Grand Mosque of West Sumatra (Masjid Raya Sumatera Barat in Indonesian) is a mosque in Padang. This religious building is the largest mosque in West Sumatra and the second largest all over the island. The complex with an area of more than 40 thousand sq. km. is located at the intersection of Khatib Sulaiman and Ahmad Dahlan streets.
The mosque rises above the center of Padang, so it can be seen from various parts of the city. Each viewer sees the building differently: it looks like both an impressive modern structure and a fine building with arabesques and calligraphy.
Designed by local architect Rizal Muslimin, the construction became a significant work for the author. His project, atypical for a mosque, won the competition in 2007, beating more than 300 creative ideas from architects around the world.
Rizal Muslimin commented on his work: «The principal philosophy of the project is that religion and culture can mix and complement each other. Culture must stay in harmony with religion, and religion must respect the local culture».
The most impressive element of this building is the roof form. This is a current interpretation of the traditional Minangkabau houses with steeples connected by flowing lines.
At the same time, such a form symbolizes the cloth held by four corners by the leaders of the Quraysh (the ruling clan of ancient Mecca, the keepers of the Kaaba). With the help of this tissue gear, they lifted the sacred Black Stone in Mecca to the place where it is still located.
The first stone in the base of the mosque was laid at the end of 2007. The construction progressed slowly because of the money issues and earthquakes on the island. The first prayers under this unusual roof happened at the beginning of 2014.
The main building consists of three floors. The key prayer hall took the second floor. The roof is made up of steel tubes that have four curved concrete columns as the props. The building is capable of accepting up to 20 thousand people simultaneously.