Djami' Pekojan Mosque in Semarang: A Cultural Heritage with Koja Gujarati Community Roots

In Semarang stands an old mosque that remains well preserved to the present day. Its name is Djami’ Pekojan Mosque (MDP).

Ali Baharun, the chairman of the MDP management committee, revealed that MDP is estimated to be approximately two centuries old. “As for its age, it has reached approximately two centuries and it has already been designated as a cultural heritage site,” he said when met by Republika on Friday, 6 March 2026.

The Semarang City Government designated MDP as a cultural heritage building through Semarang Mayor Decree No. 600.3/158 of 2025. However, Ali Baharun admitted that he did not know precisely when MDP was built.

What is certain is that before becoming a mosque, MDP was first in the form of a prayer hall. This is documented in an inscription found on the walls of MDP.

The inscription states that the conversion of the prayer hall into a mosque was carried out on 15 Sha’ban 1309 Hijri, or 15 March 1892. Five individuals were involved in this conversion: Haji Muhammad Ibrahim Akwan, Haji Muhammad Nur, Haji Muhammad Ali, Haji Muhammad Ya’kub, and Haji Akhmad Azhari.

“These are the figures who founded it,” said Ali.

In a book titled “Settlement Pattern of Kampung Districts in the Large City of Semarang (Case Study of Kampung Petolongan, Taman Winangun Village)” published by the Ministry of Education and Culture in 1993, it is noted that Akwan was a merchant of Koja ethnicity from India, who was also a major landowner in the Taman Winangun area at that time. In India, the Koja community generally originated from Gujarat.