"It'd be a loss if you've come to Medan and not pray in the masjid raya," said Pak Ramadhan, our driver.We stopped by the Grand Mosque Al-Mashun which was built in 1906. It's by the main road and like its name, looked quite grand from outside.
Upon entering the women's wing, I noticed beautiful stained glasses at the windows and wooden carvings on the doors.The ceilings were beautifully painted with intricate designs. I was impressed to see that the telekung were all clean and hung neatly on the pegs at one corner of the solat area.
There was none of the ugly sweat stains we often find on telekung left for public use in mosques and surau in Malaysia [proof that they're not washed for months]. Unfortunately,the building was not well-maintained and there was a bad odour at the men's solat area. Don't know what caused it, as it was fine at the women's area.
After some more shopping at Medan Market and lunch, we left for the airport for the flight back. We had thought that our holiday in Medan would end in the evening but it was not meant to be. Flight was delayed. We were forced to wait and wait and wait. Alhamdulillah the long delay allowed us to get to know other Malaysian tourists who were also flying home to Penang. Encik Zul, his wife Kak Rohani and their large group of friends and family members told us about their trip to Acheh [they spent a week in Acheh, Parapat, Berastagi and Medan]. We had our packed dinner [provided by the airlines], exchanged stories and jokes which helped to ease the stress caused by the 1 1/2 hour delay, and formed new friendships.
Another mosque which we stopped to pray. This is Parapat's Mosque.
I'm happy that my trip to Medan with my husband has been good. We had a good time and learn to be thankful with what we have, while at the same time to work harder to improve our livelihood. A smile at the appropriate time will help in communication. For days, we didn't have to worry about food[ meals are paid and provided for in set lunches and dinner], work and other petty things that we use to back home. And with the little one behaving well [must be a kaki-jalan like parents, hahaha]this holiday has been the most relaxing.So horas, Medan till we meet again.. horas, goodbye..
for more pictures of the trip, click here
Puan,
ReplyDeleteIt is possible that the telekungs are so clean because they are seldom used?
Abang Maarof,
ReplyDeleteCan't say for sure actually because the mosque is a famous landmark in Medan town, and many Muslim tourists flock there to pray. I found the same phenemenon in Parapat mosque, in which the telekong for public use were also cleaner than those usually found here. The problem with our Malaysian mosques is that there's usually nobody to wash the telekong hung for public use {This act can be a good deed to do this year]
In Berastagi, my husband and I were urged to finish the whole fruit that we sampled, cut by a Muslim seller who said,"Don't waste food.."