Baiturrahman Grand Mosque
Baiturrahman Grand Mosque is located in the center of Banda Aceh city, Aceh Province, Indonesia. The mosque is a landmark of Banda Aceh and has survived the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The original Masjid Raya (“Grand Mosque”) was built in 1612 during the reign of Sultan Iskandar Muda. Some say the original mosque was built even earlier in 1292 by Sultan Alaidin Mahmudsyah. When the Colonial administration of the Dutch East Indies attacked the Kraton During the First Aceh Expedition on 10 April 1873, the Acehnese attacked the KNIL from the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque. From some flares shot onto the thatched roof, the mosque caught fire.
In 1879 the Dutch rebuilt the Mosque Baiturrahman as a gift to the Acehnese. Construction only began in 1879, when the first stone was laid was completed on 27 December 1881 during the reign of Muhammad Daud Syah, the last sultan of Aceh. The mosque was originally designed by the Dutch architect Gerrit Bruins. The design was subsequently adapted by L.P. Luijks, who also supervised the construction work. The interior area is of 1,500 square meter and has a capacity of 13,000 people. The interior is decorated with relieved wall and pillars, marble staircase and floor from China, stained-glass windows from Belgium, well-decorated wooden doors, and ornate bronze chandeliers. The building stones are from the Netherlands. Today the mosque has seven domes and eight minarets, and thirty-two pillars. The unique black domes are constructed from hard wood shingles combined as tiles.
- Baiturrahman Grand Mosque
- Location: Banda Aceh city
- Country: Indonesia
- Capacity: 13,000 People
