The Towers Of Masjid Agung Jawa Tengah. Landmark Of Semarang City Editorial Photo

The mosque complex covers 10 hectares (25 acres). There are three central buildings arranged in the shape of a U, with the domed mosque at the centre; all buildings have pitched, tiled roofs, while the central mosque has four minarets. The central roof resembles the roof of a joglo, the traditional Javanese house, and symbolises the rising steps toward heaven or to gain God's blessing. The long buildings forming the arms of the U house a library and auditorium respectively; the auditorium can hold up to 2,000 people. In the central courtyard are six large hydraulically operated umbrellas, inspired by the ones at Al-Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina, which are used to protect worshipers; the six umbrellas represent the six tenets of iman. More than 15,000 worshipers can fit in the 7,669-square-metre (82,550 sq ft) prayer area. At the open end of the U is a series of Arabic-style arches, with Arabic calligraphs of 99 attributes of Allah, stood on 25 pillars, each representing one of the named prophets in Islam. Beyond the arches is an inscription on a 3.2-metre (10 ft) tall, 7.8 ton stone from Mount Merapi, designed by Nyoman M. Alim.