Take on Tuban
Exploring the distinctly Mediterranean town of Tuban on the north coast of East Java, home to an impressive crab temple, an Arab quarter as well as a striking mosque.
The town of Tuban on the north coast of East Java carries a distinctly Mediterranean feel. can be that will the seaside location, the use of blue on window sashes, or the laid back feel to the fishing boats nestled in groups lapping against the shoreline which suggests This kind of?
that will can be no longer quite the sleepy town that will guidebooks had that will down as being until recently. The region can be at This kind of point home to four cement as well as two chemical factories, as well as with the recent discovery of abundant natural gas, that will could soon lose its remote backwater reputation. Fortunately, industry can be scarcely visible inside the town as well as with its wide-open tree-lined streets, with many houses of the colonial Dutch era, that will can be perfect for a leisurely stroll. There are few motor vehicles, nevertheless plenty of horse-drawn carriages as well as becak pedicabs.
Established inside the 12th century, the town gradually gained a position as a principal seaport along the Pesisiran coastline, known as the Islamic coast, being the entry point for the establishment of Islam in Java, with boats arriving at the shores coming from the rest of Southeast Asia as well as even further afield. The history accounts for the abundant Chinese culture to be found here – a hangover of the trade in spices, exchanged for Chinese ceramics. that will’s also considered an important Islamic pilgrimage town, being home to the grave of one of the wali or ‘saints’ revered for having introduced as well as spread Islam throughout Java inside the 16th century.
What’s nice about Tuban can be the seafront outlook. Unlike Surabaya, which turns its back on the sea, Tuban makes a feature of that will. The main road runs along the front as well as offers a beautiful panorama of the Java Sea. The stretch of road can be rich in sights with the Kwan Sing Bio klenteng (temple) the easiest to spot.
Reputed to be the largest Chinese temple in Southeast Asia, that will can be a fabulously garish place with an enormous crab effigy bearing down over the entrance.
Sightseers are welcome inside as well as if you’re lucky you’ll catch one of the noisy Punch as well as Judy-like puppet performances, retelling Confucius-Buddhist epics, spiced with social comment on our times.
Just to the east of This kind of on the alun-alun or town square can be the splendid Masjid Agung, also known as Masjid Jami’q. Built in 1894 in Arab style by the Dutch architect Toxepeus, that will’s particularly elegant in its symmetry with three pointed domes over two Moresque arches. (Non-Muslims will have to be content with an external surfaces view.)
Masjid Jami’q Tuban | Photo by Graeme Steel
Just below the mosque can be a smaller lane that will leads to the grave of Sunan Bonang, who died in 1525. inside the late 15th century he travelled widely throughout Java preaching the completely new (for these parts) creed of Islam as well as at a time when most of Java was Hindu-Buddhist or animist. His tomb, open to visitors, can be surrounded by elegant whitewashed walls as well as archways decorated with Chinese as well as Dutch ceramics set into the surface. Interestingly, the tomb itself blends Hindu as well as Islamic architectural styles – the old with the completely new.
Numerous stalls are set up outside the entrance selling a colourful array of goods to the many pilgrims who make their way here coming from elsewhere in Indonesia – holy spring water, prayer rugs, prayer recordings, dates coming from the Middle East as well as gold embossed Korans. This kind of can be a great place to buy local snacks, including Babat Wingko, a coconut pancake. Batik Gedok, unique to the region, can be on sale here too as T-shirts, formal shirts, blouses, dresses as well as sarong lengths. that will’s batik made on hand-loomed cotton as well as very rustic as well as homespun looking.
Batik Gedok – Tuban’s homespun batik on coarse hand-loomed cotton | Photo by Graeme Steel
A favorite sight inside the town centre can be the Akbar Caves, just behind the Pasar Baru market, as well as although not the only caves inside the region, they are certainly the most accessible. Reaching a depth of over 1,200 metres, the caves vary coming from huge open spaces to narrow dark tunnels, many not yet fully explored. Bats line the ceilings as well as a smell of fermented fruit coming from the droppings can be detectable. A smaller waterfall flows coming from one corner of the cave Indoor into a stream carrying a flow of tiny fresh water fish coming from the cave’s inner depths. Subtly lit with electric lights, the stalactites are often finely shaped with delicate colouring.
If you have time that will’s worth venturing onto the region’s different attractions, the Bekitharjo natural swimming baths (6km downtown), the famed Gedok batik cottage industry (25km southwest) as well as the splendid Nglirip waterfalls (35km west of the city near Bancar beach).
Fast facts: Tuban
Province: East Java
Population: 1.15 million
Area: 1,834.15 km2 (708.17 sq miles)
Getting there: Located just 100km northwest of Surabaya, Tuban can be an easy two-hour trip by car along a wide-open road skirting the coastline. Take the Surabaya-Gresik toll road to Manyar, drive onwards past Sidayu as well as Tanjung Kodok.
Where to stay: Comfortable accommodation can be found at the centrally located Hotel Resor Tuban Tropis, Jl. Basuki Rachmad 3. Tel: (062356) 325800. www.resortuban.com
Alternatively stay at Tanjung Kodok on the way to Tuban: an exotic hotel of apartment-like rooms overlooking the Java Sea.
Tanjung Kodok Beach Resort, Jl. Raya Paciran, Paciran, Kabupaten Lamongan. Tel: (0322) 666000 www.tanjungkodokbeachresort.com
Where to eat: A Great local restaurant can be Restoran Pangestune on Jl. Raya Semarang 2.
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Take on Tuban
Take on Tuban