Govt Renovates Indonesias Iconic Istiqlal Mosque
The Government is set to renovate Istiqlal mosque, Indonesias iconic mosque.
Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing has planned to allocate Rp465 billion for the 2019-2020 fiscal year to renovate the mosque, which was built by architect Friedrich Silaban 41 years ago.
The decision to renovate the mosque which is the largest mosque in South East Asia – was made after President Jokowi visited Istiqlal mosque with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“President Jokowi took the Indian Prime Minister to Istiqlal Mosque last year. He was surprised and was aware that the mosque badly needs renovation,” Minister of Public Works and Public Housing Basuki Hadimuljono said after the contract signing ceremony between the Ministry and state-owned construction company Waskita in Jakarta, Thursday (16/5).
Basuki added that the renovation will take approximately ten months, adding that the President expressed hoped that the mosque would become the ‘cultural pride’ of the country.
Minister of Religious Affairs Lukman Hakim Saifuddin assured that the renovation project will not disrupt the mosque function as a place of worship.
In the meantime, Director General of Housing of Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing Danis H. Sumadilaga said that the parking lot for 200,000 vehicles is expected to be completed next year. “The mosque should have a two-story basement parking space to increase parking capacity. We will also make changes to the mosques lighting and carpets,” he said.
Istiqlal Mosque management head Asep Saepudin stated that there are three philosophies underlying the renovation, namely Hablumminallah reflected in the renovation of the main building as a place of worship, Hablumminannas reflected in public space, and Hablumminalalamin reflected in the cultural heritage. He added that the renovation would not modify the building’s structure or characteristic. (ANT/ES)
Translated by: Syarifah Aisyah
Edited by: Ridwan Ibadurrohman/M. Ersan Pamungkas
