A walk to the cemetery...

stairs leading to cemetery

Step E under "Guide for the Muslim Funeral"

1. When not carrying it, one should walk in front or beside the *bier.
2. No idle talk is permitted. One should either be silent or better still praying or doing Zikr; recite Surah Fatiha and Surah Ikhlas.
3. No music or outburst of emotion is allowed.
4. When you enter the cemetery, you should recite:
Assalam alaikum yaa ahlil kuboor (Peace be upon you O people of the graves) 
*bier - a movable frame on which a coffin or a corpse is placed before burial or cremation or on which it is carried to the grave.
Yesterday when Ronnie was waiting behind our apartment for his ojek ride, he looked up to see a funeral procession coming down the street. He was able to capture the short clip above using his cell phone. (If your sound is up you can hear chanting - perhaps what is ordered above?) Our apartment is located on a dead end and we have been aware for some time now that there is a cemetery at the end of the street. Until  yesterday we had never walked up there to see it. The view of the steep steps (above) is taken looking down from the top.

fresh grave was easy to identify

translated "commiserate"

crushed flowers spread across mound

typical Muslim grave outlined with tiles or concret

We decided to walk up to the cemetery this afternoon. To get to it, you have to climb a long, steep, uneven set of stairs. As I huffed and puffed my way to the top, I thought about how difficult it would be to climb them while carrying a heavy casket. Mourners and family members park their motorcycles and cars at the end of the street and ascend the long stairs behind the casket. Anyone not fit enough to climb would just have to stay behind.

all graves facing Qibla

Having never seen a Muslim cemetery, I had no idea what to expect. We found the fresh grave from yesterday's burial with no problem. Crushed flowers were spread over the mound. The other thing that struck me were the graves which were mostly outlined in tile, as is everything in Indonesia. Tile is the thing here! As I was photographing, Ronnie commented that it was the first cemetery he had ever seen where there were no crosses. Same for me. I walked all over the grounds, photographing some of the more interesting graves. It may not be obvious from the photos, but all of the graves are pointed in the same direction - head and face toward Qibla. As in any cemetery, some of the graves are fairly well maintained and others are old and provide no clue as to who was buried there.

* Islam has tons (and I do mean tons!) of regulations for how a dead body is to be handled and buried, Among other things, the body must be laid on its right side so that the face remains toward the Qibla (the sacred building at Mecca toward which all Muslims pray).  Yes, I was curious and googled and now I know far more than I wish I knew on this topic.