Lombok Island is one of the islands with a majority Muslim population and is even known as the island of a thousand mosques. One of the famous mosques is the Bayan Beleq Mosque. The Bayan Beleq Mosque is a Wetu Telu mosque located in Bayan Village, Bayan District, North Lombok Regency (KLU), West Nusa Tenggara (NTB).

One of the oldest mosques in Lombok and has many unique features. Although its shape is simple, the Bayan Beleq Mosque has its own special feature, namely that it has become one of the historical sites in Indonesia. This mosque was built in the 17th century, which means it is more than 300 years old. Bayan District is indeed one of the gateways for Islam to enter Lombok Island. It was in this district that Islam was first introduced, and the Bayan Beleq Mosque was the first mosque to be built on this island.

History of Beleq Bayan Mosque

According to the disbudpar.ntbprov.go.id page, North Lombok Regency, which is the newest regency in Lombok, is not only rich in culture and tourism, but also has historical sites that still stand today.

The building is the Bayan Ancient Mosque or Bayan Beleq Ancient Mosque, which is located in Bayan Village. This mosque was built around 500 years ago, but no one knows for sure who built it. However, there are several versions about the construction of this mosque.

The first version says that Syeh Gaus Abdul Razak (the spreader of Islam in Bayan), was the person who built the mosque around the 16th century.

There is also a story that says the Bayan Beleq Ancient Mosque was built in the 16th century. Starting from Sunan Giri who spread Islam in Lombok and was then given a plot of land to build a mosque by King Bayan.

However, there is no further explanation whether the construction of the mosque was continued by Sunan Giri himself or someone else replaced him.

In another story, it is said that the Bayan Beleq Ancient Mosque was established when Sunan Kalijaga’s follower, Sunan Pengging, came to Lombok Island. This mosque was then built by a penghulu, Titi Mas Penghulu. It is said that he was the first person to embrace Islam in Bayan. Meanwhile, the caretaker of the mosque said that the construction of the mosque was carried out by Sultan Prapen or Prince Senopati who was the grandson of Sunan Giri.

The Uniqueness of the Bayan Beleq Ancient Mosque

Different from other mosques, the Bayan Beleq Ancient Mosque is only used during major religious celebrations or activities such as Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, the Prophet’s Birthday, and the Islamic New Year. If you look at it briefly, this mosque is not much different from the traditional houses in Bayan Village.

The construction of the Bayan Beleq Ancient Mosque contains its own philosophy, namely from the head, body, to the feet, depicting the upper, middle, and lower worlds which are referred to as one unit in the cosmic entity of the people in North Lombok.

Furthermore, the mosque’s layout is square with four pillars originating from four villages or hamlets. Starting from the Southeast pillar from Bilok Petung Village, East Lombok; the Northeast pillar from Terengan Village; the Southwest pillar from Semokon Hamlet, Sukadana Village; while the Northwest pillar is from Senaru Village.

Quoted from IDN Times NTB, not only the origin of the main pillars is from different villages but also the function of each pillar is known to be different. Starting from the function of one pillar for the preacher and also the other pillar for Lebai.

The other part of the pillar also functions for Mangku Bayan Timur and the last one is used for Penghulu. It is known that there are many more functions of each pillar.

The historical value of the Bayan Beleq Ancient Mosque is an interesting story, so that many people hunt for it, especially history lovers. Until Lombok becomes an area that is not only full of the charm of its natural tourism but also cultural and historical tourism.

If you are interested in history and culture, you are highly recommended to visit this mosque. Not only that, this mosque also has a very different vibe. So, if you go to Bayan, don’t forget to stop by here.