Red Mosque of Panjunan, 15th-century mosque in Panjunan village, Cirebon, Indonesia.
The Red Mosque of Panjunan is a small place of worship from the 15th century covering about 150 square meters, with red brick walls, a divided entrance gate, and a pyramid-shaped roof. The interior space is supported by twelve posts, while the surrounding walls serve only decorative purposes.
Syarif Abdurrahman, known as Pangeran Panjunan, founded the mosque in 1480 after leading a group of immigrants from Baghdad; he later became a student of Sunan Gunung Jati. It began as a simple tajug, a small prayer room called Musholla Al-Athya, in a quarter where traders of many ethnic groups met. It was later enlarged and renamed after Jalan Panjunan, and is now listed as a cultural heritage object.
The mosque's name comes from its red brick perimeter fence, which made the original name Musholla Al-Athya fall out of use. The surrounding Kampung Panjunan is known for its terracotta potters, and the mosque stands where traders of different ethnic groups once met.
The entrance features an intentionally low door, so visitors must bend when entering, which is a gesture of respect toward the sacred space. The building primarily functions for daily prayers rather than major religious celebrations.
The mosque's old musalla covered 40 square metres; after enlargement it now measures 150 square metres. Its perimeter wall is built to resemble a Balinese Hindu temple rather than a typical Islamic enclosure, a detail easy to miss from the street.
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