Masjid Istiqlal is the national mosque of Indonesia and the largest mosque in southeast Asia, standing at the north east corner of Merdeka Square in central Jakarta. It was designed by Friedrich Silaban, a Protestant architect who won the open competition for the commission, and opened to the public in 1978. The mosque stands directly across the road from the Roman Catholic cathedral of Jakarta, and the two buildings are now linked by an underground passage. It is run by an executive management board working through the Ministry of Religious Affairs, and holds the five daily prayers and Friday congregational prayer.