A Study on the History and Development of the Javanese Mosque

Abstract

This paper aims at critically reviewing a number of theories and previous studies on the origin of the Javanese mosque. Some theories have been put forward by Dutch archeologists and historians since the 1930s, and were subject to debate until 1960s. Beyond this time, the debate was continued by an Indonesian archeologist in 1962/1963 and a French scholar in 1985. All of these theories will be reviewed as there are some doubts and unclear parts. The problems of each theory will be explained and discussed. Based on this review and critique, the most reliable theory will be asserted with new arguments and some evidence from Javanese temple reliefs.

Kajian Makna Saka Guru di Masjid Gedhé Mataram Kotagede Yogyakarta (Sebuah Tinjauan Arsitektur)

“…Struktur utama masjid Jawa menggunakan tiang induk dari kayu (saka guru) di tengah ruang salat utama untuk menopang atap. Budi (Budi, 2004) dalam jurnalnya tentang sejarah dan perkembangan Masjid Jawa, menguraikan : Jumlah saka guru biasanya empat, tapi kadang enam atau delapan dan kadang hanya satu (saka tunggal). Struktur prinsip ini bersama dengan atap bertumpuk piramidal menyediakan ruang interior yang tinggi dan membentuk aksialitas vertikal yang kuat.…”

Kajian Pusat Spiritual Dalam Konteks Jawa

“…Pendopo, dengan bentuk yang berasal dari rumah adat dan konstruksi Joglo, berfungsi sebagai masjid saat Islam pertama datang (Budi, 2005). Pada saat itu, atap pendopo juga melambangkan gunung, namun bukan perubahan bentuk tetapi pembaharuan lambang.…”

Returning to the Religion of Abraham: Controversies over the Gafatar Movement in Contemporary Indonesia

“…Islam has interacted with and assimilated some elements of Hinduism and Buddhism, which came to the archipelago before Islam (Makin 2016c). Islam's assimilation and accommodation of Hindu and Buddhist elements can be seen in various architectural styles of mosques in Java, such as Kudus or Demak (Budi 2004;Roesmanto 2013;Sucitra 2015;Supatmo 2016). In addition, various genres of Javanese literature, such as serat (letter) and babad (chronicle), contain some indications of the Islamization of Hindu and Buddhist traditions (Makin 2016d).…”