Indonesia | The Istiqlal Mosque - the 6th largest Mosque in the World?
Sunday morning, a day of wandering. We reserved a Grab Taxi from Alam Sutera in Serpong going to Central Jakarta in Indonesia covering the Toll Kuciran connecting roadways to roadways until the business jam began while entering the Jalan Taman Wijaya Kusuma. The closest road to the largest mosque in Southeast Asia is located.
We get off at the Great Istiqlal Mosque entrance. The sidewalk is busy, chaotic! where small businesses in an active operation offering kinds of traditional road foods, mosque cairn, and other Indonesian stuff. The smell of food makes me empty, so I ordered one, the original food called Soto Daging; a beef haze with a kind of coconut milk blend, a taste of curry with amalgamated seasonings. Sweating! So good! Spicy.
Before entering the mosque, it's conspicuous the different races entering and exiting. A suggestion that this point is popular not only to consolidate the faith but also the alive tourism.
At the entrance, guests have to register first and be instructed to wear the proper vesture which gives by the receptionist. They will ask you also to remove your shoes and put them in the locker. All guests will walk around barefoot. This is a house of prayer, being noisy is interdicted.
Istiqlal Mosque featuring seven entrances; each entrance represents the Seven Heavens in Islamic cosmology with 2 connected structures divided by the stairs, the lower part which is the entrances, and the 2nd structure is the prayer spaces.
Istiqlal Mosque start its construction in 1961 to commemorate Indonesian Independence. After 17 hard work years of construction, it was inaugurated as a national mosque in 1978 capacitating over 120,000 people. This mosque is also considered also as the sixth-largest in the world in terms of worshippers' capacity. The name “ Istiqlal", is an Arabic word for" independence".
It's just so happened that the mosque is under construction on this visit. The area we explored is limited. Upon exploring, we walk through the 2nd but close up to the 4th. We ask authorization from the caretaker and acceded. We were lucky enough to get in to take a quick shot. Thanks for your kindness and helpful act.
At the lower ground, can be found several installations and prayer apartments. Once the renovations are completed, the Cathedral of St Mary of the Assumption ( positioned at the front of the Mosque entrance) and the Great Istiqlal Mosque will soon be connected by an underground lair. This isn't just a symbol of good relations but also promotes peace and forbearance among religious communities.
HOW TO GET THERE
If you're from a Southeast Asian neighbor, the closest airport is the Soekarno Hatta International Airport. from there, booked a Grab taxi or use the Garuda taxi, a metered reliable taxicab in the megacity of Jakarta.
The Istiqlal Mosque is located in Jl. Taman Wijaya Kusuma, Pasar Baru, Central Jakarta City. It is less than 30 minutes walk from the National Monument of Indonesia (Monas) and 6 kilometers from Thamrin Shopping center.
There is no entrance ticket in Istiqlal Mosque, however, non-muslim visitors should follow the implementing rules inside.
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