Jakarta: My First Mosque

I'll admit, before traveling to Indonesia I knew virtually nothing about Islam. I still am nowhere near an expert, but I've learned a little bit about the religion. By no means do I want to to convert- the whole oppression of women thing, porkless diet, and a month of fasting would be too much for me, but I'm happy to say that my preconceived notions on Muslims and the Islamic faith as a whole were wrong. Well, at least in Indonesia (and Malaysia).

The afternoon after I went to Monas in Jakarta, Roxanne and I went to Istiqlal Mosque, the largest mosque in Southeast Asia. Roxanne walked with me to the mosque, but she had to leave to pick up her visa and didn't get a tour. I only got an abbreviated tour not being Muslim and all, but I saw enough to be impressed. At first I wasn't allowed in because my knees weren't covered, but I was prepared with a skirt. It really didn't matter, though, because I was ushered into a visitor's room and given a floor-length robe to don.

Technically I should have had my hair covered as well,
but no one minded.

Istiqlal Mosque was really impressive. At maximum capacity it can house anywhere from 120,000 to 200,000 people (the guide got a little bit confused on the numbers). Nothing was coincidental-- everything was symbolic. For example, there were five floors to represent the five powers of Islam, all the materials were brought in from Saudi Arabia and other places significant to the religion, and the colors all held important meanings too. The "alter" is oriented towards Mecca and there is a huge digital clock clearly displaying a countdown to sunset, as it changes daily. There was a big drum and multiple towers outside that could reach great distances for the call to prayer. It was all really quite interesting and I am sorry to say I remain fairly ignorant on much of the subject.

My guide said an entire cowhide was used to make the drum

The tower used to call to prayer

Clock displaying prayer times

Courtyard of the mosque. Each rectangle is like a mat for prayer.
The courtyard alone is large enough for thousands of people