Istiqlal Mosque is providing 4.5 hectares of its area to be used as a parking lot for those attending services at the Jakarta Cathedral during Easter weekend, an annual act of goodwill between the two of Jakarta’s largest houses of worship.
“We are providing more parking than usual, up to 4.5 hectares, to help those in the Cathedral’s congregation who wants to worship from Thursday to Sunday,” said the head of PR for Istiqlal Mosque, Abu Hurayrah Abdul Salam, as quoted by Tempo.
Abu said usually the land was occupied by kaki lima vendors but, in honor of Easter, the manager of the Istiqlal Mosque shifted the kaki limas to another location so that they could provide more parking space for those going to the nearby Jakarta Cathedral, providing easier accessibility and reducing traffic in the area this busy weekend.
Abu said they have made preparations for the parking area since Wednesday night. They’ve also assigned four guards to watch over the area.
