The view out the window of the Mosque
On Wednesday we were invited to take a tour of the Great
Mosque in Pekanbaru. It is the largest mosque
in the province of Riau. In order for us
to visit we all had to wear long pants and the girls had to wear long sleeves
and jil-babs on their heads. The heat
and humidity made this pretty tough especially on the girls.
The mosque itself was very ornate with a green marble and
intricate paintings with Arabic writing.
It was a massive structure that spanned at least 4 acres. The head imam came and spoke to us (which had
to be translated) explaining the 5 times a day that Muslims pray as well as why
they fast during Ramadan. The call to prayer then happened and the men went to
one side of the mosque to pray and the women another. In fact they cannot even use the same
staircase.
It was very interesting to get to see the mosque. Not many outsiders get invited in a group to
take a tour so that was unique for sure.
The whole team plus our hosts.
The females and males must enter the mosque separately.
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