Mesjid Agung Banten

The Agung Banten mosque, as the old and historic mosque other, always was enlivened by the pilgrims who could reach thousands of people daily, both the morning, the afternoon, and tonight from various areas in Java generally. Often their number reached peak in the date 14 Maulud because to two the previous day, namely the date 12 Maulud was held by the warning maulid (the birth) the Prophet in the Agung Banten mosque Compleks the mosque building in the Old Banten Village
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around 10 km next north the Serang City, the capital of the Banten Province, that became the pilgrimage tourist attraction architecture that was very interesting because of the style of unique building art and was gotten by many elements of interesting architecture. The first interesting side from the main building the mosque, that was built the first time by Sultan Maulana Hasanuddin (1552-1570), the first sultan Kasultanan Demak that also son of the first Sunan Gunung Jati, The roof that the pile of five. According to the tradition, the main building plan the roofed mosque the pile of five this was entrusted to the Chinese architect named Cek Ban Cut. Apart from the number of heaps, the form and his expression also put forward the uniqueness that was not experienced by his similarity with mosques all along the Javanese Island, in fact all over Indonesia. Only Jepara mosque paintings around the year 16th that was made by Wouter Schouten in Reistogt Naar en Door Oostindien and was published the first time during 1676 as well as was printed by the birthday 1780 showed the mosque had a roof of the pile of five. The mosque that his painting had been published by Francois Valentijn in Oude en nieuw Oost-Indien showed the Chinese pagoda idiom, good from the form, the expression, to Sculptures mesjid agung banten the interesting place According to Graaf and Pigeaud, Masjid Agung Banten since initially had a roof of the pile of five, but in the 17th age had been changed into three. The matter was like this was enabled because of two highest pile rooves in fact only additional rooves that were supported the central pole that when being eliminated did not disrupt the construction beneath it. That was most interesting from the Agung Banten mosque roof was precisely to two heaps of the concentric roof highest that was very vague reminded the Chinese pagoda idiom. The two rooves stood exact on the peak of the heap of the third roof with the structure system of the distributor of the style that met in one point. The laying like that showed the impression as though the roof in the critical position and was easy unstable, but this precisely became the special attraction. Two heaps of the roof were highest that appearance was more functioning as the crown compared to as the cover roof of space of the building interior. It is not surprising that the form and the expression like that actually could be read in two interpretations: the mosque had a roof of the pile of five or the mosque had a roof of the pile of three by being increased two crowns above as the aesthetic element. The other interesting ELEMENT was the tower on the east that was big and monumental as well as was classified as unique because of being never gotten by the form of the tower like that in Java, in fact all over the Indonesian Archipelago. Caused the tower not the tradition that equipped the mosque in Java in the beginning period, then the Agung Banten mosque including among the mosque that at first used the element of the tower in Java. The tradition mentioned, the tower constructed bricks be as high as approximately 24 metre this previously it seems more functioning as the look tower/the observer to the coast because of his form that was similar to the lighthouse than as the place carried the call to prayer. It was clear, all the Dutch news about Banten almost always named this tower, proved the tower always is interesting attention of the visitor the Banten City the past. The note of Dirk van Lier in 1659 and Wouter Schouten that came during 1661 to mention, the tower was still being used as the place of the storage of the weapon/the person's ammunition Banten. Afterwards just including the Stavorinus article that wrote about Banten in 1769 acknowledged the tower as the place called the person to worship. The news showed also the tower was built not at intervals of old with the development of the mosque. From results of investigation of Dr KC Crucq, that had been contained in his article of being entitled Aanteekeningen Over de Manara te Banten (Some Catatan about the Tower in Banten) that was published in Tidscrift Voor de Indische Taal, Land and Volkenkunde van Nederlandsch Indie, was stated, the tower was built in the period of Sultan Maulana Hasanudin when son of Maulana Yusuf has been mature and married. As being said by Pijper (1947:280), the tower had the shape of the octagon warned in the form of the lighthouse, especially mercu the Netherlands. At this time had legacy proof of the artificial Dutch lighthouse in Anyer next west Serang from the 19th age, namely the lighthouse building that in several matters had the resemblance with the Masjid Agung Banten Tower. This form usual was found in the Dutch Country, like the octagon, the door to the upper part arch, the construction of the ladder coiled as the spiral, and his head had two levels. However, from the side of the style decorated, the Agung Banten mosque tower appeared to be affected style art decorated that was met in Java, like the head decoration of the tower have the shape of dagoba or the triangle decoration memanjang that was known as Tumpal. Both of them were often encountered to the Jago Temple in East Java and other temples. Moreover, the motive of the niche to the door to the tower as though being the simplification of the motive the time-makara in the Indonesian cultural tradition preIslam like also the decoration mihrab the Agung Kasepuhan mosque in Cirebon. In the south of the mosque was gotten the stratified building was in a house style the Netherlands contemporary that was mentioned tiyamah (the pavilion). The building that was drafted by the architect Dutch Hendrik Lucasz Cardeel in the 18th age previously became the place of the important meeting. At this time, the building that berdenah rectangular, two levels and each having three big spaces was made function as the museum of the legacy object, especially the armament. The European style was very clear to the building, especially to the big window in the upper level. The window was meant put totalling possibly the light and air. *** mesjid agung banten cultureIN FACT still many unique elements other that briefly could be named, like the existence extolled from the stone andesit had the shape of the measuring gourd big and heterogenous in each foundation of the mosque pole. That was measuring biggest with the line of the gourd that often was extolled to four poles of the teacher's heritage in the middle of prayers space. The measurement extolled big this will not be met by us all along the Javanese Island, except in the former ruins of one of the mosques of Kasultanan Mataram in Plered, Yogyakarta. Moreover, was gotten the big and antique platform was full of the decoration and the colour. The place of this sermon was wakaf Nyai Haji Irad Jonjang Serang in the date 23 Syawal 1323 mesjid agung banten Hijriyah (1903 M.) as being written in the Arabian letter barren in penampil the part arch on the face of the platform. Was different from his platform that attracted attention, mihrab him (the place of the priest led prayers) that had the shape of the hole was precisely very small, narrow and simple. This was very different from mihrab that developed to the mosque in the other part of the world. The existence of the hall and the pond for ritual ablution on the east equips the characteristics of the Javanese mosque generally. The hall pole that was built in the government's period of Sultan Maulana Yusuf same used extolled the gourd stone with the form of the building and the traditional Javanese construction technique. That was strange was the layout of the grave. Traditionally, the grave in the traditional mosque complex in Java was placed in the west, but in this mosque was placed in the north. This layout developed in several historic mosques in the Banten territory, like in the Kasunyatan mosque. This gave the new tradition to the traditional mosque in Java, apart from the existence of the element of the tower