February 1, 2009

Semarang "Religious" Tour - part 2 : Mosque & Church

Continuing my previous post of Semarang's places of interest, here are other locations I visited.
Note : The photos may be a bit dark, it was late in the afternoon when I got there.


3. Grand Mosque of Central Java
Address : Jl. Gajah Raya, Gayamsari


This mosque is the biggest mosque in the province of Central Java.

In front of the mosque are 6 huge umbrellas that are retractable such as the ones in Nabawi mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia. The taxi driver who took me there said that the umbrellas are rarely opened though, only when there is a special ceremony going on.



Umbrellas in front of the mosque


Nearby the mosque is a tower 99 meters high which symbolizes the 99 names of God. Unfortunately I didn't know that you can go up the tower. Later on, I read in a blog that the view of Semarang from up there is quite beautiful and that on the 18th floor there is even a revolving cafe. (Gosh, it really is build as a tourist attraction!)


On the right: the 99m tower


4. Blenduk Church
Address : Jl. Let. Jend. Suprapto no. 32


This is the oldest Christian Church in Central Java which was built in 1753 during the Dutch colonization. The name comes from its dome-shaped top.

It lies in the old town of Semarang. I found the buildings nearby the church quite interesting, reminded me a bit of Europe. Many were not in good shape although there was one which was restored and turned into a restaurant.

I love these old-styled lamp-posts.

It was a shame that many of the buildings were in poor shape

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow! That Grand Mosque is just incredible. The architectural details that went into its construction are amazing. My wife and I were married in the old Bethal Church in Bandung. I always liked the look of that Church. Thanks for part 2 of the tour!

Fitri - saya turis... said...

I was just in Bandung today. However I didn't get a chance to go around the city. I'm actually still curious about the martabak you wrote in your blog,...the only thing I bought was brownies from Kartika Sari :)

Anonymous said...

Oh yes...Kartika Sari. My wife likes their pisang molen. I hope you get the chance to try out that martabak. Now you make me hungry. :)

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...