Central Masjid & Changdeok Palace in Seoul

The majestic Seoul Central Masjid. Built in 1976. The largest Masjid in Korea to date. 

A glimpse into the Masjid and its vicinity~ Itaewon area.

The Kings' most beloved palace of Joseon Dynasty thanks to its spaciousness.

A glance into the palace and its compound.

Dusk Over Seoul Viewed from A Hill in Itaewon

On the 2nd floor of the Seoul Central Masjid terrace...I managed to view the dusk..over the horizon..though...of course..the horizon would be ....unlikely to be seen....^^

The panoramic view over the sky right after sunset....from where I was standing.

Kept on looking to find some more nice spots to see...

and..from the hill where the Masjid was.....I could see a blurry image of Seoul at night...with the unmistakably towering Lotte Tower the 555-meter high tower soon to be the tallest building in Seoul.

Then...off I steered my camera away from the high rises of Seoul...and zoomed into the low rises part of Seoul.....but..that's not what I loved..it's the fact that...sunset really gave me a chill.

Youido island seen from the hill.

Seoul Central Masjid at Night

It's one of the things that I loved of going to Masjid..after dusk prayer. It's really giving something to look at...and to enjoy

The sky was bright blue...at night. Simply stunning.

The Masjid itself was majestically shining thanks to the lightings on its facades.

Winter did give it another look and feel....and being able to be there when it's emitting its own beauty...was a bless in itself.

I couldn't help myself....but...taking pictures from every angle available...even when it's minus 7 Celsius at night.

The barren tree branches...silhouettes....the sheer sight of it...indeed made me feel like being transported into a different place...though I knew that I was right in front of the Masjid.

The Allahu Akbar written on top...was also ablaze in lights..and it imbued the already enchanting sight of the Masjid.

Now..I walked to the right side of the parking lot to see what it looked like from there. Oh, the trees indeed gave it another feel and look.

Then..from another angle. This time around..I tried to take an angle from the stairs...

It's taken from the stairs leading to the Masjid. 

Built in 1974 and officially opened for public in 1976, this Masjid has been one of the Islamic symbols in Korea and in Seoul in particular. 

Masjid di Seoul

About 30 minutes after the Friday prayer finished, less and less people were seen around the Masjid....and that gave me enough freedom to take some pics.

It's scorching hot....but it's such a bright day that it helped me focus my cam.

The first thing that caught my attention was the wall-mounted display-amp

Also the exterior of the walls.

As well as the door knob...

Or the rather dilapidated upper wall.

2015.08.14

Eid Al Fitr ..Eid Mubarak @ Masjid Seoul

Eid Mubarak in Seoul Masjid @ Itaewon. This year is surely different from last year in term of whom we met and whom we celebrated the Eid Mubarak with. This year we met our students from Gadjah Mada University, Jogjakarta who happened to be in Seoul for student exchange program.  

Also..we met Andri sonsaengnim who happened to be in Seoul for a 2-month language training course. Then...we also met mbak Anna and her cousin from German who happened to be in Seoul for an internship. 

Yes..this is our picture in front / at the side of Central Masjid in Itaewon, Seoul. 

A good way to remember the celebration. 

And of course....we also had a chance to meet Pak Nugroho and his family who happened to be in Seoul for a 3-week visit.  

and....last but not least....all along, we're with mbak Ulfa, our dear friend and neighbor who's been living in Seoul since 2011. Yes...

that pretty much summed up whom we met in the first hours after the prayer finished at Lebaran Festival...or Eid Mubarak 2014 / 1435 Hijriyah. 

May Allah bless us all. Amen. 

Today's Friday-Bazaar @ Itaewon Masjid

Today happened to be Memorial Day (현충일 -hyeonjung il) in Korea. Surely it's a holiday. I simply had it casually until I went out of my home to find out that yes...it's a special day. Early in the morning, ajeossi in our apartment raised Taegukki (Korean flag) and then as I marched my way towards subway station on my way to the Masjid, I noticed flags were raised in front of some houses and shops. 

That's not the only special occasion I (finally) noticed today. As I arrived at the Masjid, I was taken aback by my oblivion of not coming to Masjid early...."knock..knock..knock...Hello...somebody's there?" Yes..I should've gone to Masjid early..since hundreds of people flocked to pray on this holiday. 

Well, most of them did not have to work..so practically it's their best shot of 'coming' to Seoul and pray at the Central Masjid @ Itaewon.

That's one picture I took today as I was marching myself out of the crowd as soon as the prayer finished. 

Gee..it's hot outside..but the enthusiasm of those coming simply for the bazaar was astounding. 

*looking back--> I loved the relatively blue sky we had today.

and...once again..:Happy Memorial Day: for everyone commemorating this. 

*oh, I should have changed the title of this post*#where's the bazaar? ^-^

Idul Fitri/Eid-ul Fitr/Aidil Fitri/Lebaran/Eid Mubarak @ Seoul Central Masjid (part 2)

Arriving early even before the prayer started gave us a chance to be 'inside' the Masjid without having to worry of being exposed to the summer heat outside. 

We got there at around 9.30, enough to find a cozy space for us. 

'Selamat Lebaran yang ke-2 di Korea, Mama, Eyra, Freya'

This is our 2nd year of Eid in Korea. 

After the prayer, we met our students from UGM. I am sure this is their 1st Eid in Korea. 

Being among other friends and acquaintances like this...eliminates or at least 'lessens' the homesickness of being away from families back home.

Right? Yes....! 

Then..we met other Indonesian families, too.
Well..we are all students who live and study right her in Seoul, Korea.

Along with our families, we live in Korea and call Korea our home for 2 up to 4 years. (or more for others^^) 

For some...this is one of the happy times we have in Korea.

Eid Mubarak in Seoul. 

Let's see how many families there are. Hmm at least 7 families.(mine, Mas Purba, Mas Khoirul, Mas Wawan, Mas Eky, Mas Iwan, mas Sulis'....) 

Oh, some of our married friends got to celebrate the Eid without their wives or husbands since they don't live together in Korea. It must be ..well..a bit sad..for them....I don't know. It could be, though. 

But..with the Eid occasion in mind...along with other friends like this,

we'd need to think of only one thing: happiness of being blessed with the fact that we are celebrating Eid together.

Once again..

"Happy Eid" Eid Mubarak. 

Mohon Maaf Lahir Batin....May We Live Prosperously and Happily. Amen. 

Eid-ul Fitr /Idul Fitri/Aidil Fitri/Lebaran/Eid Mubarak...........in Seoul Central Masjid (part 1)

Happy Eid Mubarrak, Selamat Hari Raya, Selamat Lebaran.

After 29-day long fasting month, Muslims in Korea celebrated the first day of Syawal Month or better known as Eid Mubarak.

We, Indonesians, call it 'Lebaran' or Idul Fitri. 

We went to Seoul Central Masjid in Itaewon to have our morning prayer and then..meeting with other friends to 'congratulate' on passing the Ramadan Month. 

I think thousands flocked into the Masjid. Not sure how many..but I am sure that Masjid was full..over capacity^^...so many that (as it happened in previous years) people were praying on the parking lot of the Masjid. 

After the prayer, they surely did not want to miss a one-year only chance of meeting with other fellow Muslims from around the world to greet and congratulate one another..

 and..yes...taking pictures. oh, well....

Itaewon Masjid or Seoul Central Masjid

It's the picture of the future-to-be Seoul Central Masjid as well as its Islamic Cultural Center. I haven't seen any construction in progress at the moment, though. But, I am sure that it'll be awesome should it start.  

Today I visited the Masjid again for it's the first day of Ramadan. I wonder what it would be like experiencing the first day of Ramadan with other fellow brothers from around the world. 

Apart from having some moment of silence and any religious activities, I also had a chance to see the other parts of the Masjid and also got  a chance to see the surroundings. These are what I captured from the camera.  

Cars were parked in its relatively spacious parking lot. It's about 30 minutes before Magrib or the iftar or the fast-breaking time. More and more people were already there. 

The weather was nice to be outside and some people were sitting on the stairs leading to the Masjid....'ngabuburiting (Indonesian term of enjoying the afternoon in Ramadan).

I like the contrasting colors of the red and yellow cars with the white Masjid in its background.