If there is a place you must visit when you travel to Banda Aceh, it is the Baiturrahman Great Mosque. This is a historical site that has existed since the glorious era of the Sultanate of Aceh and survived until today. This mosque has been through various things, ranging from the tragedy of burning by the Dutch colonial year 1873 to hit the tsunami in late 2004.
Baiturrahman Great Mosque was first built in the era of the Sultanate of Aceh. The roof of the mosque is made in accordance with the characteristics of mosques in Indonesia at that time, four pyramid roof composite.
There are two historical versions of the history of this mosque. Some sources mention the mosque was founded in 1292 AD by Sultan Alauddin Johan Mahmudsyah. Meanwhile, another source mentions this mosque was founded by Sultan Iskandar Muda in 1612 AD
In the journey, this mosque was once burnt by the Dutch during an attack to Koetaradja (Banda Aceh) on 10 April 1873. The collapse of the mosque building triggered the outbreak of the resistance of the people of Aceh. They are fighting to keep the mosque to the death. In the battle, the Dutch lost their commander, Major General Johan Harmen Rudolf Köhler on April 14, 1873.
The mosque building was then rebuilt by the Dutch on the orders of General Van Der Heijden. The rebuilding of the mosque is part of an effort to defuse the resistance of the Acehnese people to the Dutch occupation. The process of rebuilding Majid Raya Baiturrahman took place from 1879-1881 AD The newly constructed architecture by de Bruchi adapted the Moghul (Indian) style.
The mosque which is located in the center of Banda Aceh City is then experienced several times the expansion. The first occurred in 1936. Upon the efforts of Governor General A. PH. Van Aken, the construction of two domes on the right and left side of the mosque. Furthermore, in 1958-1965, the mosque building re-expanded. In this second expansion two domes and two minarets on the west side (mihrab) are added. These five domes represent the five elements of Pancasila.
In 1992, the construction was done with the addition of two domes and five towers. In addition, the expansion of the mosque's yard so the total area of the mosque is currently 16,070 square meters.
When a 21-meter-high tsunami waves hit the coast of Banda Aceh on December 26, 2004, the mosque was among the survivors - despite damage to some parts of the mosque.
Post-tsunami renovation efforts cost Rp20 billion. The funds come from international assistance, including the Saudi Charity Campaign. The renovation process was completed on 15 January 2008. Currently, Baiturrahman High Mosque is a center for the development of Islamic activities for the people of Banda Aceh