It is said that the village of Songak was abandoned long ago after its residents were driven away by others who accused them of sorcery.People returned to the village, about 7km south of Selong city in the Sakra district of East Lombok, only after Islamic campaigners built a mosque, in about 1309 AD, which has a history to match those of the ancient Bayan Mosque in North Lombok and Mount Pujut Mosque in Central Lombok.
The heritage Songak Mosque sits in the middle of the village whose people rely on agriculture to make a living. While some of its structure has changed with time, the mosque still features four poles of worn timber, some walls made from a mixture of soil and a traditional thatch roof which is replaced every three years.
“We still have some relics in the mosque such as spears and ancient books,” said mosque guardian Murdiyah. “There also is a gamelan (traditional musical instrument) but it is no longer in the mosque.”
Today the mosque is used for medical treatments and traditional rituals, as well for worship.
Murdiyah said the original mosque was built by a group of Islamic advocates – a group of nine sets of twins who called themselves Sanga Pati – who became the first residents of Songak after it was deserted by the villagers accused of witchcraft.
Learning that people still believed the village to be haunted, the Sanga Pati set about changing that impression by building the mosque.“There are seven mosques built by the Sanga Pati at a time when they used the power of inner knowledge and the results of meditation to guide them,” said Murdiyah. Other mosques built to these principles include Bayan and Pujut.
The historic Songak Mosque is a feature of one of several religious tours offered by the administration of East Lombok, where the population is almost 100 percent Moslem.The district also is a centre for the development of Islam, with its three communities of Pancor, Anjani and Aikmel accommodating thousands of students who come from different regions to gain religious knowledge.
The heritage Songak Mosque would support the district’s drive to develop religious tourism, said East Lombok tourism observer Marsoan Wahab.
source:enchanting-lomboksumbawa.com
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