If there is a place you must visit when you travel to Banda Aceh, it is Baiturrahman Grand Mosque. This is a historic site that has existed since the glory of the Aceh Sultanate and has survived to the present. This mosque has been through various things, ranging from the tragedy of burning by the Dutch colonial in 1873 to the tsunami hit in late 2004.
Baiturrahman Grand Mosque was first built in the era of the Sultanate of Aceh. The roof of the mosque was made in accordance with the characteristics of mosques in Indonesia at that time, a four-tiered pyramid roof.
There are two versions of history regarding the history of the construction of this mosque. Some sources say the mosque was founded in 1292 AD by Sultan Alauddin Johan Mahmudsyah. Meanwhile, other sources say the mosque was founded by Sultan Iskandar Muda in 1612 AD
On its way, this mosque was once burned by the Dutch during the attack on Koetaradja (Banda Aceh) on April 10, 1873. The collapse of the mosque building triggered the eruption of Acehnese resistance. They struggle to defend the mosque until the blood runs out. During the battle, the Dutch lost their commander, Major General Johan Harmen Rudolf Köhler on April 14, 1873.
The mosque was then rebuilt by the Dutch on General Van Der Heijden's orders. The rebuilding of the mosque was part of an effort to defuse the resistance of the people of Aceh to the Dutch occupation. The rebuilding process of Majid Raya Baiturrahman took place in 1879-1881 M. The architecture of the new building was made by de Bruchi who adapted the Moghul (Indian) style.
The mosque, which is located in the center of Banda Aceh, has undergone several expansions. The first occurred in 1936. At the effort of Governor General A. PH. Van Aken, carried out the construction of two domes on the right and left side of the mosque. Furthermore, in 1958-1965, the mosque building was expanded again. In this second expansion, two domes and two towers on the west side (mihrab) were added. These five domes are the five elements in Pancasila.
In 1992, construction was carried out with the addition of two domes and five towers. In addition, the mosque yard was expanded so that the total area of the mosque is currently 16,070 square meters.
When a tsunami wave as high as 21 meters hit the Banda Aceh coast on December 26, 2004, the mosque was among the survivors of the building - despite damage in several parts of the mosque.
