The Evening Ambiance in Masjid Agung Surakarta

[caption id="attachment_195638" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Praying"][/caption]

As the most populated Muslim country, Indonesia has very strong Islamic atmosphere. The image of Islam in Indonesia can be seen more clearly during Ramadhan month, the month in Islamic lunar calendar in which Muslim do fasting for a month.  Many restaurants are closed, people walk in Islamic outfit to go to mosque to pray, social activities in orphanage, and togetherness among friends to eat together after the time for fasting finishes are the images that can be seen during Ramadhan month. In Solo city, one of the centers of Islamic activity is in Masjid Agung Surakarta (Solo Great Mosque). Hundreds of people come to that mosque everyday to contemplate, pray, reading Qoran, or socialize with friends. In the last ten days of Ramadhan, people also come in the midnight to do "iktikaf" or self contemplating to pray to Allah. These are some photos that I take during "iktikaf" in the mosque built for the first time by the King Pakubuwono III of Surakarta Palace from 1963 to 1968.

[caption id="attachment_195647" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Inside"]

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[/caption] [caption id="attachment_195648" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Reading Qoran"]

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[/caption] [caption id="attachment_195649" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Contemplation"]

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[/caption] [caption id="attachment_195651" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Bedug (the big drum). It is hit as the sign for calling the people to pray"]

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[/caption] [caption id="attachment_195653" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Going home"]

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