Demak Great Mosque Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Demak Great Mosque
Masjid Agung Demak

Religion
Affiliation	Islam
Province	Central Java
Region	Demak
Location
Location	Jalan Sultan Fatah, Bintoro Demak, Central Java, Indonesia
Administration	Demak government
Architecture
Architect(s)	Sunan Kalijaga
Architectural style	Javanese
Completed	1479(?)
Minaret(s)	None

The Demak Great Mosque (also known as Masjid Agung Demak) is one of the oldest mosques in Indonesia. You can find it in the center of Demak town, in Central Java. People believe that a group of important Muslim saints, called the Wali Songo ("Nine Muslim Saints"), built this mosque. The most famous among them was Sunan Kalijaga. They built it during the 15th century, when Raden Patah was the first ruler of the Demak Sultanate.

What Makes This Mosque Special?
- Building Materials and Roof
- Unique Doors
Cool Carvings and Old Treasures
Gallery
See also

What Makes This Mosque Special?

The Demak Great Mosque has been renovated a few times. But it still looks mostly like it did when it was first built. Only a porch (called a surambi) was added in the 1800s. It's a great example of a traditional Javanese mosque.

Building Materials and Roof

Unlike many mosques in the Middle East, the Demak Great Mosque is made from timber (wood). It doesn't have a big dome on top. Domes didn't become common in Indonesian mosques until the 19th century. Instead, its roof has several layers, like steps. This layered roof is held up by four strong teak pillars, known as saka guru. These pillars are very important to the building's structure. The layered roof design is similar to old wooden religious buildings from the Hindu-Buddhist times in Java and Bali.

Unique Doors

The main entrance of the mosque has two special doors. These doors are carved with beautiful designs. You can see plants, vases, crowns, and even an animal head with a wide-open, toothed mouth. People say these carvings show a thunderbolt that was caught by a legendary figure named Ki Ageng Selo. That's why these doors are called Lawang Bledheg, which means "the doors of thunder." Like other mosques from that time, its direction towards Mecca (called the qibla) is quite close, but not perfectly exact.

Cool Carvings and Old Treasures

Masjid Agung Demak at the end of the 19th century

The walls of the Demak Great Mosque have special Vietnamese ceramic tiles. These tiles were probably made just for the mosque. Their shapes look like traditional Javanese wood carvings and brickwork. Using ceramic instead of stone was likely inspired by the mosques in Persia.