Istiqlal Mosque (literally: Masjid Merdeka) is the national mosque of the Republic of Indonesia, located in the former Wilhelmina Park, in the Northeast of the Medan Merdeka Square in the center of which stands the National Monument (Monas), in the center of the capital Jakarta. Across the east of this mosque stands the Jakarta Cathedral Church. The high priest is Prof. Dr. Nasaruddin Umar, M.A. and the Chairperson of the Istiqlal Mosque Management Board now is Laksma (Ret.) H. Asep Saefuddin.
The construction of the mosque was initiated by the then President of the Republic of Indonesia, Ir. Sukarno. Laying the first stone as a sign of the start of construction of the Istiqlal Mosque was carried out by Ir. Soekarno on August 24, 1951. The architect of the Istiqlal Mosque was Frederich Silaban, a Protestant Christian.
This mosque has a modern architectural style with marble walls and floors, decorated with geometric ornaments from stainless steel. The main building of this mosque consists of five floors and one ground floor. The main building was crowned by a large dome with a diameter of 45 meters supported by 12 large pillars. A single tower as high as 96.66 meters rises in the southern corner of the mosque's hallway. This mosque can accommodate more than 200,000 worshipers.
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