A Hadrami founder
Said Abdurrahman Assegaf.
Samarinda's oldest mosque, founded in the late nineteenth century by a Hadrami Arab trader named Said Abdurrahman bin Assegaf, who settled on this bank of the Mahakam and spread religion and learning there. Today the mosque stands as a witness to the role of Arab traders in bringing Islam to Borneo. It is built entirely of hard ironwood that resists water and time, with a tiered roof, old wooden pillars and a tall multi-storey wooden minaret counted among Indonesia's oldest wooden minarets. Residents look after it, and prayers are held regularly. Entry is free. Non-Muslims visit outside prayer times in modest dress. It stands on the bank opposite central Samarinda, reached by car over the bridge. Combine it with Baitul Muttaqien on a tour of Samarinda's mosques.
Said Abdurrahman Assegaf.
Defying time.
Among the oldest.
Samarinda Seberang, on the south bank of the Mahakam River
A Hadrami Arab trader who reached Samarinda in the nineteenth century and founded the mosque with the Kutai sultan's permission, among the first to spread the faith on the south bank.
