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Construction of $20 m Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque replica in Indonesia begins

Dubai - Mosque will be almost identical to its counterpart in Abu Dhabi but will incorporate Indonesian elements.

Published: Mon 8 Mar 2021, 12:01 PM

Updated: Mon 8 Mar 2021, 12:05 PM

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The Indonesian government has begun the construction of a replica of Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Java as a symbol of the Emirati-Indonesian friendship.

According to ID-NewsNow, the mosque will be constructed in Solo in the Central Java province, the hometown of Indonesian President Joko Widodo.

The replica of the UAE’s largest mosque was gifted to Widodo during the visit of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, to Jakarta in July 2019.

The construction will be fully funded by the UAE and the $20 million (Dh73.3 million) mosque project is expected to be ready to welcome worshippers in September 2022.

The mosque will be almost identical to its counterpart in Abu Dhabi but will incorporate traditional Indonesian ornaments and utilise local materials, Husin Bagis, Indonesian Ambassador to the UAE, was quoted as saying on Sunday in a report.

The mosque will be built on 3 hectares of land, featuring four minarets and a main dome surrounded by smaller domes. Once completed, it will accommodate around 10,000 worshippers.

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Senior Emirati and Indonesian officials attended the ground-breaking ceremony of ther mosque.

On the Emirati side, the ceremony was attended by the Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Suhail Al Mazrouei, and the President of the General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowments, Mohammed Al Kaabi. While on the Indonesian side, Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, Minister of Public Enterprises Erick Thohir and Solo Mayor Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Widodo's eldest son, attended the event.

Following the construction of the Grand Mosque in Solo, the UAE will also build a mosque bearing the name of President Widodo on a location near President Joko Widodo Street, Bagis informed.

In October 2020, one of the roads in the diplomatic quarters of Abu Dhabi was renamed President Joko Widodo Street.

File photo of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi.

File photo of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi.



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