The place you must visit when traveling to Banda Aceh, it is Baiturrahman Great Mosque. This place is a historical site that has existed since the glorious era of the Sultanate of Aceh and survive until now. This mosque has been through various things, ranging from the tragedy of burning by the Dutch colonial in 1873 to hit the tsunami in late 2004 ago.
The Grand Mosque was first built during the Sultanate of Aceh. The roof of the mosque is made in accordance with the characteristics of mosques in southeast asia at that time, four pyramid roof composite.
There are two historical versions of the history of this mosque. Some sources mention the mosque was founded in 1292 by Sultan Alauddin Johan Mahmudsyah. Meanwhile, another source mentions this mosque was founded by Sultan Iskandar Muda in 1612
In the journey, this mosque was once burnt by the Dutch during an attack to Koetaradja (Banda Aceh) on 10 April 1873. The collapse of the mosque building triggered the resistance of the people of Aceh at that time. They fought to defend the mosque until the last drop of blood. In the battle, the Dutch lost their commander, Major General Johan Harmen Rudolf Köhler on April 14, 1873.
The building of the mosque was then rebuilt by the Dutch on the orders of General Van Der Heijden. The rebuilding of the mosque is part of an effort to defuse the resistance of the Acehnese people to the Dutch occupation. The process of rebuilding the Baiturrahman Great Mosque took place in 1879-1881 The newly constructed architecture by de Bruchi adapted the Moghul style (India).
The mosque which is located in the center of Banda Aceh City is then experienced several times the expansion. The first expansion was carried out in 1936 by the efforts of Governor General A. PH. Van Aken, the construction of two domes on the right and left side of the mosque. Furthermore, in 1958-1965 , the mosque building was re-expanded. In this second expansion two domes and two minarets on the west side (mihrab) are added.
In 1992, construction was carried out with the addition of two domes and five towers. In addition, the expansion was also re-done this time on the mosque's yard so that the total area of the mosque is currently 16,070 square meters.
When a tsunami wave as high as ± 21 meters struck the coast of Banda Aceh on December 26, 2004, this mosque included a surviving building, although damage also occurred in some parts of the mosque.
The post-tsunami renovation effort cost Rp20 billion, which comes from international assistance, including the Saudi Charity Campaign. Renovation process was completed on January 15, 2008.
Not stopping there, the development and development of landscape and infrastructure Baiturrahman Great Mosque re-done in 2015 that cost Rp 1.1 billion.
Construction and installation of 12 units of electric umbrellas in the yard of this mosque is like that found in the Mosque of Nabawi in Medina, Saudi Arabia. In addition, also built various other facilities, such as parks, generator houses, water treatment centers, drinking water system and repair some interior buildings.
The area of the mosque complex is the center of various activities that support the function of the mosque as the center of the longest Muslim activities in Aceh, Indonesia and the World. In addition it also became one of the Islamic tourism destinations that will attract tourists from within and abroad.