Said Naum Mosque

Jakarta, Indonesia

Recipient of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 1986.

Named after the donor of the land it occupies, the mosque was designed in the Indonesian Hindu-Javanese architectural tradition, yet is well adapted to the Muslim form of worship. The mosque is square in plan, and symmetrical on both axes with deep verandas on all four sides. The upper tier of the two-tiered roof forms a lantern that filters daylight through patterned painted glass along its ridges. The space between the two tiers has been left open for ventilating the prayer hall. If the design conformed strictly to tradition, four interior wood columns would support the higher of the two roofs. To achieve an uninterrupted column-free space for worship, and clear view of the mihrab, these columns were eliminated. The wide spans thus produced required that the double roof be steel framed. This use of contemporary technology is carefully concealed on the interior by wood strips and sheathing, and on the exterior by clay tiles. The roof is well designed for heavy rain and the deep verandas protect the interior from rain and excessive glare. In this mosque, traditional Javanese idioms have been skillfully reinterpreted to produce a modern regional architecture compatible with the best indigenous work.

Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture