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Lampuuk, Aceh · Indonesia

Rahmatullah Mosque

Rahmatullah Mosque, Lampuuk, Aceh, Indonesia
Photo: Si Gam · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
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The story in short

On 26 December 2004, a tsunami flattened the village of Lampuuk in Aceh, Indonesia, but one mosque was left standing.

This is the Rahmatullah Mosque, which means the Mercy of Allah, Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. It stands about five hundred metres from the beach.

Work began in 1990 and finished in 1997. One Indonesian report says the villagers built it mostly themselves, and paid for part of it by auctioning the rights to harvest swiftlet nests from a cave on the coast.

Then the tsunami came. The buildings around it were swept away, but the mosque survived. Reports differ on the damage: some say only a few corners cracked, others that some pillars collapsed.

Rahmatullah Mosque, Lampuuk, Aceh, Indonesia (photo 2)
Photo: Si Gam · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Experts who studied mosques that survived in Banda Aceh credit sturdier construction. One report describes thick concrete pillars and double brick walls. Many survivors also say they believe it was protected by Allah, Subhanahu wa Ta'ala.

Afterwards it was repaired with help from the Turkish Red Crescent, and a small museum beside the gate now shows photographs from that day.

Today it still hosts the call to prayer five times a day, and visitors come to see it.

Rahmatullah Mosque, Lampuuk, Aceh, Indonesia (photo 3)
Photo: USGS · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

At a glance

Place
Lampuuk, Aceh, Indonesia
Coordinates
5.4806°N, 95.2314°E
Video
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More photos

Rahmatullah Mosque, Lampuuk, Aceh, Indonesia (photo 4)
Photo: Government of Aceh · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Rahmatullah Mosque, Lampuuk, Aceh, Indonesia (photo 4)
Photo: U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 3rd Class Jacob J. Ki · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

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].