This mosque in Aceh burned down in a war in 1873, and then the Dutch had it rebuilt.
It is the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque in Banda Aceh, at the northwestern tip of Sumatra in Indonesia. Aceh is nicknamed the Veranda of Mecca.
Tradition dates the first mosque here to 1612, in the reign of Sultan Iskandar Muda. Its roof was thatched.
In 1873, the Dutch invaded Aceh, and during the fighting the mosque caught fire. The Dutch promised to rebuild it, and the first stone was laid in 1879.
The new mosque was finished in 1881, in the Mughal style of India, with a single dome and one minaret. Its materials came from several places, including China and Belgium. The rebuilding was partly meant to ease Acehnese resistance.
During the twentieth century, more domes and minarets were added, and today seven black domes crown the mosque.
In December 2004, the Indian Ocean tsunami struck Aceh. The mosque was only slightly damaged, and it sheltered people who had lost their homes. Many in Aceh saw its survival as a sign of divine protection, while engineers point to its solid foundations.
In 2017, an expansion added twelve giant electric umbrellas to the courtyard, inspired by the mosque of the Prophet, peace be upon him, in Madinah. The mosque can now hold more than twenty thousand worshippers.
The original Masjid Raya ("Grand Mosque") was built in 1612 during the reign of Sultan Iskandar Muda. Some say the original mosque was built even earlier in 1292 by Sultan Alaidin Mahmudsyah. The original royal mosque featured a multi-tiered thatched roof, a typical feature of Acehnese architecture.
When the Colonial administration of the Dutch East Indies attacked the Kraton during the First Aceh Expedition on 10 April 1873, the Acehnese attacked the KNIL from the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque. From some flares shot onto the thatched roof, the mosque caught fire. General van Swieten promised the local rulers he would rebuild the mosque and create a warm place for mercy. In 1879, the Dutch rebuilt the Mosque Baiturrahman as a gift to, and to reduce the anger of, the Acehnese people. Construction only began in 1879, when the first stone was laid by Tengku Qadhi Malikul Adil, who became its first imam, and was completed on 27 December 1881 during the reign of Muhammad Daud Syah, the last sultan of Aceh. Many Acehnese initially refused to pray at Baiturrahman because it was built by the Dutch, whom they were warring against. Nowadays, however, it is a source of pride for Banda Aceh.
At first, the mosque featured only one dome and one minaret. More domes and minarets were added in 1935, 1958 and 1982. Today, the mosque has seven domes and eight minarets, including the highest in Banda Aceh.
The mosque survived the 2004 earthquake and tsunami with minor damages such as wall cracks. The earthquake had slightly tilted and cracked the 35-metre (115 ft) minaret by the main gate. During the disaster, the mosque served as a temporary shelter for displaced persons and only reopened for prayers after two weeks.
Traditions
A scene of the blessing of buffaloes at the end of the fasting month of Ramadan was captured by Dutch photographer Christiaan Benjamin Nieuwenhuis.
Architecture and design
The mosque was originally designed by the Dutch architect Gerrit Bruins. The design was subsequently adapted by L.P. Luijks, who also supervised the construction work done by contractor Lie A Sie. The design chosen is Mughal revival style, characterized by grand domes and minarets. The unique black domes are constructed from hard wood shingles combined as tiles.
The interior is decorated with relieved wall and pillars, marble staircase and floor from China, stained-glass windows from Belgium, well-decorated wooden doors, and ornate bronze chandeliers. The building stones are from the Netherlands. At the time of its completion, this new design presented a stark contrast compared to the original mosque to the extent that many Acehnese refused to pray in the mosque, because it was built by the Dutch "infidels". Today however, the mosque has become the pride of Banda Aceh.
As of present, the mosque has 7 domes, 8 minarets, and 32 pillars.
More to know
A miniature of Baiturrahman Grand Mosque is featured in Minimundus miniature park, Austria.
The History, Architecture and later sections are adapted from the Wikipedia article “Baiturrahman Grand Mosque”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article. Text has been shortened.
The article is a short summary based on published sources; where accounts differ, the text says so. Photos come from Wikimedia Commons and are shown under their free licences, with the author credited under each image. If you are an author and want a credit changed or a photo removed, please write to [email protected].
.jpg?width=700)
.jpg?width=700)
.jpg?width=700)
.jpg?width=700)