Istiklal Mosque in Jakarta

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Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta is the largest mosque in Southeast Asia, and by some estimates the largest in the southern hemisphere. It can accommodate about 120,000 believers on 6 floors at the same time (sometimes the figure is even called 200,000), and this, please note, is more than the population of most medium-sized cities. It is also the national mosque of Jakarta, and the most important in the country. The idea of its construction arose back in 1949, after Indonesia gained independence from the Netherlands, but the construction was laid only in 1961, and it was opened only in 1978. The name of the mosque is appropriate - "istiqlal", which means "independence" in Arabic.

Tourists, including non-Muslims, are free to visit the mosque. At the information desk on the ground floor, you will be given a free cape if you are dressed inappropriately. Remarkably, female tourists can even visit the mosque without a headscarf. If you are lucky, the volunteers will conduct a tour of the mosque in English for a tip.

The entrance to the mosque for tourists is on the east side. Before visiting, you need to take off your shoes, for which you can buy plastic bags from barkers on the street for 1-2 thousand rupees, they will also show you the entrance. Be careful! Tourists are also "processed" by false guides who catch foreigners on the street and offer excursions for money under the pretext that there is no other way to visit the mosque. That's not true. You can enter and navigate the mosque yourself anywhere, take photos and make video recordings. No one will tell you anything, everyone is very friendly, and will even be ready to help you and pose. The main thing is not to interfere with believers to pray.