Built by Tjong A Fie
A Chinese merchant for his Muslim neighbours.
HaidirAndiNovianto — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lim Natee — CC BY 4.0 · Lim Natee — CC BY 4.0
One of Medan's oldest mosques, in a crooked lane of the old Kesawan quarter, hence its name, the mosque of the crooked alley. It was built in 1874 with funding from Tjong A Fie, Medan's richest Chinese merchant, on land given by a Malay notable of the city, a fine witness to coexistence among the city's people in the tobacco era. Its architecture blends Chinese, Malay, Persian and European styles: a tiered roof like those of Chinese temples, Malay columns and ornament, and an old carved timber pulpit. The mosque remains small and quiet and has kept its form; it is protected heritage. The mosque serves daily prayers; entry is free, and visitors are welcome outside prayer times in modest dress. It is a few minutes' walk from the Tjong A Fie Mansion, so visit them together to complete the story of the man who built a mosque though not himself Muslim, then continue your walk through old Kesawan.
A Chinese merchant for his Muslim neighbours.
On a Malay mosque.
Of carved timber.
Kesawan quarter, central Medan
Kesawan, Old MedanMedan's oldest commercial quarter, which grew in the late nineteenth century whe2 minutes walk
Tjong A Fie MansionA two-storey mansion in Chinese-European style in the old Kesawan quarter of cen4 minutes walk
Medan Old Post OfficeAn elegant colonial post office on Merdeka Square, the heart of the city, built 7 minutes walk
Tirtanadi Water TowerA towering iron water tower the Dutch built in 1908 to supply drinking water to 12 minutes walk
Vihara Gunung TimurMedan's largest Chinese temple and one of the largest Taoist temples in Indonesi17 minutes walkTjong A Fie was known for his generosity to all of Medan's communities, and built the mosque for the quarter's Muslims on land given by one of their notables; Medan still recalls it as an example of coexistence.