BMTH live in Jakarta 2024

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This time around Ravel gets it right and BMTH (Bring Me The Horizon) are headlining the Nexfest festival in Jakarta which also features Babymetal. In this format there is no seating - which makes for a much more intimate experience - although you do have to arrive really early if you want to pick a spot right up close to the stage.  We arrived about six hours before BMTH were scheduled to start their performance and bought plenty of drinks to stay hydrated in the tropical afternoon heat (mind you, some of those were Iceland vodka mix!) This was a gig I had long been looking forward to - especially after the debacle last year. Not everyone likes BMTH of course. For deathcore fans the band sold out. For metal heads the band is not purist enough. And for the wider mainstream audience, the band is too heavy. You can't please everyone of course but there are few bands in the rock world which can match the sheer emotional velocity of BMTH. To bring metal and even aspects of metalcore t
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Masjid Kubah Mas: Depok's Gold Mosque

In the outer reaches of suburban Jakarta – well actually in Depok - you can find the most incredible sight: a Gold Domed Mosque!

Mesjid Kubah Mas

In Indonesia it’s known as Masjid Kubah Mas, or otherwise as Masjid Dian Al-Mahri, and it’s built on a plot of 80 hectares surrounded by fruit trees and a few other large and luxurious buildings.

And make no mistake about it: no expense was spared in constructing the mosque: it’s absolutely incredible. Just imagine: all the domes, pillars, chandeliers and other ornaments are covered by pure 24 carrat gold!! In addition, some of the building materials are imported as well. The granite for example came from Italy, Spain, Norway, and Brazil.

Incredibly, this mosque was built by a successful businesswoman from Serang named Dian Juriah Maimun Al-Rasyid.

There’s still a lot of poverty in Indonesia, and arriving at the mosque after driving through run down and impoverished neighborhoods certainly raises a few interesting questions as to whether the money was wisely spent or not.

Admission to the mosque is free and people come from far and wide to see it. Some even have picnics on the nearby lawns. All in all, well worth seeing – even if it is quite a long drive from central Jakarta (1-1.5 hours from Senayan depending on the traffic).

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