Mosque Tower Kudus, symbol of Tolerance Full Power Attract

Mosque Tower Kudus whose shape has a different gate to the mosque building in general in Indonesia. Gate and the building of the tower made of red stones charm remains.

In the month of Ramadan, the ancient mosque is still interesting. Not only for foreign tourists, but also many domestic pilgrims flocked to the venue. Many local tourists who appeared solemn reading the Qur'an on the gate inside the mosque. Deliberately approached the gate with the intention that more thoughtfully when praying. Gate which is in the mosque remained strong as the original form of the rich historical value.

In Ramadan, the Mosque Kudus crowded visited the Tower of Muslims from across the country. Nothing else except the traders take advantage of the momentum of the Kudus month to take advantage as he hawked his wares around the historic area of the mosque.

Many of the pilgrims take advantage of this Ramadan in addition to beritikaf, also visited the tomb of Sunan Kudus is located on the west side of the mosque. After reading the Koran and prayer, the pilgrims perform ablution in the pond outside the famous tomb complex with cool water.

Sacred Mosque located in Tower Village Kauman, Sub City, the Kudus District, Central Java Province. This mosque has become one of the important historical sites of Islam in Java.

Historically, the mosque stands on 956 Hijri or 1549 AD by the name of Al-Aqsa Mosque. The place was called the same as one of the mosques in Palestine which now remains the international attention.

According to historical studies, is Ja `far Sodiq (later known as Sunan Kudus) which had carried the memories of a stone from the Baitul Maqdis in Palestine for the establishment of the first stone mosque was later given the name al-Aqsa mosque in the Holy.

Later the mosque was very popular with the Holy Tower calls. This is because referring to the temple tower on the east side of the architecture of the Hindu Majapahit print.

When Islam entered the archipelago, according to the Rector of State Islamic University (UIN) Jakarta, Prof.. Dr. Komaruddin Hidayat, was wisely appreciated the Islamic missionaries encountered ancestral traditions while introducing the teachings of Al Quran. Thus, between religion and culture support each other and complement each other. Religion does not grow without culture and culture of the container will be lost without direction and guidance of the spirit of religion.

The uniqueness of this mosque is hard to forget. The reason this form no one match in the whole world. Architectural form unique and fascinating. According to one visitor, in honor of the Hindu religion, people who live in the Kudus cows do not slaughter animals, since animals in Hindu respected for its adherents. They were obedient and still holds testament Sunan Kudus.

According to a page, written Bambang Setia Budi, Holy tower building has a height of 18 meters, measuring approximately 100 m square at the bottom. Cultural describes the whole building Javanese-Hindu.

Legs and body of the tower was built and carved with the Hindu-Javanese tradition, including the motive. Other characteristics can be seen in the use of brick materials are installed without adhesive cement, but is said to rub-rub until sticky and specifically the so-called corridor at the foot of the tower pradaksinapatta often found in the temple.

Javanese traditional construction techniques can also be seen on the head-shaped tower of a building berkonstruksi teak with four pillar of supporting two stacks of roof canopy.

While at the top of the roof there is a kind of canopy mustoko (head) as the peak of the roof overlap in the main building of traditional mosques in Java, which clearly refers to the elements of Javanese-Hindu architecture.

Historical relations

Because of his age, the Tower of the Holy Mosque to the attention of researchers and overseas travelers. In the various pages in the story that this mosque but still has a historical link with the Hindu Majapahit, also had a historical relationship with other nations in the world.

Suprapto, one observer of the mosque was mentioned by a page that the historians, researchers, archaeologists, and the author of archeological history, generally focused on the history and uniqueness of the building alone.

Apparently, he said, knick-knacks Mosque Tower, especially pottery, it was no less exciting as building a mosque. Then he told the findings of two archaeologists from Japan, Takashi Sakai and Tadashi Takimoto, who examine and trace the origins of various ceramics in the mosque tower. The result, two of the many who became a kind of ceramic decoration in the mosque tower is made of ceramic factories in Vietnam the 14th century until the 15th.

Factory long enough disappeared from circulation. Conversely, ceramics made in China still continues to produce until now. For one thing, the quality of ceramics made in China better.

However, not simply a quality problem observed Sakai and Takimoto, but connected with religion and civilization. Vietnamese citizens in general are Hindus and Buddhists. Meanwhile, Sunan Kudus, founder of the mosque tower, is one of the Wali Songo in Indonesia.

Based on their results while the number of historic sites and tombs Wali Songo, ceramics from Vietnam at the time the most commonly found. This is really interesting to trace.

Two Vietnamese-made pottery in the mosque, one of them stuck on the "door" of the north. Rectangular shape, with a white base color, in the middle of a bluish color with a floral motif. This is the oldest age, the early 14th century or around the year 1450.

Ceramic attached to the other "door" to the south, in the form of larger, more interesting, and more dominated by blue floral motif. Younger age, which is about late or early 15th century. This ceramic floral "smell" Vietnam and the shape "smell" of Islam.

Motives and forms of this kind can be found in Istanbul.