As of 2013 it is the largest mosque in the region of Southeast Asia, with a capacity of over 120,000. President Suharto inaugurated it as the national mosque on 22 February 1978. The foundation stone was laid by Sukarno on 24 August 1961 the construction took 17 years.
The design submitted by Friedrich Silaban, a Christian architect from North Sumatra, with the theme "Ketuhanan" (English: "Divinity") was chosen as the winner. Sukarno actively followed the planning and construction of the mosque, including acting as the chairman of the jury for the mosque design competition held in 1955. To make way for the mosque, the Citadel Prins Frederick, built in 1837, was demolished. It was later decided that the national mosque was going to be built in Taman Widjaja Kusuma (formerly Wilhelmina park), in front of the Jakarta Cathedral. Sukarno also insisted that the national mosque should be built near Jakarta Cathedral and Immanuel Church, to symbolize religious harmony and tolerance as promoted in Pancasila (the Indonesian national philosophy and the five principles which constitute the philosophical foundation of Indonesian nationhood). This is in accordance with the Javanese tradition that the kraton (king's palace) and masjid agung (grand mosque) should be located around the alun-alun (main Javanese city square), which means it must be near Merdeka Square. However, Sukarno insisted that a national mosque should be located near the most important square of the nation, near the Merdeka Palace. Several locations were proposed Mohammad Hatta, Indonesian vice president, suggested that the mosque should be built near residential areas on Thamrin avenue, on a plot where Hotel Indonesia stands today. In 1954 the committee appointed Sukarno technical chief supervisor. He proposed the idea of a national mosque to Indonesian President Sukarno, who welcomed the idea and later helped to supervise the mosque's construction. The committee for the construction of the Istiqlal Mosque, led by Cokroaminoto, was founded in 1953. The idea of constructing a grand Indonesian national mosque was launched by Wahid Hasyim, Indonesia's first minister for religions affairs, and Anwar Cokroaminoto, later appointed as the chairman of the Masjid Istiqlal Foundation.
On the right side is the Jakarta CathedralĪfter the Indonesian independence in 1945, there was a growing idea to build a national mosque for the new republic, which has been the largest Muslim population in the world since 1971.
Within Jakarta, the mosque is positioned next to Merdeka Square and the Jakarta Cathedral. The mosque was opened to the public on 22 February 1978. Built to commemorate Indonesian independence, this national mosque of Indonesia was named "Istiqlal", an Arabic word for "independence". Istiqlal Mosque ( Indonesian: Masjid Istiqlal, lit.'Independence Mosque') in Jakarta, Indonesia is the largest mosque in Southeast Asia and the sixth largest mosque in the world in terms of worshipper capacity. Steel and concrete structure, marble tiles on floors, walls and domes, ceramics tiles, stainless steel ornaments and metalworks