Baiturrahman Grand Mosque

Baiturrahman Grand Mosque is one of the tourist attractions in Banda Aceh which offers a sense of religious and historical tourism. This mosque is a silent witness of the history of Aceh. as well as the pride of the people of Aceh and its surroundings.

History of Baiturrahman Grand Mosque

The grand mosque, which is a symbol of the religiosity, courage and nationalism of the Acehnese people, was first built during the reign of Sultan Iskandar Muda in 1606-1636. In addition to being designated as a place of worship, this grand mosque was also built with the aim of being a center for religious education in the archipelago at that time. When there were so many students coming from various parts of the archipelago, even from Arabia, Turkey, India and Persia who came to Aceh to study religion, it was not wrong if the province that had become a special region was given the nickname as the city of the Veranda of Mecca.

Around 1873 the Baiturrahman Great Mosque was used as the Aceh people's defense headquarters during the war with the Dutch. When the Dutch attacked the capital city of Banda Aceh, this mosque was burned by Dutch troops. At that time, Maj. Gen. Khihler was shot dead in the forehead by Acehnese troops in the courtyard of this grand mosque. To commemorate this event, a small monument was built in front of the left of the mosque, precisely under the Ketapang tree.

After six years later, to quell the anger of the Acehnese because of the burning of this grand mosque, the Dutch through Governor General Van Lansnerge rebuilt the Grand Mosque by laying its first stone in 1879. Until now the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque has undergone five renovations and expansion of the area.

When the tsunami struck Aceh on December 26, 2004, this grand mosque became one of the places to save the people of Banda Aceh. At that time the tsunami flood just reached the top of the stairs of the oldest mosque in Aceh.

Religious Tourism in Baiturrahman Grand Mosque

Baiturrahman Great Mosque is one of the icons of the city of Banda Aceh. This mosque is a religious tourist attraction that can make every tourist who comes in amazed by the beauty of the architecture. Besides that, one of the oldest mosques in Indonesia has an interesting carving on the interior and exterior part of the architecture, the yard is very spacious which is enhanced by the Ottoman Sultanate style shower, so it presents an atmosphere that feels cool while inside this grand mosque .

The main building of the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque is white with a large black dome surrounded by seven towers. The magnificent impression of the mosque building is increasingly felt by the presence of a large pool and a shower in the front of the mosque. In addition to ponds and fountains, this great mosque courtyard is also overgrown with green grasses that can remind visitors of the Taj Mahal in India.

The architecture of Baiturrahman Grand Mosque is electrically patterned which is a design that is produced from the best combination and model from various countries, making it look so majestic. The main gate of the mosque is attached to the main unit of the mosque. After the main gate there is a rectangular shaped porch. On the left and right side of the porch is surrounded by a U-shaped staircase. At the end of the stairs there are 3 windows formed by 4 cylindrical trim poles with Moorish architectural models. Among the one column and the other columns are connected by a Persian model broken curve. Because there are 4 columns, that means there are 3 columns. At the top there are curved relief ornaments such as Abesque patterns.

This mosque is one of the religious attractions in Aceh that has the most visitors every day. The Huffington Post site even includes Baiturrahman Grand Mosque in the list of the 100 most beautiful mosques in the world, other sites are Yahoo! who called this mosque one of the 10 most beautiful mosques in the world.

For Muslim tourists, if you take the Friday prayer at Baiturrahman Grand Mosque, then don't miss the opportunity to take pictures in the courtyard of the mosque with the background of the mosque itself. Usually foreign tourists who are non-Muslim only take pictures on the front page without entering the mosque. Because of its beauty, the mosque was made to replicate it in the largest miniature park in the world in the Minimundus Park Klagenfurt, Karintinia, Austria.

Location of Baiturrahman Grand Mosque

The location of this grand mosque is located in the center of the city of Banda Aceh, which was formerly called the city of Kuta Raja. The mosque itself can accommodate 1900 worshipers. To get to the location of the mosque there are many transportation tools that can be used. Many airlines with the aim of flights to Banda Aceh at the cheapest price of around Rp. 1,000,000 one person with round-trip flights.

From Sultan Iskandar Muda airport, to Baiturrahman Grand Mosque can use city transportation or take a chartered travel car for Rp. 15,000 one person. In addition, if using the land route, from Rawamangun Terminal can take a bus to Banda Aceh, or by boarding a ship that departs from the port of Tanjung Priok to the area with the cheapest ticket price of around Rp. 314,000 one person. From Belawan, tourists can take the Kurnia or Pelangi Night Bus at a rate of Rp 110,000 one person. These two buses are located on Jl Gadjah Mada which can be reached by city transportation for Rp 10,000 from the port of Belawan.