Kampung Arab (Arab Quarter) - Jakarta
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Tibs
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Kampung Arab could be a tourist attraction in Jakarta. It has not been developed yet so you have both the benefit of the authenticity and the disappointment of finding out the sights are not properly taken care of. Located in Pekojan, in the Tambora district in North Jakarta, it is a 15 minutes walk from Taman Fatahillah. If you go by taxi, you can ask to be dropped at the corner of Jalan Pekojan Raya and Jalan Pengukiran Raya. The area has several old mosques to visit, among which Masjid Al-Anshor (that I already reviewed separately as the oldest mosque in Jakarta ), Langgar Tinggi and Masjid Jami' Annawier. At the time they were built, some of the worshippers were Muslim Indian merchants who helped spread Islam to the rest of Indonesia.
I visited Masjid Jami Al-Anshor, the oldest mosque in Jakarta, during ramadan. It is a bit hard to find as it is located inside tiny streets of the Tambora district in North Jakarta. You will probably need to ask your way several times to local residents. I was just going around saying "Saya cari masjidnya yang paling tua di Jakarta" and amused kids led me to it.
The Istiqlal Mosque is probably the most impressive monument to visit in Jakarta, before the Monas. The largest mosque in Indonesia, the largest in Southeast Asia and the sixth largest in the world, it can welcome up to 120,000 people during special celebrations. If you want to see it fully packed, you should go during Idul-Fitri or Idul Adha. It was Sukarno who first had the idea of erecting a national mosque in the 1950s, following the independence of the country. It took 25 years for the building to be completed and it was finally inaugurated by Suharto in 1978. Interestingly enough, the architect of the Istiqlal Mosque, Frederich Silabanis, was a Christian. Also, the Mosque is located next to the Jakarta Cathedral to symbolize religious tolerance.