Jakarta’s Ancient Mosque on Brink of Collapse

Over a decade ago I was fortunate enough to visit the Al Anwar Mosque in Jakarta. It is a splendid piece of architecture and one that epitomises the beauty of Islam. Unfortunately it is now under threat.

According to Antara News Agency the two hundred and fifty three year old Al Anwar mosque in Jakarta is now on the brink of collapse due to the lack of maintenance, the caretaker of the mosque H.Ahmad Supriyatna said. Supriyatna said the repair of the cultural relics in Jakarta has become most urgent like mending cracks on the walls of the old mosque, sinking floors and collapsed or leaking roof.

He had made a request to the cultural office of the Jakarta city administration in February 2006 for funds to be used for the repair of the damaged roof but as yet he has received no response.

Supriyatna who has been taking care of the mosque since 1968 said that most of the money spent on repairs came from alms and regular contributions. Regarding expenditures, Supriyatna said he has to pay the fees of four cleaning service personnel in addition to spending millions in electricity bills and for Quran reading teachers.

The mosque which was built in the 1700s has teak wooden doors of Balinese,carving type and renovated seven times. The mosque represents mixed Balinese, Chinese and Dutch architecture, Supriyatna said, adding that it is hardly possible to repair this kind of mosque appropriately as it needed a lot of money.

The ancient mosque was classified as a cultural relic and supposed to be a special attraction to foreign tourists but very few go there because it is located deep in Kampung Bali, Jakarta.

The mosque will celebrate its 253rd anniversary on September 20 this year, hopefully.