The Great Mosque of Demak is a classic example of traditional Javanese mosque design. The Wali Songo are believed to have built it, with Sunan Kalijaga the most prominent figure and the infobox architect. Raden Patah, the first ruler of the Demak Sultanate, was the patron. The infobox gives 1479 with a question mark, and the article places it in the 15th century.
It is timber, with four saka guru teak pillars, and has a tiered roof rather than a dome. The article says domes did not appear in Indonesian mosques until the 19th century, and the tiered roof resembles Hindu-Buddhist wooden structures in Java and Bali. It has no minaret, and its orientation toward Mecca is only approximate. The surambi verandah was added in the 19th century.
Two carved doors, called Lawang Bledheg, show plant, vase, crown and animal-head motifs. Vietnamese ceramics set in the walls may have been specially ordered.
Comments