Islamic village to be built in Yogyakarta

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Yogyakarta Sultan Hemengkubuwono X, who is also the governor of Yogyakarta, and chairman of the International Islamic Development (PII) Foundation Muchrim Hakim signed on Friday a memorandum of understanding on the building of an international Islamic village in the province.

The international Islamic village will be built on a 300-hectare plot belonging to the sultan in Piyungan district, some 12 kilometers southeast of here.

The sultan said that the complex would function as a meeting place for Muslims from all over the world, especially those associated with the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), to interact and conduct various activities together.

"Symbolically, the place will be a monument to celebrate the revival of Islamic culture and the unity of the Islamic world in facing a promising future."

The complex, therefore, is designed for, among other things, religious and cultural activities; economic activities including tourism, art performances and trade exhibitions, as well as meetings and seminars.

"If everything runs well, the groundbreaking will take place by the middle of this year," the sultan, who is also chairman of the board of founders of the PII Foundation, said after the signing.

Muchrim Hakim said that preparation work started last year, and that the project was part of a declaration of the conference of the Islamic Chamber of Commerce in Bandung. About 52 OIC members agreed to take part in the project, he said.

"Each participating country has the right to build and manage its own pavilion. Each pavilion will consist of permanent and temporary exhibition halls and other supporting facilities."

The architecture of the complex will be done in four different styles: West Asia and North Africa, Central Africa, East and Southeast Asia, and Central and South Asia. (swa)