Iconography and Tolerance Values in the Ornaments of Astana Mosque Jepara

The manuscript aims to identify the meanings of the ornaments of Sultan Hadirin Astana Mosque in Mantingan Village, Tahunan Sub-District, Jepara Regency. The Mosque built by Ratu Kalinyamat and Sultan Hadirin in the 16th Century in Jepara was studied by iconographical theory. An observation and a literary study collected the data and descriptively described it. The research study showed that the Astana Mosque has peculiarities in the form of ornaments stuck to the Mosque's fence. The ornaments contain Hindu pre-Islamic, Chinese, and Jepara local indigenous ornaments, which have been conserved until now. The craftsmanship of the citizen of Jepara City, popularly known as a city of carving, was inspired by their ancestors. However, Muslim artists have taken a middle course by stylizing ornament forms contrary to Islamic Sharia, which do not change the substance, for example, the models of animals and humans. It showed the realization of a cultural tolerance model (craft art) necessary to be the role model of a cultured generation.