Goodreads Westhill Consulting: Jakarta travel guide Page

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Goodreads Westhill Consulting Jakarta travel
guide Page
Westhill Travel and Tours
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Freedom Square
A 137-metre (450ft) tall marble obelisk is set in
the centre of Medan Merdeka (Freedom Square).
There is an observation deck at the top
surmounted by a 14-metre (45ft) bronze flame
sheathed in 33kg (73lbs) of gold symbolising the
spirit of freedom. It was commissioned by Sukarno
and completed in 1961 a combination Olympic
Flame-Washington Monument with the phallic
overtones of an ancient Hindu-Javanese lingga.
The National History Museum in the basement
contains 12 dioramas depicting historical scenes
from a nationalistic viewpoint. A high-speed
elevator rises to the observation deck, where on
a clear day there is a fabulous 360-degree view
of Jakarta.
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Mesjid Istiqlal
The imposing white-marble Mesjid Istiqlal
(Istiqlal Mosque) on Jalan Veteran is the largest
mosque in Southeast Asia and was built on the
former site of the Dutch Benteng (Fort)
Noordwijk. During the Islamic fasting month,
Ramadan, the mosque is filled to capacity. Tours
of the mosque are available.
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National Museum
On the west side of Medan Merdeka lies one of
Indonesias great cultural treasures, the
National Museum. Known as Museum Gajah because of
the bronze elephant statue in front, presented by
King Chulalongkorn of Siam, it was opened in 1868
by the Batavian Society for Arts and Sciences
the first scholarly organisation in colonial
Asia, founded in 1778. The museum houses valuable
collections of antiquities, books and
ethnographic artefacts acquired by the Dutch
during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Objects
of interest include Hindu-Javanese stone
statuary, prehistoric bronzeware and Chinese
porcelain. The star collection is housed in the
Treasure Room a stupendous hoard of royal
Indonesian heirlooms. The Ceramics Room features
the largest collection of Southeast Asian
ceramics under one roof.