The Raya Lima Kaum Mosque is one of the oldest mosques in Indonesia which is located in Nagari Lima Kaum, Lima Kaum District , Tanah Datar District , West Sumatra . This mosque is estimated to have been founded in 1710. Its location is in the center of Nagari Lima Kaum, namely at Balai Sariak, Jorong Tigo Tumpuak, about 20 meters from the road that leads to Batusangkar towards Padang.
The Raya Lima Kaum Mosque was built long before the Dutch entered Minangkabau, so there was no Western or Dutch architectural influence on the building of this mosque. The architecture of this mosque is generally influenced by the Minangkabau style and the shape of the roof is a syncretism between Hindu – Buddhism and Islam. This mosque stands on a rectangular plot of land, replacing the pagoda building which had long been abandoned by its adherents because they embraced Islam. The roof of this mosque is made of five levels of terraces with a roof surface that is not flat but concave; suitable for tropical climateslike Minangkabau because it can drain rainwater faster down. Between one roof level and another there is a gap for lighting, while on the top level there is a building (top) with an octagonal plan which has several glass windows with a pyramid-shaped roof; from the top of this building you can see the houses of residents around the mosque and the city of Batusangkar.
Inside the main room, which functions as a prayer room, there are pillars made of wood with the main pillar having a diameter of 75 cm and a height of up to 55 m; all the wood used was collected jointly by the local community for about a year from Sangkiang Hill to Dadieh Talago Gunuang Hill. The main pillar is covered with plywood so that it forms an octagon in which there is a staircase going up to the top which is spiral or circular to the left.
On the wall in the main room there are several windows on each side, namely six on the north and south sides plus four on the west and east sides. The walls are made of boards, so is the floor; except for the floor on the mihrab which has been replaced with ceramics. Even though it has undergone several repairs, the walls and floors are still made of planks, and the pillars are still made of wood. In the eastern part of the south of the main room there is a drum or called tabua in Minang languagewhich is made of coconut trees with a diameter from end to end of 27 cm to 60 cm and a length of 220 cm.
To the east or at the front, there is a porch in the form of a room covered with walls and glass with a concrete foundation and has entrances from the north and south. Aside from being a transitional space, the foyer also functions as a place to study the Koran and a place to store shoes. At the top of the foyer is a tower in the form of an octagonal building with two glass windows on each side and crowned by a kind of dome shaped like a conical pumpkin arrangement.
In 2010, this mosque was designated as a cultural heritage along with several other mosques in West Sumatra, such as the Bingkudu Mosque in Nagari Canduang Koto Laweh , the Rao Rao Mosque in Nagari Rao Rao , and the Great Ganting Mosque in Padang City .
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