Mayor Gibran Rakabuming Discusses The Design Of The Grand Mosque Of Surakarta: It Will Accommodate 10 Thousand People With 3 Domes Similar To The Abu Dhabi Grand Mosque

Wali Kota Solo Gibran Rakabuming Raka (Photo: Surakarta.go.id)

JAKARTA - Mayor of Solo, Gibran Rakabuming Raka held a meeting with the independent design and consulting firm, PT Arkonin, who designed the Surakarta Grand Mosque (The Surakarta Grand Mosque). This mosque building will resemble the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi.

Gibran welcomed the arrival of envoys from Abu Dhabi and PT Arkonin. He hopes that the construction of the mosque can strengthen friendly relations between Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates, especially the city of Surakarta.

"Thank you for coming here, gentlemen from Abu Dhabi and PT Arkonin. I hope that the mosque that will be built will strengthen the good relations between Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates", said Gibran, quoted by the website surakarta.go.id, Friday, March 5.

3 representatives from Abu Dhabi (UAE) Mohamad Ali Rasid and colleagues, the Head of the Surakarta Ministry of Religion Hidayat Maskur, representatives of the Indonesian Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and Thohir from Esco Oil and Gas Were in the meeting.

Meanwhile, Nur, a representative from PT Arkonin, said that preparations have been made with land clearing for the groundbreaking ceremony with a capacity of 10.000 people tomorrow, Saturday, March 6.

"The mosque we designed is slightly tilted towards the Qibla. To the east, there will be a boulevard. On the front side, we make a fountain combined with the local trees of Solo City. The parking lot is on the side so it doesn't interfere with the front view”, he explained.

The Grand Mosque in Surakarta will be able to accommodate 10 thousand people. Meanwhile, the mosque in Abu Dhabi can accommodate 40 thousand people. However, there are still 3 main domes like the one in Abu Dhabi.

Apart from being a place of worship, the mosque can also be used for religious tourism. The beautiful shape of the mosque is also equipped with a very charming lighting arrangement and quality materials, including using quality brass and copper from Central Java.

It is known that the groundbreaking ceremony will be attended by the Minister of State-owned Enterprises (BUMN) Erick Tohir representing the Coordinating Minister for Luhut, the Indonesian Minister of Religion, the Minister of Energy and Infrastructure of the UAE, the Governor of Central Java, the Mayor and Deputy Mayor, the Surakarta Regional Secretary and regional officials.

Meanwhile, representatives of Abu Dhabi appreciated the welcome and friendly service from the Mayor of Surakarta and its citizens.

"We hope this can strengthen the relationship between the two countries. Thank you for the award with the warm welcome of the mosque construction from us. We hope that our friendship will be getting closer and closer. We are very happy to travel to Solo”, he said.

On the other hand, Mayor Gibran greatly appreciates Abu Dhabi's support for the religious climate in Surakarta. "Thank you for the support and have a good time in Solo", said Mayor Gibran.