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Giant wood-carved Koran attracts visitors
Local pride: Visitors pose for a photo in front of the worldâs biggest Koran in Palembang on July 7
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Local pride: Visitors pose for a photo in front of the world's biggest Koran in Palembang on July 7. JP/Ansyor Idrus
Many oversized Korans have been created in many parts of the world, but the largest Koran carved out of wood is to be found in Palembang, South Sumatra.
Work on the wooden Koran, which is called Al-Quran Al-Akbar, was initiated in 2002 and completed in 2009 at a cost of around Rp 2 billion (US$170,976). The idea of making the wooden Koran was floated by IGM AL Ihsaniyah Islamic boarding school (pesantren) caretaker Syofwatillah Mohzaib.
'I was inspired to make Al Akbar after completing the calligraphy and door ornaments at the Palembang Grand Mosque. I wanted to make the largest wood-carved Koran in the world,' said Syofwatillah in Palembang recently.
Al-Akbar is currently located at the Al Ihsaniyah pesantren in Palembang.
Syofwatillah said he hoped to one day build a special 11-story building to house Al-Akbar.
The making of Al-Akbar began with a meticulous selection of timber. Sofwatillah and 35 other wood carvers made the Koran using timber from the Tembesu (Fagraea fragrans) tree ' a slow-growing, evergreen variety that is native to Southeast Asia ' which is termite-proof and durable. The team of artisans comprised writers, carvers, carpenters and painters.
Al-Akbar consists of 315 timber panels, each of which measures 177 centimeters wide by 140 cm long by 2.5 cm deep, and weighs 50 kilograms. Verses from the Koran are carved on both sides of the panels, which can be revolved.
Currently, only 15 chapters of the Koran have been arranged on five stories of the structure, while chapters 16 through 30 are currently being carved.
'The creation of Al-Akbar was achieved purely with private donations and several larger donors, so it took a long time to finish. Work was suspended several times because we ran out of money,' Syofwatillah said.
The crafting of the world's largest wooden Koran took place at Syofwatillah's house in Ilir subdistrict, Palembang, while the Tembesu wood was sourced from various areas in South Sumatra.
Initially, the project was due to be completed by 2004, but it was delayed due to financial constraints and scarcity of Tembesu wood.
According to Syofwatillah, Tembesu timber originally cost Rp 2 million per cubic meter, but later the price increased to Rp 7 million and then again to Rp 10 million, while the budget for the wood and ink had been set at Rp 2 million per panel.
Syofwatillah obtained initial funding of Rp 200 million from the late former People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) speaker Taufik Kiemas and other donors, including former South Sumatra governor Rosihan Arsyad and House of Representatives speaker Marzuki Alie, as well as several state enterprises in the province.
In recognition of the work that had gone into creating Al-Akbar, the Indonesian Museum of World Records (MURI) awarded Syofwatillah the Largest Koran Wood Carving in the World Award on Jan. 27, 2012.
Al-Quran Al-Akbar has been viewed by visitors from a number of countries, not only predominantly Muslim countries such as Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Palestine, but also from the US, Canada and China.
During the seventh parliamentary union of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) member states meeting in Indonesia in 2012 and the Islamic Solidarity Games in 2013, Al-Quran Al-Akbar was included on the travel agenda of the country representatives attending the events.
However, Rista ' a visitor from Bangka Island, east of Sumatra - said she hoped that the Koran would become a religious tourist site in Palembang. 'I hope the Koran will be placed in a more strategic and accessible location,' Rista said, referring to the pesantren, which is located in one of the city's suburbs.
Another visitor, Annisa, shared a similar opinion. 'Although I live in Palembang, I only just found out that we had this giant Koran.'
