Kauman Grand Mosque in Yogyakarta Holds First Tarawih Prayers on Tuesday Evening
The Kauman Grand Mosque of the Yogyakarta Sultanate officially commenced tarawih prayers on Tuesday evening, 17 February 2026. The observance marked the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan 1447 Hijriah for congregants following the determination of the Muhammadiyah central leadership.
A solemn atmosphere enveloped the historic mosque complex from the early evening. Congregants were observed filling the mosque's veranda shortly after the maghrib prayer concluded. As the isha call to prayer approached, the stream of arrivals continued to grow until the main prayer hall was filled with male worshippers, whilst female congregants occupied part of the main hall and the veranda area.
Azman Latif, chairman of the Kauman Grand Mosque board of trustees, said his organisation referred to the Unified Global Hijri Calendar (KHGT), which set the beginning of fasting on Wednesday, 18 February 2026. He explained that the use of this system aims to create international date uniformity so that there are no longer differences in days for the same date across different regions.
Azman explained that this year's determination had fulfilled the criteria for hilal (new crescent moon) visibility, which was observed in the Alaska region at an altitude of 5 degrees and an elongation of 8 degrees.
The certainty of the date had been used by the mosque's board well in advance to arrange schedules for imams, preachers, and the provision of iftar meals for congregants throughout the entire month, without having to wait for the announcement of the government's isbat (official moon-sighting) session.
Regarding the potential for differences in the start of Ramadan among the public, Azman stressed the importance of mutual respect. He considered such differences not to be a major issue, as Muslims in Yogyakarta have had decades of experience dealing with varying determinations of the start of Hijri months. In his view, tolerance must be prioritised, both towards fellow Muslims who begin fasting on different days and towards members of the community who do not fast.
Beyond the Kauman Grand Mosque, the spirit of Ramadan was also felt at Jogokaryan Mosque, which likewise held tarawih prayers on the same evening. Gitta Welly Ariadi, a trustee of Jogokaryan Mosque, revealed that in addition to worship preparations, the mosque had distributed basic food parcels to approximately 500 disadvantaged residents. This measure was undertaken as a sahur subsidy to ensure that those in need had adequate food supplies as they began the first day of fasting the following morning.
A solemn atmosphere enveloped the historic mosque complex from the early evening. Congregants were observed filling the mosque's veranda shortly after the maghrib prayer concluded. As the isha call to prayer approached, the stream of arrivals continued to grow until the main prayer hall was filled with male worshippers, whilst female congregants occupied part of the main hall and the veranda area.
Azman Latif, chairman of the Kauman Grand Mosque board of trustees, said his organisation referred to the Unified Global Hijri Calendar (KHGT), which set the beginning of fasting on Wednesday, 18 February 2026. He explained that the use of this system aims to create international date uniformity so that there are no longer differences in days for the same date across different regions.
Azman explained that this year's determination had fulfilled the criteria for hilal (new crescent moon) visibility, which was observed in the Alaska region at an altitude of 5 degrees and an elongation of 8 degrees.
The certainty of the date had been used by the mosque's board well in advance to arrange schedules for imams, preachers, and the provision of iftar meals for congregants throughout the entire month, without having to wait for the announcement of the government's isbat (official moon-sighting) session.
Regarding the potential for differences in the start of Ramadan among the public, Azman stressed the importance of mutual respect. He considered such differences not to be a major issue, as Muslims in Yogyakarta have had decades of experience dealing with varying determinations of the start of Hijri months. In his view, tolerance must be prioritised, both towards fellow Muslims who begin fasting on different days and towards members of the community who do not fast.
Beyond the Kauman Grand Mosque, the spirit of Ramadan was also felt at Jogokaryan Mosque, which likewise held tarawih prayers on the same evening. Gitta Welly Ariadi, a trustee of Jogokaryan Mosque, revealed that in addition to worship preparations, the mosque had distributed basic food parcels to approximately 500 disadvantaged residents. This measure was undertaken as a sahur subsidy to ensure that those in need had adequate food supplies as they began the first day of fasting the following morning.