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The Masjid Istiqlal in Jakarta is the largest masjid in Indonesia and one of the largest mosques in Southeast Asia. The Indonesian government built it to symbolize the people's gratitude for Allah after the independence of the country.
It took the Indonesian government a long time to build this mosque. In 1949, the Indonesian minister of religious affairs, Wahid Hasyim, submitted a proposal to President Soekarno, who fully supported the plan. The construction actually began in 1961, and the masjid was completed in 1978.
The main Prayer hall can accommodate 61,000 persons, but with five balconies and a huge courtyard, the masjid can accommodate 200,000 in total.
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