CHENG HO MOSQUE , Surabaya's Tourism (East Java-Indonesia)

CHENG HO MOSQUE




Cheng Ho Mosque Surabaya is the first mosque in Indonesia that uses the name of Chinese Muslims, and become a symbol of peace of religious people.
The name of this mosque is a form of homage to Cheng Ho, a Chinese admiral who is Muslim. He traveled to the Southeast Asia region with several missions, including trade, friendship, and spreading the teachings of Islam.
The construction of the Cheng Ho Mosque, also known as Masjid Muhammad Cheng Ho Surabaya coincides with Isra 'Miraj Muhammad SAW, which was on October 15, 2001. The process took one year and was completed in October 2002. The mosque was founded on the initiative of elders , advisors, administrators of the Imam Tauhid Islama (PITI), the board of Haji Muhammad Cheng Ho Indonesia of East Java, as well as Chinese community leaders in Surabaya.
The mosque complex is built on a land of 3,070 m2. The blend of Arab and Chinese styles became the hallmark of this mosque. The architecture of the mosque was inspired by the Niu Jie Mosque in Beijing which was built in 996 AD, and appears on the main roof, and the crown of the mosque.Moreover, this mosque combines Arabic and Javanese architectural style. The architect of Cheng Ho Mosque Surabaya is Abdul Aziz.
Each section of the mosque building contains its own philosophy or meaning. Majid Cheng Ho's main building measuring 11 x 9 meters, following the length and width of the Ka'bah when first built by the Prophet Ibrahim AS measuring 11 meters. While the size of 9 meters taken from the number of guardians (Wali Songo) who implement syiar Islam on the island of Java.
The entrance of the mosque resembles a pagoda, with a dragon relief and a lion statue of a candle bearing the word "Allah" in Arabic at the top of the pagoda. On the left side of the building there is a beduk that is often used to mark the time of prayer arrived.
The top of the three-story building is the influence of Javanese Hindu. The shape is octagonal and resembles a pagoda. In Chinese belief, the number 8 means 'Fat' or luck. In the porch section of the mosque there are five children tangka that represents Pillars of Islam. While the six steps on the inside of the mosque represents Rukun Iman. Overall, Cheng Ho Mosque can accommodate 200 people worshipers.
The result of a mix of styles on this makes Cheng Ho Mosque dominated by four colors: red, yellow, blue, and green. In Chinese belief, these four colors are a symbol of happiness, fame, hope, and prosperity.
Besides enjoying the beautiful architecture of the mosque building, visitors can also see the relief admiral named Mohammed Cheng Hoo along with the ship used when sailing the Indian Ocean .One of the messages to be conveyed through this relief is that Muslims remain humble in daily life.
Inside the mosque complex there are kindergarten schools, sports fields, offices, as well as Chinese language courses, and cafeteria. So visitors, especially the people who live around the mosque, can feel more benefit from this place. Besides actively used as a place of daily worship and during Idul Fitri and Eid al-Adha, various social activities such as the distribution of basic foods, blood donors are also often held here.
In addition to Cheng Ho Mosque Surabaya, there are two similar mosques located in other cities, namely Cheng Ho Palembang Mosque or also called Al Islam Mosque Muhammad Cheng Ho, and Cheng Ho Pandaan Mosque Pasuruan. This mosque is crowded especially on the celebration of the Muslim big day . Visitors who come generally want to worship, or simply enjoy the beauty of mosque building architecture.
Cheng Ho Mosque is located at Jalan Gading no. 2, Ketabang, Genteng, or about 1,000 meters north of Surabaya City Hall Building . To get to this location, you can choose Jalan Taman Kusuma Bangsa.
Source : http://www.eastjava.com

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