Baiturrahman Great Mosque

The Baiturrahman Mosque of Aceh now looks more beautiful with a new face. Behind the look of anyarnya, the long history of Aceh's struggle is in this mosque.

Behind the beauty of Baiturrahman Great Mosque, the house of pride of the people of Tanah Rencong holds a myriad of stories. It was also General Kohler, the leader of the Dutch forces who died after being shot by an Acehnese warrior.

The whitewashed building stands majestically in the heart of Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh province. On the north and south side, umbrella-style umbrella built Nabawi Mosque in Saudi Arabia. The floor is made of specially ordered marble from Italy. This landscape and infratructure development takes about two years.

After inaugurated by Vice President Jusuf Kalla in mid-May, Baiturrahman mosque increasingly ogled tourists. There, other than as a place of worship is also a tourist destination heritage Aceh.

Various improvements and improvements continue to be done to strengthen its function and existence as the pride of the people of Tanah Rencong.

Built in 1022 H / 1612 M by Sultan Iskandar Muda Mahkota Alam, the Baiturrahman Mosque has undergone several renovations. The expansion and addition of the dome are done. Before becoming beautiful as it is now, this mosque has a long history.

When the Dutch declared war on the kingdom of Aceh on March 26, 1873, Rencong Land fighter made the mosque as a base and fortress. There, made a place to organize war strategies and tactics. The heroes such as Teuku Umar and Cut Nyak Dhien took part in rallying the existence of the Baiturrahman Great Mosque.

Dutch troops led by General Johan Harmen Rudolf Köhler landed on the coast of Aceh on 5 April 1873. He carried 3,198 soldiers and about 168 officers. The first battle erupted. The colonial forces initially succeeded in mastering the Great Mosque of Baiturrahman. Aceh fighters do not remain silent. They made a counterattack that caused General Kohler to die after being pierced by a bullet in the chest.

"When Kohler was shot, the circumstances around the mosque were very crowded, and Kohler was in the midst of the crowd, and suddenly he was shot in the chest, which, according to history, was one of the Mujahideen from Lueng Bata, we heard that the shooter was on top geulampang trees in front of the mosque, "said Ancient Manuscript Collector, Tarmizi Abdul Hamid, when met by AFP on Wednesday (5/31/2017).

During the second Dutch army aggression on April 10, the month of Shafar 1290H / April 1873 AD led by General van Swieten, the Baiturrahman mosque was burned down. The people of Serambi Mecca were furious at the time. Cut Nyak Dhien who led the troops, burning jihad spirit of the fighters. War broke out again.

Four years later, the Dutch returned to build a mosque. The second phase of development is carried out by the Dutch Government. The first stone laying was done by Kadhi Malikul Adil on October 9, 1879. At that time, the civilian and military governor was held by General K. Van Der Heijden.

"The rebuilding of the mosque is a sign of peace between Aceh and the Netherlands," explained the man familiarly called Midi.

The construction of the mosque was completed two years later on 27 December 1881 at a cost of F.203,000 (two hundred and three thousand guilders). The construction contractor is Lie Asie. At that time, the mosque was only built with one dome and size is not too broad. The people of Aceh again use this mosque as a place of worship.

A few years later, the renovation was done. In 1936, the mosque was expanded by the addition of two domes. This development is the work of Governor A. Ph. Van Aken. Later in 1957, the Baiturrahman Mosque re-peppered. Dome added to 5 units.

"The name of the mosque was also changed in 1957. From the previous Masjid Raya Banda Aceh became Baiturrahman Great Mosque," said Midi Check.

Not stop there, the expansion of Baiturrahman Great Mosque continues to be done. In 1991-1993, for example, the Governor of Aceh Ibrahim Hasan made expansion covering the front and back yard and the mosque itself. The expanded part of the mosque, including the floor of the mosque where prayers, library, living room, office space, hall and ablution place.

While the page extension includes, park and parking lot and one main tower and two minarets. So that the space in the mosque into 4,760 m2 Italian-made marble floor, the type with the size of 60 × 120 cm and can accommodate 9,000 worshipers.
With the expansion, the Baiturrahman Great Mosque now has 7 domes, 4 towers, and 1 master tower. In accordance with the development, the area of ​​Great Mosque Baiturrahman approximately 4 hectares. Inside is a pond, the main tower.

The existence of the Baiturrahman mosque is not only a silent witness of the Aceh war against the Dutch. When the Aceh conflict with the Republic of Indonesia rages, this mosque is also a silent witness. There was also held a referendum that was held in 1999. Millions of people gathered to express the attitude at that time.

When the tsunami hit Aceh on December 26, 2004 ago, Baiturrahman mosque was not damaged. Many residents chose to save themselves in the mosque. This location is also chosen as a place to evacuate the bodies of tsunami victims lying.

"The Baiturrahman mosque is a mute witness to the history of Aceh," explained the man who collected nearly 500 ancient manuscripts.