Ministry of Religion: 6,859 Mosques Ready to Serve as Rest Stops for Homebound Travellers
Jakarta — Indonesia’s Ministry of Religion (Kemenag) has confirmed that 6,859 mosques are ready to be utilised by homebound travellers as rest stops during the 2026 Eid holiday period, distributed across various return routes throughout the country.
Through the Pusaka application, the public can easily locate the nearest mosque from their location whilst maintaining their ability to worship comfortably during their journey.
“We want to transform the image of mosques that have been perceived as only open for the five daily prayers. Mosques must return to their function of serving the community,” said Deputy Minister of Religion Muhammad Syafii during a statement in Jakarta on Thursday.
The programme, named Mosque Welcoming Travellers, was launched during the kickoff event of the Indonesian Mosque Expedition in Jakarta. This initiative is part of the Ministry of Religion’s efforts to expand the function of mosques as centres of community service.
The ministry wishes to revive the role of mosques so that they are not only used for routine worship activities but also provide broader benefits to the public.
“Mosques should not only be places of prayer but also stopping points that provide various conveniences for homebound travellers,” he said.
Various services are being prepared in these mosques to support traveller needs, including mosque and prayer rooms open 24 hours, parking areas, clean toilets, rest areas, health services for first aid, and access to clean water.
In addition, mosque administrators are expected to provide mobile phone and communication device battery charging facilities, information centres for travellers, as well as drinking water and light refreshments.
To help the public find mosques during their journey, the Ministry of Religion provides mosque location information through the Pusaka Super Apps application, where travellers can search for the nearest mosque from their location and view routes to those places of worship.
“Through the Pusaka application, the public can easily find the nearest mosque from their location and thus be able to worship comfortably during their journey,” said Abu Rokhmad.
In addition to mosques, various multi-faith places of worship are also opening themselves as stopping points for travellers who need rest areas during their journey.