Baiturrahman Grand Mosque

The original Masjid Raya ("Grand Mosque") was built in 1612 during the reign of Iskandar Muda, Sultan of Aceh. Some say the original mosque was built even earlier in 1292 by Sultan Alaidin Mahmudsyah. The original royal mosque features a multi-tiered thatched roof, a typicalAcehnese architecture.

During the First Aceh Expedition, the mosque became a center of armed resistance to the Dutch and therefore it was destroyed razed to the ground on 6 Januari 1874 by the East Indies Governor General van Swieten. In March 1877, the Dutch offered to rebuild the mosque to the local rulers. Construction only began in 1879. The first stone was laid by Tengku Qadhi Malikul Adil who became the first Imam. Construction was completed on 27 December 1881 during the rulership of Muhammad Daud Syah, the last sultan of Aceh. Initially, many Acehnese refused to pray at Baiturrahman, because it was built by the Dutch with ambitions to conquer Aceh, however today it is the pride of Banda Aceh.

At first, the Baiturrahman Mosque featured one dome and one minaret. More domes and minarets were added in 1935, 1958 and 1982. Today the mosque has seven domes and eight minarets, including one that is claimed to be the highest minaret in Banda Aceh.

Baiturrahman Grand Mosque survived the 2004 earthquake and tsunami but suffered minor damages such as wall cracks. The earthquake had slightly tilted and cracked the 35 meter minaret by the main gate. During the disaster, The mosque served as a temporary shelter for displaced persons and only reopened for prayers after two weeks.

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