Bertolak ke Masjid Agung An-Nur dari Pecinan

<—-Kisah Sebelumnya

Kusempatkan memejamkan mata sejenak begitu menyelesaikan proses check-in di Hotel Sri Indrayani. Semalam yang tak nyenyak di bangku tengah Bus INTRA, bersambung dengan empat jam berjalan kaki demi mengeksplorasi daerah Senapelan telah membuat otot betisku kelelahan dan mataku terasa berat.

Smartphone yang masih mengisi ulang daya itu pun berteriak membangunkanku, tepat satu jam sebelum Shalat Ashar. Waktu shalat memang menjadi pilihan sebagai penanda mula untuk kelanjutan petualanganku di Pekanbaru. Itu karena aku memilih untuk mengunjungi sebuah masjid termegah di seantero Provinsi Riau atau boleh dikatakan sebagai salah satu yang termegah di tanah air.

Tak mengulur lagi keterlambatan bersantap siang, aku menyusuri daerah Pecinan di sepanjang Jalan Dr. Leimena yang tak jauh dari gerbang hotel, hingga menemukan sebuah kedai yang memaparkan harum rempah dan terlihat sangat ramai pengunjung. Seluruh bangku di lantai bawah ruko itu hampir penuh dan tanpa pikir panjang aku segera menduduki satu bangku diantaranya.

Mie dengan tauge bercampur potongan lontong, udang, telur dan diwangikan dengan taburan bawang goreng…beuhhh, nikmat

Menenggak pelan asam manis es jeruk dingin menjadikan tubuh mendingin sejenak di panasnya kota. Dan tepat di tegukan terakhir, ojek online itu datang menjemputku.

Menuju ke tenggara sejauh tiga kilometer dan tiba di gerbangnya tepat dua puluh menit sebelum waktu Ashar tiba. Begitu banyak polisi di halaman masjid yang tampak tengah mengamankan sebuah agenda penting siang itu. Setiap kendaraan yang masuk area masjid tak luput dari pemeriksaan ketat.

Mau kemana, Bang”, tegur polisi muda bersenjata laras panjang di gerbang masuk. “Shalat Ashar, pak”, password yang begitu ampuh untuk melewati pemeriksaan itu.

Mirip Taj Mahal, bukan?
Kubah bak gasing terbalik dan pohon-pohon kurma itu….Hmmmhh.

Aku belum juga memasuki ruangan masjid. Sibuk di pelataran menikmati keindahan arsitektur yang tersaji di depan mata. Masjid dominan hijau berusia setengah abad dengan luas area yang kuperkirakan lebih dari sepuluh hektar…..Sungguh, luas sekali.

Lihat saja bagaimana lapangnya salah satu sisi parking lot.

Mughal masih saja menjadi corak arsitektur yang mendominasi, lengkungan-lengkungan khasnya mirip lengkungan pada persemayaman terakhir Mumtaz Mahal di Agra. Sedangkan nuansa sekeliling masjid sedikit mengadopsi atmosfer Masjidil Haram di Mekkah dan Masjid Nabawi di Madinah.

Corak Melayu disematkan oleh warna hijau pada bangunan utama, warna merah pada ornamen di menara dan kuning emas pada ormanen interior beserta seni kaligrafinya. Lalu adat Melayu digambarkan pada lantai dua tingkat dengan beranda dibawah. Mengadopsi konsep rumah panggung Melayu.

Rukun Islam dilambangkan pada lima kubah dan kepemimpian Khilafah sahabat Nabi direpresentasikan pada empat menara.

Kini aku bersiap untuk beribadah Ashar, menyucikan diri di lantai bawah dan menaiki tangga demi tangga menuju ruang peribadatan utama di lantai kedua. Atmosfer di dalam yang begitu khusyu’, membuatku merasa bersyukur karena masih diberikan kesempatan untuk mengunjungi rumah Tuhan yang megah ini.

Enam pilar raksasa berdasar hijau dan berlapis putih di bagian atas.

Kulamakan waktu dudukku di bagian belakang untuk menikmati ikon wisata religi Provinsi Riau yang konon bisa menampung hampir lima ribu jama’ah.

Lengkung kubah dari dalam.

Karya arsitektur kenamaan di Pekanbaru ini tak lepas dari tangan dingin Kaharuddin Nasution, Gubernur kedua Provinsi Riau yang memindahkan Ibukota Provinsi dari Tanjung Pinang di Pulau Bintan ke Pekanbaru pada tahun 1960-an. Perpindahan itu tentu membawa konsekuensi baginya untuk memfasilitasi kegiatan keagamaan mayoritas masyarakat yang notabene memeluk agama Islam. Oleh karena itulah Sang Gubernur merasa penting untuk menghadirkan Masjid Agung An-Nur ini.

Keren ya…… 

Kisah Selanjutnya—->

Heading to An-Nur Great Mosque from Chinatown

I took a moment to close my eyes after I finished check-in process at Sri Indrayani Hotel. An uneasy night on a middle bench of INTRA Bus, continued for four hours on foot to explore Senapelan area had made my calf muscles exhausted and my eyes felt heavy.

My smartphone which was still charging, shouted to wake me up, exactly one hour before Asr Prayer. Prayer times was indeed an option as a starting marker for continuation of my journey in Pekanbaru. That was because I chose to visit the grandest mosque in the whole of Riau Province or it could be said as one of the grandest in the country.

No longer postpone for late lunch, I went through Chinatown along Dr. Leimena Street which isn’t far from my hotel gate, until I found a small restaurant which exposed fragrant spices and looked very crowded. Its entire seat in downstairs was almost full and without long thinking, I immediately occupied one seat in between.

Noodles with bean sprouts mixed with lontong (Indonesian compressed rice), shrimps, eggs and fragrant with a sprinkling of fried onions….Hmmh, delicious.

Slowly drinking a sweet-sour of cold-orange juice made my body felt cool for a moment in the middle of city heat. And right at a last sip, an online motorcycle taxi came to pick me up.

Heading southeast for three kilometers and arrive at the gate exactly twenty minutes before Asr Prayer arrived. So many police officers in mosque courtyard, it seemed to be securing an important agenda that afternoon. Every vehicle which entered mosque area didn’t escape from strict inspection.

Where are you going, Sir?” a young policeman which armed with long barrel gun said at entrance gate. “Asr prayer, Sir“, a password was so effective for passing the inspection.

It’s like the Taj Mahal, right?
Domes like an upside down “spinning top” and that palm trees….Hmmmhh, nice.

I hadn’t entered yet the mosque room. Busy in courtyard to enjoy the beauty of architecture which was presented in front of my eyes. A greeny dominant mosque which is a half of century old with large area which I estimate to be more than ten hectares….Really, very vast.

Just look at how spacious a parking lot side is?

The Mughals are still be dominant architectural style in it, its distinctive arches resembling arches of Mumtaz Mahal’s tomb in Agra. While nuances around the mosque was slightly adopted Al-Masjidil Al-Haram atmosphere in Mecca and Al-Masjid An-Nabawi in Medina.

The Malay style is embedded to green color of main building, red color on tower ornaments and yellow gold color on interior ornament and calligraphy. Then the Malay custom is depicted on two levels of floor with veranda below. It adopts a concept of Malay’s houses on stilts.

Five pillars of Islam are symbolized by five domes and leadership of Prophet’s Caliph is represented on four towers.

Now I was preparing to Asr Prayer, purified myself on lower floor and then climbed stair by stair leading to main worship room on second floor. The atmosphere inside was so solemn, it made me feel grateful because I was still given an opportunity to visit this magnificent God house.

Six giant pillars with green color in base layer and white on top layer.

I made my sitting time so long in the back to enjoy this iconic religious tourism of Riau Province which is said able to accommodate almost five thousand worshipers.

Dome arch from inside.

This famous architectural creation in Pekanbaru can’t be separated from Kaharuddin Nasution cold hands, the second Riau Province Governor who moved Provincial Capital from Tanjung Pinang on Bintan Island to Pekanbaru in the 1960s. Certainly, this displacement had consequences for him to facilitate religious activities of residents majority who in fact embraced Islam. That is why the Governor felt it was important to present An-Nur Great Mosque.

Cool……