillars of Islam (' ; also ' "pillars of the religion") are fundamental practices in Islam, considered to be obligatory acts of worship for all Muslims. They are summarized in the famous hadith of Gabriel. The Sunni and Shia agree on ...

. It mostly retains its original shape, although the

mimbar A minbar (; sometimes romanized as ''mimber'') is a pulpit in a mosque where the imam (leader of prayers) stands to deliver sermons (, ''khutbah''). It is also used in other similar contexts, such as in a Hussainiya where the speaker sits and ...

has been refurbished because it was eaten by termites and became fragile. The walls of the mosque reach 94 cm and maintain the fresh air of the interior.

References

Buildings and structures in South Sulawesi 17th-century mosques Mosques in Indonesia {{Indonesia-mosque-stub