Istiqlal Mosque

Istiqlal - independence - was conceived after the revolution as a national mosque and opened in 1978, with capacity given at over 120,000, which makes it the largest in Southeast Asia. Two facts about it are usually told together and both are true. The design competition was won by Frederich Silaban, a Batak Protestant Christian from North Sumatra, whose entry Sukarno selected. And the site was chosen deliberately across the road from Jakarta Cathedral, the Catholic seat, so the two face each other; the congregations share parking on each other's major festivals, and in 2020-2021 a pedestrian tunnel was built directly linking them, called the Tunnel of Friendship. The architecture is stripped and modern: a vast steel-and-concrete dome, a single minaret, marble and no ornament to speak of.

History

The site was once Wilhelmina Park and a 19th-century fortification, the Citadel. After independence was proclaimed in 1945 the idea of a national mosque was raised by Wahid Hasyim, the first minister of religious affairs, and Anwar Cokroaminoto, whose building committee was founded in 1953; Sukarno insisted that it stand near the national square and the Merdeka Palace, in keeping with the Javanese pairing of palace and grand mosque, laid the foundation stone on 24 August 1961, and after 17 years of building it was inaugurated on 22 February 1978 (Wikipedia, Istiqlal Mosque, Jakarta).

The main sights

• The largest mosque in the region - capacity given at over 120,000.
• A Christian architect's design - Silaban's competition-winning scheme, chosen by Sukarno.
• The cathedral opposite - the two seats facing each other across the road.
• The Tunnel of Friendship - the 2020 pedestrian link between the two.

When to go

All year, outside prayer times. An hour or two.

Good to know

Non-Muslim visitors are received through a separate entrance with a guide and robes; times are limited and Friday midday is closed. The interior is deliberately plain, which some find austere.

Nearby

Jakarta Cathedral is across the road; Merdeka Square and Monas are west.

Key facts