Nama : Sis Halia Syahrin

1. Descriptive text of Historical Place as Tourism Object !

ANCIENT BAYAN MOSQUE

History

Although the shape is simple, but the Bayan Beleq Mosque has its own privileges,
which has become one of the historical sites in Indonesia. This mosque was founded in the
17th century, which means it has been more than 300 years old. Bayan Subdistrict is indeed
one of the gates of the entry of Islam on Lombok Island. In this sub-district, Islam was first
introduced, and the Bayan Beleq Mosque is the first mosque to stand on the island.

Architecture

The shape of this mosque is indeed not much different from the surrounding houses.
The simple shape makes it not easy to recognize from the edge of the road. This mosque
building has a size of 9 x 9 meters. The walls are low and made of woven bamboo, the roof
is overlapping arranged from bamboo blades, while the foundation of the floor is made of
river stones.

Meanwhile, the floor of the mosque is made of clay which has been covered with
reed mats. In the corners of the mosque there are four main pillars supporting the mosque,

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 which are made of cylindrical jackfruit wood. Inside the mosque, there is also a wooden
drum, which is hung on the roof of the mosque.

Inside this mosque, there is a beleq (large tomb), one of the first spreaders of Islam
in the region, namely Gaus Abdul Rozak. In addition, on the back of the right and front of
the mosque there are two small huts. In these two huts, there are tombs of religious leaders
who helped build and take care of this mosque from the beginning.

2. What is the function of the object?

Everyday, the Bayan Beleq Mosque is no longer used by the surrounding

community. However, this mosque will return to bustling on Islamic holidays. One of them
was during the celebration of the Birthday of the Prophet Muhammad. The birthday of the
Prophet Muhammad is usually held for two days. During the celebration, the Bayan Beleq
Mosque will be filled with visitors. At the celebration of this event, visitors who wish to
attend the ceremonial procession are required to follow the existing regulations, such as
having to use Sasak traditional clothes such as dodot and sapuk.

3. What probably makes people interested to visit in?

When I was still planning my trip to ythe legendary island, my tourist friends that
had already been there more than once, recommended visiting the Mosque. Obviously, that
got me excited on many levels and I started to consume whatever information I managed to
find on the internet. The first thing you need to understand is that it’s not ”in your face”.

The landmark’s location is known to all the local men and women, but for a
foreigner, it might be a bit challenging to find it. Don’t forget to check out the map and the
instructions on how to get there at the bottom of this article. For now, let’s just try to
understand what it has to offer to the regular tourist.

The atmosphere at the Bayan Beleq Mosque is magical. Like any other ancient and
important place of worship, it’s not trying to look ”trendy” or anything like that. It’s one of
those places that you need to spend some time on the map to find(or, just read this review).

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 Here comes the interesting part; the mosque is almost entirely made of – you will never
guess it – bamboo. That’s right!

On your way to to this landmark, you might meet little kids that “attack” the
foreigners with millions of questions. Even if you don’n know a single word in Sasak, I’m
sure you will find a way to communicate with these lovely children. Happy and full of life,
they are the future of Indonesia – that’s what one of the elders told me.

Being in Lombok for a week, everyone mentions that you should see this Ancient
Mosque in Bayan Beleq. It is extremely low key, and very much worth the trip -- it was
interesting and fun. It is very easy to stop off on the way back from the waterfalls.
Basically, it is a mosque that is approximately 300 or so years old (noone seems to know
the exact age) and that is primarily made of bamboo. Lots of kids running around who are
very friendly and very talkative with minimal English (mostly they seem to want to discuss
Barak Obama, proud former Indonesian resident). As some have noted, there is a
graveyard, although it is entirely not clear who is buried there (some clerics? noone could
explain in English or Bahasa). But you come away with a feeling that the masjid is pretty
important to the area, that it is old and very little changed since the 1700s, and that if you
want to give a small donation they are happy and grateful. Good stop off, nice to see,
everyone is proud of it. It's a great thing to do for a short visit, a great change from over-
tourist-focused sites on other islands.

4. Traveling Report

Tourists from outside the island of Lombok can use airplanes from Jakarta,
Surabaya, Bali and other cities. From the city of Mataram you can go through the Mataram
- Senggigi - Pemenang - Tanjung - Gangga - Anyar - Bayan route by using public
transportation to Bayan District. However, for the convenience of traveling in consideration
of the availability of public transport and travel time, it is recommended for tourists to use a
rental vehicle. By renting a vehicle, in addition to being able to stop at several interesting

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places that are located along the road to Bayan Subdistrict, tourists can also manage the
time of the visit more freely.

 Time taken from Mataram to the Bayan Mosque :

2 hours 52 minutes (99.0 km) through Jl. Raya Mataram - Tj. and Jl. Raya Bayan.