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Demak Great Mosque () is one of the List of the oldest mosques in the world#Eurasia, oldest List of mosques in Indonesia, mosques in Indonesia, located in the center town of Demak, Indonesia, Demak, Central Java, Indonesia. The mosque is believed to have been built by the ''Wali Songo'' ("Nine Muslim Saints") with the most prominent figure, Sunan Kalijaga, during the first Demak Sultanate ruler, Raden Patah, during the 15th century.
Its walls contain Vietnamese ceramics. With their shapes derived from conventions of Javanese woodcarving and brickwork, they are thought to have been specially ordered. The use of ceramic rather than stone is thought to have been in imitation of the mosques of Persia.
File:Moskee te Demak.jpg, Demak Great Mosque, Java in 1810, KITLV 29489
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM De moskee van Demak TMnr 10016515.jpg, Masjid Agung Demak, end of 19th century
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM De moskee van Demak TMnr 60054754.jpg, 1920-1939
File:Masjid Agung Demak.jpg, August 2016
File:Menara_Masjid_Agung_Demak.jpg, Minaret, August 2016
Features
Although it has had several renovations, it is thought to be largely in its original form except for the addition of a verandah or surambi in the nineteenth century. It is a classic example of a traditional Javanese mosque. Unlike mosques in the Middle East, the Demak Great Mosque is built from timber. Rather than a dome, which did not appear in Indonesian mosques until the 19th century, the roof is tiered and supported by four saka guru teak pillars. The tiered roof shows many similarities with wooden religious structures from the Hindu-Buddhist civilizations of Java and Bali. The main entrance of Masjid Agung Demak consists of two doors carved with motifs of plants, vases, Crown (headgear), crowns, and an animal head with an open wide-toothed mouth. It is said that the picture depicts the manifested thunder caught by Ki Ageng Selo, hence their name ''Lawang Bledheg'' (the doors of thunder). Like other mosques of that era, its qibla, orientation towards Mecca is only approximate.Carving and historical relics
Its walls contain Vietnamese ceramics. With their shapes derived from conventions of Javanese woodcarving and brickwork, they are thought to have been specially ordered. The use of ceramic rather than stone is thought to have been in imitation of the mosques of Persia.
Gallery
See also
* Islam in Indonesia * Indonesian architectureReferences
{{Mosques in Indonesia Demak Regency Mosques in Central Java Cultural Properties of Indonesia in Central Java Buildings and structures completed in 1479 Mosques completed in the 1470s Grand mosques, Demak Demak Sultanate