Surrounding Attraction
Istiqlal Mosque
Sawah Besar, Central Jakarta
Istiqlal is the largest mosque in Southeast Asia, a serene monument to faith and national unity completed in 1978. Its vast prayer hall, capped by a 45-metre dome and supported by gleaming stainless steel columns, can welcome more than two hundred thousand worshippers. Designed by a Christian architect as a gesture of tolerance, it stands in quiet dialogue with the Catholic cathedral just across the road. Respectful visitors of all backgrounds are warmly received, and guided tours offer a moving introduction to its architecture and meaning.
