| Summary: | Architectural form is a physical manifestation of culture as it acknowledges and
responds the surrounding cultural context. Religious architecture also belongs into
this principle. In Indonesia, the encounter between Islam coming from foreign Muslim
merchants and the high culture of indigenous people fostered a process of cultural
assimilation, which was also evident in the physical appearance of religious
architecture products such as mosques. Demak Mosque, one of the earliest examples of
this process, was completed during the period of nine pioneering Islamic scholars
(Walisongo) c. 1401 AD and adopted the traditional tiered tajug roof from Pura
(Balinese Hindu temple) and some other principles based on Hinduistic values. This
paper set out to observe the process of cultural assimilation in form and construction
of six mosques in the area of Muntilan, Central Java by comparing them to Masjid
Demak, and to understand whether the alterations found in these mosques were done
due to changes in religious values. The results show that most mosques have similarlooking exterior to Masjid Demak while there were increasing amount of alterations
in newer mosques, mainly to improve the mosques’ functionality.
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