Old mosque a legacy of Chinese<\/p>\n
By Aan Suryana and Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak<\/p>\n
After an absence of several Saturdays due to public holidays,
\nSave Old Batavia appears again with a story of two protected
\nmosques built by Chinese-Indonesian Muslims in the 1700s. They
\nare the famous Kebon Jeruk Mosque on busy Jl. Hayam Wuruk and Al
\nAnwar Mosque on Jl. Pangeran Tubagus Angke. Including an account
\nof a mysterious incident which happened at the protected Al
\nMuqarromah Mosque in Penjaringan, this is the 21st article in a
\nseries on Jakarta's historical sites and buildings in the
\nSaturday editions of The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian history has proven that the ethnic
\nChinese, the minority, played significant roles in the daily life
\nof the locals, the majority.<\/p>\n
They did not only contribute to business. They did not only
\ncontribute to the culture which influenced local tradition.<\/p>\n
Chinese-Indonesian Muslims have demonstrated their role until
\ntoday in the construction of several mosques across the country.<\/p>\n
In the old days of Batavia, many Chinese-Indonesian Muslims
\ndonated their money and devoted themselves to the building of
\nmosques.<\/p>\n
The Kebon Jeruk Mosque on Jl. Hayam Wuruk 83, located in the
\nmiddle of the hectic Kota business district in West Jakarta, is
\none of the popular Chinese-Indonesian mosques which still exists.<\/p>\n
Its history started in 1448 when the people of the area built
\na surau (small mosque), an opal-formed cupola with a thatched
\nroof of palm leaves supported by four pillars embellished with
\ncarvings.<\/p>\n
The news of the existence of the surau spread quickly across
\nthe island of Java. Its fame also crossed the oceans and reached
\nother Muslims overseas, luring visitors from Asia for decades.<\/p>\n
In the early 18th century, a group of Muslims from mainland
\nChina led by ulema Chan Tsien Hwu, who was accompanied by his
\nwife, Fatimah Hwu, left their home to find the famous surau.<\/p>\n
They were said to have left their home due to the oppression
\nof then emperor Chien.<\/p>\n
Upon their arrival, the group found that the beautiful surau
\nwas ruined by age and poor maintenance during the Portuguese,
\nEnglish and Dutch colonization periods.<\/p>\n
Captain Tamien Dosol Seeng, also known as Chan, who chaired
\nthe Chinese-Indonesian Muslim community in Batavia between 1780
\nand 1797, then built a mosque to replace the old surau on the
\nsame location in 1786.<\/p>\n
Sacred place<\/p>\n
For years, the mosque was a sacred place for many Chinese-
\nIndonesian Muslims living in old Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The architecture is a rich blend of Indonesian, Arabic and
\nChinese elements. Its interior is decorated with Moorish and
\nDutch tiles emblazoned with animal and floral motifs. Some of the
\ntiles even portray biblical scenes.<\/p>\n
A beautifully decorated grave lies in the mosque's yard.<\/p>\n
The grave is of Fatimah Hwu, who died in 1792. To fulfill her
\nlast wishes, her body was laid to rest in the yard.<\/p>\n
The tomb's crypt is wonderfully decorated with Chinese writing
\nand dragons, as well as Arabic and Chinese ornaments.<\/p>\n
A timeworn wooden speaker platform, embellished with
\nflowerlike cravings, was secured by the authorities and is
\ncurrently kept at the Jakarta History Museum.<\/p>\n
In 1972, the Jakarta Administration issued a gubernatorial
\ndecree which stated the status of the mosque as a protected
\nhistorical building.<\/p>\n
The semi-modern mosque, which has a floor covered with ceramic
\ntiles, is known as a popular stopover for international
\ncongregations who want to study Islam further.<\/p>\n
According to senior clerics at the mosque, muslims from
\nMalaysia, India and the Philippines often come and stay for
\nseveral days to learn, among other things, tasawuf teachings.<\/p>\n
\"On the other hand, we also visit other old mosques abroad in
\nAsia and the Middle East several times to exchange knowledge at
\nour own cost,\" one of them said.<\/p>\n
From Jl. Hayam Wuruk, the next stop is the Al Anwar Mosque on
\nJl. Pangeran Tubagus Angke, which is only a few minutes drive
\naway.<\/p>\n
Supriyatna, chairman of the mosque's board of management, said
\nthat the mesjid (mosque) was built in 1751 by a Mongolian
\nidentified only as Tan, alias Liong.<\/p>\n
\"Tan escaped from a massacre (an uprising against the ethnic
\nChinese) carried out by the Dutch colonial under Jan Pieterszoon
\nCoen in the 17th century,\" the 70-year-old man said.<\/p>\n
Charging the Chinese-Indonesians with starting a rebellion
\nagainst the Dutch occupation in the country, Coen and his men
\narrested and slayed many of them in Pejagalan.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, no further details of Tan or his family could
\nbe traced.<\/p>\n
One of the original parts that still exist is a balcony in the
\nmiddle of the mosque. Supported with four poles and accessed by a
\nwooden staircase, the balcony was used in the past for the
\nmuadzin to recite calls to prayer for Muslims in the
\nneighborhood.<\/p>\n
Like many old mosques, the Al-Anwar Mosque also has several
\ngraves belonging to noted local clerics.<\/p>\n
Sixteen years ago, the mosque's staff received a fund of Rp 21
\nmillion for restoration work from the Jakarta Administration.
\nWith the fund, they replaced the tiles on the walls and floors.<\/p>\n
Supriyatna said they did not make any significant changes to
\nthe mosque, except for the replacement of the tiles and painting
\nthe walls.<\/p>\n
Strange incident<\/p>\n
Another mosque is the Al Muqarromah Mosque on Jl. Kampung
\nBandan in Penjaringan, North Jakarta.<\/p>\n
In 1984, locals said they witnessed a strange incident at the
\nsite, which cannot be explained under normal circumstances.<\/p>\n
Witnesses said one of the giant poles of a newly constructed
\nflyover which passed through the mosque suddenly collapsed.<\/p>\n
\"For unknown reasons, it toppled a day after it was
\nconstructed,\" recalled Habib Ali As Syathri, a member of the
\nmosque management board.<\/p>\n
After a discussion with the mosque management, the project
\ncontractors agreed to move from its original site without
\ndisturbing the position of the mosque.<\/p>\n
The mosque, he said, was built in 1879 by Said Abdurrachman
\nbin Alwi Al Syadri. In its early days, it was called the Jami'
\nKeramat Kampung Bandan Mosque. It was changed to its current name
\nin 1978.<\/p>\n
\"He established the mosque simply after finding two graves at
\nthe site.\"<\/p>\n
The establishment of the mosque was intended to pave the way
\nfor visitors to pray and ask for God's blessing,\" said Ali.<\/p>\n
The graves were of two noted clerics in the area: Habib
\nMohamad bin Umar Alkudsi, who was buried in 1697, and Habib Ali
\nbin Abdurrachman Alwi, who was buried in 1701.<\/p>\n
Later, the founder of the mosque was also buried there.<\/p>\n
Unlike many mosques in the country, the Al Muqarromah Mosque
\nposts a number of big pictures of several habibs from Saudi
\nArabia, who they believe also brought Islam to this region.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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