Medan Journal (Day 1) : Great Mosque of Medan

The Grand Mosque Al-Mashun

Like a postcard. Beautiful, isn't it?

Okay, first, a little bit of history. The Grand Mosque Al-Mashun (a.k.a Masjid Raya Al-Mashun or Masjid Raya Medan) is one of the Sultan of Deli's remaining historical building. The mosque is about 200m from the Maimoon Palace by Sultan Ma'moen Al Rasyid Perkasa Alamsyah and was used for the first time on September 19, 1909. The architecture is heavily influenced by the Middle East, India and Spain designs.

It's amazing to note that no matter where you go in the world, while different places have different mosques designs, they never fail to fascinate. This mosque is no exception. Even though it was built more than a century ago, it is still used by Muslims every day to perform their five times daily prayer.

My excited brother with daddy outside the gate of the mosque

On the inside, adorned with beautiful red carpet and colourful walls and doors, this House of Allah invokes a feeling of serenity and tranquility. The amazing design reminds us of the past glory of Islam and how Islam changes the world to a better place, with the advancement of science and technology, cultures and arts, from the far East to the West, spreading message of peace and truth.

A Muslim performing a prayer

This is called a minbar, an Islamic pulpit in the mosque where the imam (prayer leader) stands to deliver sermons (khutbah), usually on Friday afternoons and during special celebrations e.g. Eid ul Fitr and Eid ul Adha.

If you ever got the chance to visit this mosque, don't forget to perform a simple two rakaahs of prayer and feel the calmness and closeness to Allah yourself.

Taking a remembrance photograph before leaving

That's it folks our adventure for Day 1!

That's it for day one everybody! This is just the beginning. Tomorrow we are going to Berastagi, where new adventure awaits. Oh! oh! and tomorrow we'll discover Sipiso-Piso Waterfall, one of the best waterfalls I have ever been to. 

Stay tuned, everyone!