Istiqlal Mosque

located at jalan taman wijaya kusuma in central jakarta, on the north eastern corner of the merdeka square, the istiqlal mosque stands out with its 45m diameter dome and tall minarets. standing almost right across the old catholic church at the corner of jalan lapangan banteng, the istiqlal mosque was designed in 1954 by frederich silaban, a christian architect from north sumatra. the idea for the need of a national mosque was inspired by muslim leader kh wahid hashim and executed by cokro aminoto, then minister for religious affairs. istiqlal meaning ?independence?,  is  a reminder of indonesia's struggle for national independence. its 17 years construction was personally supervised by president soekarno.