Indonesian 300-Year-old Mosque Refurbished

Rehabilitation works of an almost 300-year-old mosque built by Chinese Moslems in Jakarta were launched last Friday, reports Indonesian news agency Antara.

The ceremony was attended by the representative of a painting company acting as the project's financial supporter and head of the renovation program, who is also leader of the Quran reading group, H. Achmad Zul Bakar.

According to Achmad, there was no record mentioning the name of the persons who built the mosque.

But in the mosque's backyard there was a grave with the name of Fatima (the daughter of the Prophet Mohammed) inscribed on it.Previously, he said, the mosque was only 300 square meters wide but over the years it was expanded several times and now is 1,500 square meters-large.

Since 1972, the mosque's main building has been protected by the local government as a national monument.

The mosque, which accommodates 1,000 worshippers, is not only popular among Chinese Moslems, but also overseas, including neighboring countries as well as Middle Eastern ones.

Its custodians have received financial support for the mosque's maintenance from Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and several other countries, Achmad said.