Muhammad Cheng Hoo Mosque

The Muhammad Cheng Hoo Mosque is far more than a place for prayer – it’s also a lively center of culture and learning. Inside its grounds you’ll find not only a beautiful mosque but also spaces used for community activities such as language classes, a library, a small kindergarten, and even facilities for alternative medicine. This makes it a place that feels alive and welcoming. Its architecture is truly striking, blending Islamic tradition with strong Chinese influences, giving it the unique appearance of a temple and a mosque combined. What makes it truly special is the spirit of inclusivity. The mosque embraces people from different Muslim traditions and is equally open to visitors of other faiths who want to learn and experience its unique character. When we visited, we were warmly welcomed by the person responsible for the site. He guided us with great care, explained the history and symbolism in detail, and even handed us a small booklet with more information about the mosque. This personal touch made the visit unforgettable. It is a remarkable place, full of life, beauty, and meaning – definitely a spot that should not be missed when exploring Surabaya.

A unique mosque with traditional Chinese architectural building. The main building is quite small, but during Friday prayers the front yard of the mosque is transformed into a prayer place that can accommodate worshipers up to about 4 times the capacity of the main building. What I really like is that there are chairs provided for elderly worshipers who find it difficult to sit on the floor.

I enjoyed the visit to Cheng Hoo mosque because theere are histories written about Cheng Hoo at the side of the mosque. I enjoyed learning about his adventures and the missions of building relationships in the region. Considering the site is rather small and it’s not connected to any other places of interests, I would rate it as 3/5 stars. Ladies please note to bring a scarf or shawl to cover your legs if you’re wearing a skirt or dress during visit.

Exterior of this mosque looks like a Chinese Taoist temple. Details are all in Islamic notes (notice the ceiling and interior with Arabic characters). Visit the place to learn why the temple was named after a Chinese, Cheng Hoo, and why the mosque has a fusion element. Here, one will also learn to respect one’s religion, and the point that the religion is embraced by brothers and sisters, regardless of race. Do note that to enter the mosque, you will need to observe dress code (long pants, scarf to cover head for females).

One of the most memorable Masjid I have ever visited in Indonesia so far. Nice architecture with some Chinese influence giving it a unique aura all around. The toilets are well maintained, for the gents there are two ablution area that are squeaky clean. There's a souvenir shop inside the complex and there are two basketball fields to keeps us healthy (not really, there's school here). Well worth a visit if you're in the area.

Curious place hidden in Surabaya. Interesting story about how Muslim religion been seeds in Java on the wall around this shrine.

Visited in late September. Very interesting mosque as it looks like a Chinese temple. On a display board there are pictures of a number of these mosques all over Indonesia.

Probably the most unusual mosque I've ever visited. It opened in 2002, and is named after Cheng Ho, a famous Muslim Chinese Admiral. The mosque itself looks more like a Chinese temple, it is completely open, and has a large ship at one end. Even more unusually the mosque is literally right next to a large covered basketball court!