It is said that the story is about the old mosque

The Jerrae Allakuang Old Mosque in Sidrap Regency, South Sulawesi (Sulsel) was built in 1609. The pillars of this old mosque are believed to have come from lombok trees. The Jerrae Old Mosque is supported by 20 pillars as pillars. Uniquely, the 4 supporting pillars are believed to be "field wood" which means chili wood or chili wood.

"Yes, this is field wood with 4 standing pillars," said the Imam of the Jerrae Old Mosque, while in front of the mosque. The four pillars are located in the middle of the mosque. If you look closely, the four pillars are larger than the other 16 pillars. The four pillars have a diameter of 35 cm. Meanwhile, the other 16 pillars are smaller in diameter and are used only as roof supports.

The imam of the mosque explained that from his story which was believed by the local community, the 4 poles were taken from the forest in Bilokka, Panca Lautang District, Sidrap Regency. "It is said that the wood from the Bilokka forest is field wood or lombok," he explained.

Imam continued, people's beliefs about the pole from the Lombok tree were based on the belief that in the past all plants and humans were larger than they are today. "There are people who believe that this is actually Lombok wood. Previously, everything was big, so Lombok plants used to be big," he said.

But on the other hand, he continued, there are also those who think that the lombok tree in question is not the lombok tree that is currently commonly found. It's just that all the trees taken in the forest are called chili or chili trees. "Some people also said that in the past, all the trees in the forest were called Lombok trees," he explained.
Coordinator of Cultural Heritage and Museums for the Education and Culture Service (Disdikbud), Sidrap, explained that there are two versions regarding the origin of the wood supporting the old mosque. First, there used to be a type of tree called the Lombok tree. "The first version, in the past there might have been a large plant called the lombok tree but not the lombok or hot chilies that we usually eat. Well, that tree was used as a pole," he explained.

The second version is an exaggerated story that there used to be a large Lombok tree. By the power of God, this tree has a large trunk and can last for a long time. "The second version, this is deliberately exaggerated, that it is made from Lombok tree trunks so that it is considered sacred," he said.

Meanwhile, according to observations, the supporting pillars probably came from parrot trees. This type of tree can indeed last a long time. "In my opinion, the pole is like a type of bayan wood, that's why when one pole is replaced, we use bayan wood because it is similar,"