Masjid Raya
Attraction Jl Masjid Raya, Medan, Indonesia Published on: 13-11-2015
2 hours | |
09:00 AM - 06:00 PM | |
09:30 AM | |
11:30 AM | |
First-time visit | |
Attraction
Family
Food
Historic
Landmark
Kids
Free
Architecture
Art
People watching
|
|
0.00 USD |
Masjid Raya is good for





- Highly recommended by fellow travellers.
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Why Masjid Raya is special ?
The Medan Grand Mosque was another architectural heritage of Deli Sultanate. The mosque is still utilized by the local community for daily prayers. Like The Maimoon Palace, the building materials of the mosque were taken from Italy. The Grand Mosque which was built in 1906 by Sultan Makmun Al-Rasyid is the most beautiful and magnificence mosques in North Sumatera. It is situated about 200 m from The Maimoon Palace.
The specific architecture of the mosque was inspired by the Moorish style.The dome of the Al Ma'sum Mosque that had flat and quadrangle shape also in the peak of the roof has the usual crescent moon decoration was also found in other Islamic buildings like the Mosque and the tower that according to the experts often were connected as the symbol of peacefulness, where Islam was broadcasted without violence.
Source: http://medan-tourism.blogspot.com
What to explore at Masjid Raya?
Entering the gate. you can admire the beautiful overview of building. It has a octagonal symmetrical shape and has four wings in the north, south, east and west part of the building. This is according to how ancient mosques in the Middle East were build: the main hall used for prayer (called the sahn) and four wings for shelter (called the mugutha or suntuh).
Going around the building, you can explore that the mosque is divided into the main room, ablution, entry gates and towers. The main room, a place of prayer, not the same octagonal side. Going on the opposite side, there is a 'porch' small porch attached to and protrudes out. It is a perfect place to catch a beautiful sunset photo with the impressive mosque.
You can choose what you want; the server brings the food and a large bowl of rice to the table. Or, the staff will bring you about ten or twelve small dishes; you eat what you like, pay for what you eat and the rest is put back in the case.
How to get to Masjid Raya?
From Station Medan, take taxi toward this building about 18min. This entire trip costs IDR 33593 ($3).
Selling points
- Impressive scale and lovely architecture
- One of Medan highlights
- “Beautiful mosque in central Medan”
- The beauty of geometric design
- Moorish style architecture
Location
Jl Masjid Raya, Medan, Indonesia
Tips for you
Reviews
Review: first impression, this town is packed with traffic. everywhere you go cars and motorcycles fill the street. so from my hotel window you can hear the traffic buzzing. The Mosque is loud. I like
The Al Mashun Grand Mosque of Medan aka Masjid Raya is a major landmark of Northern Sumatra that has a quiet charm about it that requires a little bit of time to appreciate. Many people raised in the world of 2-minute noodles, cheap internet porn & Chinese-made electronics expect the world to amaze & wow their senses, all within the 15 mins they spend somewhere. Designed by Dutch architects in North African-Moorish flavour, the Masjid Raya features marble columns from Italy, chandeliers from France, an old clock from The Netherlands & stained glass art-nouveau style windows from Shanghai, China, if this doesn’t impress you, your probably just too posh. The initial design was started by a Christian, who was later transferred to help restore the magnificent Buddhist complex at Borobudur. Built in Moroccan-Moorish style with touches of Dutch character, Medan’s Grand Mosque features an unusual design noticeably different from most traditional mosques. It utilises geometric shapes in its layout which are connected to one another. These can be seen as you first set eyes on it or walk thru the hallways. There are 4 symmetrical octagonal entry halls topped by black domes linked by hallways & illuminated by natural light. The sense of space & proportion are very evident here. The walls & windows are decorated by these geometric shapes which are multiplied in exact size. The halls have access to the inner chamber under the main dome which is supported by 8 large pillars, again in an octagon shape. Today the Masjid Raya is a little worse for wear, tiles are cracked & even some of the beautiful stained glass have shattered but it still has an overall visual impact. More importantly the design has survived without any modifications to its original form.The interior is very ordinary but that’s what happens when religious scholars choose the carpet design. Constructed in 1906, built by the Sultan of Medan, the Grand Mosque was mostly paid for by the fat cat merchant Tjong A Fie, the real king of Medan. Employing more than 10,000 people across his businesses, he pretty much had the biggest gang around. Tjong A Fie gained much from building the Grand Mosque, he became revered by the people, received favours from the sultan & strengthened his iron fist in business & power with the Dutch around North Sumatra in order to stack more gold. The Grand Mosque enhanced the sultan’s own prestige & ego amongst the region’s other rulers. Ironically, this place of spirituality & worship was originally used for profit, power & social politics, cornerstones of greed & people with gold teeth.
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