Red Mosque of Panjunan

Last updated
Red Mosque of Panjunan
Masjid Merah Panjunan
Religion
Affiliation Islam
Location
LocationPanjunan, Cirebon Regency, West Java, Indonesia
Geographic coordinates 6°43′03″S108°33′58″E / 6.717479°S 108.566065°E / -6.717479; 108.566065 Coordinates: 6°43′03″S108°33′58″E / 6.717479°S 108.566065°E / -6.717479; 108.566065
Architecture
TypeMosque
Style Javanese
Completed1480

The Red Mosque of Panjunan (Indonesian Masjid Merah Panjunan, Javanese Masjid Abang) is a Javanese mosque located in the village of Panjunan, Cirebon Regency, West Java, Indonesia. This 15th-century mosque with its Hindu architecture typical of Java is one of the oldest mosque in Indonesia.

Contents

History

The Mosque of Panjunan was first established in 1480 by Syarif Abdurrahman, also known as the Pangeran Panjunan ("The Prince of Panjunan"). Syarif Abdurrahman was an Arab who led a group of immigrants from Baghdad. [1] Later, Syarif Abdurrahman became the student of Sunan Gunung Jati, one of the Wali Songo, or nine saints of Islam revered in Indonesia. The Mosque of Panjunan is instrumental in the Islamization of Cirebon. [2]

In the beginning, the Red Mosque of Panjunan was named al-Athya Musalla. Because of its surrounding red brick perimeter wall, the mosque was also known as the Red Mosque or Masjid Abang. In the beginning, the mosque was a small-sized Musalla with an area of 40 square metres (430 sq ft). The mosque was established in the neighborhood of Panjunan which at the time of its construction was a junction for travelers near the town of Cirebon. The village of Panjunan where the mosque is located is known for its earthenware pottery. [3]

Architecture

The older musalla building had a total area of 40 square metres (430 sq ft). After it was expanded into a mosque, the mosque has the size of 150 square metres (1,600 sq ft). The architecture of the Mosque of Panjunan is a combination of Hindu, Chinese, and Islamic culture. The perimeter of the mosque looks more like an Indonesian Hindu temple found in Bali. The perimeter is constructed out of red bricks, with a split gate candi bentar marking the main entrance into the mosque. The candi bentar is a relic which originate from the 13th-14th century Hindu period of Singhasari and Majapahit. [4]

The mosque is relatively small in both size and proportion. The door is short, forcing people to bow while entering the building. The building is topped with a pyramidal roof known as the tajug. In Javanese architecture, the tajug roof type is only used for sacred buildings e.g. Hindu temples or mosques. The layout of the mosque is rectangular, with 12 posts supporting the tajug roof. [5] The wall which encloses the main room of the mosque do not have any structural function; the entire roof was supported by the posts, typical of Javanese architecture. [6]

The mihrab of the mosque is a few elements of the building which indicates that the building is a mosque, as well as a couple of Arabic writings on the wall. Chinese plate ceramics are attached to the perimeter wall. It is said that the Chinese plate ceramics were wedding gifts when Sunan Gunung Jati married to Ong Tien Nio. [7] The mihrab of the mosque is decorated with ceramics decoration. The mihrab is shaped like the paduraksa, another influence from earlier Hindu period. Reliefs showing a candi bentar and paduraksa have been discovered in 13th-century Candi Jago in East Java. In the Javanese Hindu architecture, the paduraksa marks the sacred-most area of a temple. [4] The Mosque of Panjunan contains no minbar, because the mosque is only used for everyday use. The mosque is not used for Friday Prayer or for the annual Eid prayers. [8]

Related Research Articles

Kudus Regency Regency in Central Java, Indonesia

Kudus is a regency in Central Java province in Indonesia. Its capital is Kudus. It covers 425.16 km2 and is thus the smallest regency on Java Island in area, and it had a population of 777,437 at the 2010 Census; the latest official estimate is 871,311. It is located east of Semarang, capital of Central Java.

Demak Great Mosque Mosque in Indonesia

Masjid Agung Demak is one of the oldest mosques in Indonesia, located in the center town of Demak, Central Java, Indonesia. The mosque is believed to be built by the Wali Songo with the most prominent figure Sunan Kalijaga, during the first Demak Sultanate ruler, Raden Patah during the 15th century.

Sunan Kalijaga one of nine Islamic saints in Java

Sunan Kalijaga (1460-1513), born as Raden Mas Said son of a Duke of Tuban in East Java, Indonesia, was one of the "nine saints" of Javanese Islam. the "Kalijaga" title was derived from an orchard known as "Kalijaga" in Cirebon. Other accounts suggest the name derives from his hobby of submerging himself in Kali. Others note that the name Kalijaga derived its nature from the Arabic notion of qadli dzaqa which means "holy leader" in the sultanate.

Architecture of Indonesia Overview of the architecture in Indonesia

The architecture of Indonesia reflects the diversity of cultural, historical and geographic influences that have shaped Indonesia as a whole. Invaders, colonizers, missionaries, merchants and traders brought cultural changes that had a profound effect on building styles and techniques.

Sultanate of Cirebon

The Sultanate of Cirebon was an Islamic sultanate in West Java founded in the 15th century. It is said to have been founded by Sunan Gunungjati, marked by his letter proclaiming Cirebon's independence from Pajajaran in 1482, although the settlement and the polity had been established earlier in 1445. Sunan Gunungjati also established the Sultanate of Banten. It was one of the earliest Islamic states established in Java, along with the Sultanate of Demak.

Menara Kudus Mosque Mosque in Indonesia

The Menara Kudus Mosque or Al-Aqsha Mosque is located in Kudus in the Indonesian province of Central Java. Dating from 1549, it is one of the oldest mosques in Indonesia, built at the time of Islam's spread through Java. The mosque preserves the tomb of Sunan Kudus, one of the nine Islamic saints of Java, and it is a popular pilgrimage point.

Ampel Mosque Mosque in Indonesia

Ampel Mosque is an ancient mosque located in the Ampel sub-district, district Semampir, Surabaya, East Java. The oldest mosque in East Java was built in 1421 CE by Sunan Ampel where his tomb complex is located within the area.

Angke Mosque Mosque in Indonesia

Angke Mosque, officially known as Masjid Jami Angke or Masjid Al-Anwar, located at Tambora, Jakarta, Indonesia. It is one of the oldest mosques in Jakarta. Well-maintained and retaining its original form, the mosque has been called by the historian Denys Lombard as 'une des plus élégantes de la vieille villa'. The history of the mosque reflects the multiethnic and multilayered origin of colonial Jakarta

Great Mosque of Surakarta

The Great Mosque of Surakarta is an 18th-century Javanese mosque in Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia. It is the royal mosque of the Surakarta Sunanate.

Kasunyatan Mosque Mosque in Indonesia

Kasunyatan Mosque is a small mosque in Kasunyatan village, Banten, Indonesia. Established between 1570 and 1596 it is one of the oldest mosques in Indonesia. The mosque is located in close proximity to the ruins of Old Banten, and functioned as a 16th-century center of Islamic learning in Banten. The mosque received a heritage status during the Dutch colonial period in 1932. Its status today is unknown.

Great Mosque of Banten Mosque in Indonesia

Great Mosque of Banten is a historic mosque in Old Banten, 10 km north of Serang, Indonesia. The 16th-century mosque was one of the few surviving remnants of what used to be the port city of Banten, the most prosperous trading center in the Indonesian archipelago after the fall of Demak Sultanate in mid-16th century.

Candi bentar Type of gate in Indonesian architecture

Candi bentar, or split gateway, is a classical Javanese and Balinese gateway entrance commonly found at the entrance of religious compounds, kraton palaces, or cemeteries in Indonesia. It is basically a candi-like structure split perfectly in two to create a passage in the center for people to walk through. The passage is usually elevated with a flight of stairs to reach it. A candi bentar is commonly found in Java, Bali, and Lombok.

Paduraksa

Paduraksa, also known as kori is a type of gateway covered with towering roof that can be found in the island of Java and Bali, Indonesia. This architectural feature is commonly found in buildings from the classical Hindu-Buddhist period of Indonesia. Paduraksa marks the threshold into the most sacred space within a religious compound, a cemetery, or a palace. In Balinese architecture, an elaborately decorated towering paduraksa is often built as the temple's most imposing structure.

Great Mosque of Malang Mosque in Indonesia

The Great Mosque of Malang is a mosque located in Malang, Indonesia. The mosque was built in 1890 and was completed in 1903, making it one of the oldest mosques in Indonesia. The mosque is square-shaped, constructed with steel, and has tajug on top. The original building is still maintained until today.

Al-Akbar Mosque Mosque in Indonesia

Al-Akbar Mosque, also known as Great Mosque of Surabaya, is a national mosque located in Surabaya, East Java. It is the second largest mosque in Indonesia after Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta in terms of maximum capacity. The location of the mosque is beside the Surabaya-Porong Highway Road. Its most distinctive feature is its large vertical dome, accompanied by four small blue domes. It also has a minaret with height of 99 meters, an ode to the 99 Names of Allah.

Indonesian mosques

Indonesian mosques refer to the architectural traditions of mosques build in the archipelago of Indonesia. Initial forms of the mosque, for example, were predominantly built in the vernacular Indonesian architectural style which employs Hindu, Buddhist or Chinese architectural elements, and notably didn't equip orthodox form of Islamic architectural elements such as dome and minaret. Vernacular architectural style varies depending on the island and region.

Jami Mosque of Pontianak, also known as Sultan Syarif Abdurrahman Mosque, is the oldest mosque of Pontianak, in Kalimantan, Indonesia. The large wooden mosque, together with the royal palace of Kraton Kadriyah, was among the first buildings constructed in the city following the establishment of Pontianak in 1771.

Al-Wustho Mangkunegaran Mosque Mosque in Indonesia

Al-Wustho Mangkunegaran Mosque is a historic mosque located in the Central Javanese city of Surakarta, to the west of the Mangkunegaran Palace. The mosque is one of the three oldest mosques of Surakarta. Al-Wustho Mangkunegaran Mosque was inaugurated as a state mosque of the Mangkunegaran Palace.

Grand Mosque of Kubang Putih Mosque in Indonesia

Grand Mosque of Kubang Putih is an early 19th-century mosque located in the town of Kubang Putiah, West Sumatra, Indonesia. The mosque is designated as a cultural heritage object along with several other old mosques in West Sumatra, such as Bingkudu Mosque in Agam, Rao Rao Mosque in Tanah Datar, and the Ganting Grand Mosque in Padang.

At-Taqwa Mosque, Cirebon Mosque in Indonesia

At-Taqwa Mosque or At-Taqwa Grand Mosque is a historical mosque in the city of Cirebon, West Java, founded in 1918. Today it is one of the congregational mosques in Cirebon and considered an icon of the city. The mosque also provides Islamic learning as well as public services such as blood donation and a free ambulance.

References

  1. ↑ Abdul Hakim 2011, p. 290.
  2. ↑ Abdul Hakim 2011, p. 291.
  3. ↑ Laely Wijaya 2008, p. 81.
  4. 1 2 Davison 2003, p. 36.
  5. ↑ Abdul Hakim 2011, p. 295.
  6. ↑ Abdul Hakim 2011, p. 300.
  7. ↑ Mutiara 2010.
  8. ↑ Laely Wijaya 2008, p. 82.

Cited works

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.