Islamic museum at Taman Mini

JAKARTA (JP): The government will build a museum, Baitul Quran, which will display Islamic works of art, on 7,500 square meters of land at the Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, East Jakarta.

Minister of Religious Affairs Tarmizi Taher said that the museum will be provided with historical artifacts from all over Indonesia.

The Rp 10 billion (US$4.4 million) four-story museum is to be built on Taman Mini's front tract and is expected to go into operation by April, 1996.

The building will also have a mosque and a conference hall, Tarmizi told reporters after meeting with First Lady Tien Soeharto, who is providing the land on which the museum will be built.

"More and more ulemas are doing work or art and asking where they can display it. That's why we build the museum," Tarmizi said.

Designed by Achmad Moe'man, the museum will have data of its artifacts stored on computer discs. To be on display is the world's largest Koran made in Bondowoso, East Java.(pan)