The many newly-built mosques in
this part of the world have evolved to become great monumental structures ,
which were initially basic, simple and rudimentary structures. Even so, some
the newly-built mosques remain purely as a place of worship, without being
utilised fully as it had been done by the Prophet Muhammad PBUH in the
AI-Masjid AI-Nabawi in Madinah .

With the Prophet ‘ s guiding
principle in proposing the building of this mosque , the Central Java Province
authority initiated a mosque design competition aimed at re-living the glories
in the same spirit as when the Prophet Muhammad PBUH first built his mosque in
Madinah.

Completed in 2006 , the Great
Mosque of Central Java in Semarang is the largest and most important mosque in
the province, with a capacity to accommodate up to 16,000 worshippers. In
addition to the main prayer hall , the mosque complex comprises ablution
facilities , an auditorium, and museum, a building for the Islamic cultural
office, shops, guest houses, a radio studio and library, as well as an open
courtyard with minarets.

THE INTERNATIONAL LOCAL MOSQUE

The design submitted by
Jakarta-based architectural firm PT Atelier Enam Mekar Bangun was selected by
the competition committee. Located in the district of Gayamsari, construction
of the mosque began in 2001 and was completed in 2006. The mosque’s site is
surrounded by picturesque settings of green paddy fields to the west and
neighbouring housing areas to the east and south.

The design of the mosque mixes
the Southeast Asian style with elements of Arabian-Middle East and Postmodern
design. A mixture of the various styles is clearly seen in the huge pyramidal
roof structure, surmounted by a bulbous round dome flanked immediately by a
group of four minarets. The main building is preceded by two rectangular
buildings with a courtyard at its centre.

The courtyard is also used as an
overspill area for praying and is uniquely equipped with retractable umbrella
tent structures reminiscent of the umbrellas of AI-Masjid AI-Nabawi in Madinah.
The six large, hydraulically-operated umbrellas can be deployed automatically
and used during important occasions or Friday prayers, to shade the courtyard
from the hot mid-afternoon sun, thus making the space usable for the
worshippers. At the near end of the courtyard, a U-shaped open structure with
horseshoe-shaped arches with modified Greek style columns encircles the
fountain pool.

Built as an integrated religious
complex, the Great Mosque of Central Java has also been developed as an
attraction for religious practices and tourism. The 99 metres [324 feet)
AI-Husna Tower, which bears resemblance to the tower of the Menara Kudus
Mosque, houses a radio studio, museum, revolving restaurant and an observation
gallery.

THE LARGE INTERIOR

The wide square prayer hall was
formed by four mammoth columns that support the upper-roof tier where the main
dome and four minarets are located. The roof tier is furnished with clerestory
windows which illuminate the interior space with natural light, supplementing
the light cast by the grand, circular chandelier.

Besides its columns and
wide-spanning arches , the space of the main prayer hall is largely dominated
by the pyramidal roof trusses that run vertically on all sides. The space is
rendered in green and is designed as a double volume space which allows for a
raised female prayer gallery. The mihrab and mimbar were formed by a built-in
portal at the centre of the qib/a wall, flanked by cut-out arches. The
entablature of the portal is adorned with a band of calligraphic Quranic
inscriptions, with a fine timber arch outlining the marble niche space. Several
wall arches, framed in the wood facilitate natural lighting into the space
below. On the right of the mihrab is a built-in mimbar with a round arched
opening of the pulpit platform.