The Katangka Old Mosque - Gowa

The second oldest mosque in Indonesia, Al-Hilal (Katangka)  Mosque was build around 1603, during the reign of King Alauddin, the 1st moslem king of Gowa. Small it may seems, but its wall is 120cms thick, and it is actually the palatial mosque on its heyday.

Named after a giant tree that grown on that site before the mosque was built, it is believe that the remained easel of the mosque was made of that very katangka tree. There's not much info about this mosque, but once you get there, you can still feel the grandeur of this small mosque.

further story about the mosque, click here.

Kingdom of Gowa

A humble place to be so-called a palace, Balla Lompoa is the perfect name for this building, that means big house. It's truly reflected the wisdom of the king and its people. 

Gowa is now a regency in South Sulawesi, and the palace complex is located around 15 kms from Makassar, in Sungguminasa.

The banquet hall

On the entrance stair, the roof was made so low it forces people to bow before they enter the Balla Lompoa. This is a message  that we must put ourself lower than others, and put a high respect to them.

Built relatively new circa 1930 using entirely ironwood after the old one was destroyed by Dutch -VOC, Balla Lompoa was renovated in 1980 and turned into museum, displaying the remnants of the palace. And what caught my sight? The glittery gilded and golden treasure, of course!

Illuminated  and hand-written Koran, circa XIV AD

Salokoa ( crown)

 Salokoa, the crown for the coronation of King of Gowa, is made entirely of gold, weighed almost 2kgs and decorated with 250pcs of jewels, used since the 1st King of Gowa.

Fort Rotterdam Makassar

Went to the Fort Rotterdam - Makassar this morning. Clear sky,  and beautiful building. Awesome. Felt almost like in Santorini :-D

For an overview about Makassar, Wikipedia provide you a good story, here.