Foreign Batang Mosque Keramat

Foreign Batang Mosque

"Blossoms, sir," said a mother offers a form Pincuk from banana leaves to a pegunjung when they want to enter the gate. Gate toward the tomb. The tomb is able to provide livelihood to some people outside bars, because thousands of pilgrims who come each year.

In the township at the northern end Jakata, stands for Foreign Batang Mosque. One of the religious tourist center that is able to quench the thirst. Foreign Name Batang taken from the founding of the village mosque.

The mosque is also commonly known as the Sacred Mosque Outside bars, because there are graves that are considered to give blessings to pilgrims who prayed there, the tomb is the tomb of the founder of the mosque and his students are of Chinese descent.

Initially only a mosque or prayer house, founded in 1739 by Habib Husein ibn Abu Bakr al-Idrus who came from Hadramaut, South Yemen. "According to the story that I heard from generation to generation, when it Habib Husein was aged 12 years," said Hadi, chairman of the mosque now. Imagine. Does it make sense Habib Husein age children are able to establish a mosque, if there is no miracle from the Almighty.

Because of its location very close to the sea, every year rob the mosque is always submerged in water (tide). In order to maintain the existence of this sacred mosque, expansion and backfill has been done repeatedly.

As a result the original building also has not looked back, in addition to twelve European-style pillars and ancient gates that can accommodate about 2,000 worshipers. Very unfortunate, but this mosque is one of the buildings are protected by law because it has a high historical value. But the main interest of religion is more than just preserve history.

Foreign Batang Mosque already have supporting infrastructure, such as ablution and toilet room representative, parking, daycare slippers and goods, and guesthouse accommodation for the travelers who make pilgrimages in this mosque. In addition, in the vicinity of the mosque there are also stalls offering a variety of foods and snacks, as well as various souvenirs as souvenirs for the pilgrims.

On a typical day, Foreign Batang Mosque visited by pilgrims about five dozen people each day. While the special moments of Muslims, like Maulud Prophet Muhammad (day of birth of Prophet Muhammad SAW) and Nuzulul Qur'an (day decline in the Qur'an), visitors can reach thousands of people. "The pilgrims or tourists who come here 24 hours without stopping, either individual or group with big buses," said Hadi told erawisata.com

Interestingly, these pilgrims not only from various regions in Indonesia, but from Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Africa, and Yemen, and even China. This certainly gives a sign, that the sacred mosque has its own magnet for pilgrims, as well as foreign tourists.

But the committee deplored the government's indifference to the mosque and the surrounding environment. Had Foreign Kampung Batang well laid out, of course, will be more tourists who come and stay longer.

The problem in this village there is also the Maritime Museum, and it can be said one location to the port of Sunda Kelapa. Actually this is a potential to create an integrated tourism on the coast of Jakarta.

"As objects of cultural and religious sights, the construction of this mosque was purely of pilgrims infak funds only. There was no interference from the government. In the past there was a discourse of Foreign Rod will be made as Betawi neighborhoods first, to attract more tourists. But the discourse is a discourse, "said Hadi, deplored the local government's promises.