Southeast Asia's largest mosque
Room for over two hundred thousand.
Michael Coghlan — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Midori — CC BY 3.0 · Baqotun0023 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Michael Coghlan — CC BY-SA 4.0
The largest mosque in Southeast Asia and the national mosque of Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country. It was built to commemorate the country's independence and named with the Arabic word istiqlal, independence; it opened in 1978 after years of construction and holds more than two hundred thousand worshippers in its halls and courtyards, hosting the country's largest Eid prayers. The architect Frederich Silaban designed it in a simple modern style: a vast prayer hall under a dome forty-five metres across, a symbol of independence in 1945, tiers of galleries around it, a single soaring minaret, and columns and walls of marble and steel. The mosque was thoroughly renovated a few years ago, and the Friendship Tunnel beneath its square now links it to the cathedral opposite as a symbol of coexistence. Entry is free; the mosque is open for prayer at prayer times and receives non-Muslim visitors on guided tours outside prayer times in modest dress, with robes available at the visitors' desk. It is a few minutes from the Monas national monument and Merdeka Square. Friday prayer here is an unforgettable experience for a Muslim visitor, among tens of thousands of worshippers. Come well before the call to prayer, and combine the visit with Monas and the National Museum on a tour of central Jakarta.
Room for over two hundred thousand.
Forty-five metres across, for 1945.
Tens of thousands in rows.
North-east corner of Merdeka Square, Central Jakarta
Yes, the mosque welcomes visitors on free guided tours outside prayer times, with robes for modest dress at the visitors' desk.
