Mesjid Al-Manar

This beautiful old mosque, built in 1549 by Sunan Kudus, is famous for its red-brick menara (minaret). This minaret may have originally been the watchtower of a Hindu temple – the curiously squat form and flared sides of the mosque certainly have more in common with Balinese temples than with traditional Islamic architecture. Inside the main prayer hall, Muslim worshippers pray in the shadow of a Hindu-style brick gateway, a fascinating juxtaposition of Javanese religious heritage.