“Another mosque?” you might ask. But Masjid Jami Al-Murtamiyyah holds a unique position in Jakarta. This isn’t just another place of worship. It’s a cultural and historical landmark.
Masjid Jami Al-Murtamiyyah offers a serene escape from the city’s frenetic energy. Imagine stepping through its gates. You leave behind the noise and enter a space of quiet contemplation. The mosque’s architecture speaks volumes about its history. Its design is a blend of various cultural influences.
The story of Masjid Jami Al-Murtamiyyah intertwines with the broader narrative of Jakarta. The Angke Mosque is one of the oldest mosques in Jakarta. The historian Denys Lombard called it one of the most elegant of the old town. The multiethnic origin of colonial Jakarta reflects in the history of the Angke Mosque.
The kampung settlement around the Angke Mosque was known as Kampung Goesti. Balinese people settled there under Kapitan Goesti Ktut Badulu. By the mid-eighteenth century this community converted from Hinduism to Islam.
The Angke Mosque was founded on April 2 1761. Nyonya Tan and Syaikh Liong Tan were the main benefactors of the mosque. They were Muslim converts from Batavia’s local Chinese community.
The Angke Mosque is near a canal known as Angke. Ang means blood and Ke means carcass. The stream was located close to a slaughterhouse. It was contaminated with blood and carcasses. The area is still known as Pejagalan which means slaughterhouse.
Prince Syarif Hamid a Sultan from Pontianak was captured by the Dutch in 1856. He was held at Manggadua. He was buried in front of the Angke Mosque on July 17 1858 when he died. People from Pontianak visit his grave. Many Chinese in this area are devout Moslems. Many tombstones near the mosque bear Chinese and Arabic inscriptions. The oldest tombstones show Islamic Banten and Aceh origins.
The Angke mosque has been restored several times in recent decades. It was restored in 1970 1985–1987 and 2016. The building is a cultural heritage protected under law.
The Angke Mosque is the only mosque in Jakarta that has remained unaltered since it was built. Its roof is on two levels. That is the typical Javanese style for roofs of places of worship. The architecture of the mosque follows the form of a traditional mosque of Java. That is apparent in its tiered roof. Various different elements such as Balinese Chinese and Dutch are apparent throughout the house of worship.
Balinese elements are pronounced particularly in the mosque’s window shutters. The tips of its roof take the form of a Balinese punggel. That curves up like in traditional Balinese architecture. The bracketing construction of the roof follows Chinese norms. Some of the decorative elements on the roof take the form of a Chinese lotus. That is a symbol of Buddhist enlightenment. Dutch colonial influences are also apparent in the main door and window ornamentation of the mosque.
The mosque is of small size. It is 15 x 15 m within a land of 400 sqm. The mosque complex contains a cemetery.
As you leave Masjid Jami Al-Murtamiyyah consider its enduring legacy. It stands as a testament to Jakarta’s rich cultural tapestry. It is a symbol of faith history and architectural fusion.