Sustaining the culture of the city: Architecture and cosmology in the mantingan mosque and cemetery complex in Jepara

Abstract

This paper analyzes the architecture of the Mosque and the Cemetery Complex of Mantingan, in Jepara, Central Java. It is the basic idea in this paper that traditional local building philosophy may help to create cultural and social sustainability. The organization of the city especially shown at the city mosque and the cemetery reflect the culture of people live in the city and understanding the organization of the complex means sustaining the culture and the history of the city. The study will focus on understanding the connection of the architecture of the mosque and the cemetery complex in relation to Javanese architecture and cosmology. Based on this analysis, the finding of this paper is that theMantinganMosque and the Cemetery Complex adopted Javanese architectural forms and cosmology in the organization of the complex and help to sustain cultural, social and economic of the city.