Demak Great Mosque

15th-century mosque in Central Java, Indonesia
6°53′41″S 110°38′14″E / 6.8947°S 110.6373°E / -6.8947; 110.6373ArchitectureArchitect(s)Sunan KalijagaStyleJavaneseCompleted1479Minaret(s)None

Demak Great Mosque (Indonesian: Masjid Agung Demak) is one of the oldest mosques in Indonesia, located in the center town of Demak, Central Java, Indonesia. The mosque is believed to have been built by the Wali Songo ("Nine Muslim Saints") with the most prominent figure Sunan Kalijaga, during the first Demak Sultanate ruler, Raden Patah during the 15th century.[1]

Features

Although it has had several renovations, it is thought to be largely in its original form. It is a classic example of a traditional Javanese mosque. Unlike mosques in the Middle East, it is built from timber. Rather than a dome, which did not appear in Indonesian mosques until the 19th century, the roof is tiered and supported by four saka guru teak pillars. The tiered roof shows many similarities with wooden religious structures from the Hindu-Buddhist civilizations of Java and Bali. The main entrance of Masjid Agung Demak consists of two doors carved with motifs of plants, vases, crowns, and an animal head with an open wide-toothed mouth. It is said that the picture depicts the manifested thunder caught by Ki Ageng Selo, hence their name Lawang Bledheg (the doors of thunder). Like other mosques of its era, its orientation towards Mecca is only approximate.[2]

Carving and historical relics

Pictures of Masjid Agung Demak at the end of the 19th century

Its walls contain Vietnamese ceramics. With their shapes derived from conventions of Javanese woodcarving and brickwork, they are thought to have been specially ordered. The use of ceramic rather than stone is thought to have been in imitation of the mosques of Persia.[3]

Gallery

  • Masjid Agung Demak, end of 19th century
    Masjid Agung Demak, end of 19th century
  • 1920-1939
    1920-1939
  • August 2016
    August 2016
  • Minaret, August 2016
    Minaret, August 2016

See also

  • flagIndonesia portal

References

  1. ^ Florida, Nancy K. (1995). "5: The Demak Mosque: A Construction of Authority". Babad Jaka Tingkir: Writing the past, inscribing the future: history as prophesy in colonial Java. Durham, N. C.: Duke University Press. ISBN 0-8223-1622-6.
  2. ^ Turner, Peter (November 1995). Java. Melbourne: Lonely Planet. pp. 78–79. ISBN 0-86442-314-4.
  3. ^ Schoppert, Peter; Damais, Soedarmadji & Sosrowardoyo, Tara (1998), Java Style, Tokyo: Tuttle Publishing, p. 41, ISBN 962-593-232-1
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Great Mosque of Demak.
  • v
  • t
  • e
Vernacular architecture
Balinese
Batak
Dayak
Javanese
Minangkabau
Papuan
Sundanese
Other region
Hindu-Buddhism in IndonesiaIslam in IndonesiaDutch colonialPost-colonial & contemporary
Category
  • v
  • t
  • e
Aceh
Baiturrahman Mosque, Banda Aceh
Medan Mosque
Ganting Mosque
Masjid Agung Palembang, Palembang
North Sumatra
Riau
Riau Islands
West Sumatra
Jambi
Bengkulu
South Sumatra
Lampung
Banten

Ampel Mosque
Masjid Menara Kudus, Kudus
Masjid Istiqlal, Jakarta
Masjid Raya Aljabbar, Bandung
Jakarta
West Java
Central Java
Yogyakarta
East Java
West Kalimantan
Sultan Suriansyah Mosque
Central Kalimantan
East Kalimantan
South Kalimantan
Other islands
Sulawesi
Ternate Mosque
Bali and Nusa Tenggara
Maluku
Papua
Part of Islam in Indonesia