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Sunda Kelapa () is the old port of
Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...
, located on the estuary of the Ciliwung River. "Sunda Kalapa" ( Sundanese: "Coconut of Sunda") is the original name, and it was the main port of the
Sunda Kingdom The Sunda Kingdom ( , ) was a Sundanese people, Sundanese Hindu kingdom located in the western portion of the island of Java from 669 to around 1579, covering the area of present-day Banten, Jakarta, West Java, Lampung, and the western part of ...
. The port is situated in
Penjaringan Penjaringan is a district of North Jakarta Administrative City, Indonesia. It is the westernmost district of North Jakarta. Muara Angke Port and the mouth of Sunda Kelapa Port are located within Penjaringan. Penjaringan contains the remnants of ...
District, of
North Jakarta North Jakarta (; ), abbreviated as Jakut, is one of the five administrative cities (''kota administrasi'') which form Special Capital Region of Jakarta, Indonesia. North Jakarta is not self-governed and does not have a city council, hence it is ...
,
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
. Today the old port only accommodates
pinisi Literally, the word pinisi refers to a type of rigging (the configuration of masts, sails and ropes ('lines')) of Indonesian Sailing ship, sailing vessels. A pinisi carries seven to eight sails on two masts, arranged like a gaff-ketch with what ...
, a traditional two-masted wooden sailing ship providing inter-island
freight In transportation, cargo refers to goods transported by land, water or air, while freight refers to its conveyance. In economics, freight refers to goods transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. The term cargo is also used in ...
service in the archipelago. Although it is now only a minor port, Jakarta has its origins in Sunda Kelapa and it played a significant role in the city's development. The port is currently operated by the state-owned Indonesia Port Corporations.


History


Hindu-Buddhist period

The Chinese source, '' Zhu Fan Zhi'', written circa 1200,
Chou Ju-kua Zhao Rukuo ( zh, t=趙汝适, s=赵汝适, p=Zhào Rǔkuò; 1170–1231), also romanised as Zhao Rugua, Chau Ju-kua, or misread as Zhao Rushi, was a Chinese government official and writer during the Song dynasty. He wrote a two-volume book titled ' ...
identified the two most powerful and richest kingdoms in the Indonesian archipelago as Sriwijaya and Java ( Kediri). According to this source, in the early 13th Century, Sriwijaya still ruled Sumatra, the Malay peninsula, and western Java ( Sunda). The source identified the port as strategic and thriving, pepper from Sunda being among the best in quality. The people worked in agriculture and their houses were built on wooden poles (''rumah panggung''). However, robbers and thieves plagued the country. However it was uncertain which port of Sunda was referred to by Chou Ju-kua, it probably referred to the port of
Banten Banten (, , Pegon alphabet, Pegon: بنتن) is the westernmost Provinces of Indonesia, province on the island of Java, Indonesia. Its capital city is Serang and its largest city is Tangerang. The province borders West Java and the Special Capi ...
, and not Sunda Kalapa. From the 13th to 16th century Sunda Kelapa was the main port of the
Sunda Kingdom The Sunda Kingdom ( , ) was a Sundanese people, Sundanese Hindu kingdom located in the western portion of the island of Java from 669 to around 1579, covering the area of present-day Banten, Jakarta, West Java, Lampung, and the western part of ...
. The port served the capital,
Pakuan Pajajaran Pakuan Pajajaran ( Sundanese: ᮕᮊᮥᮝᮔ᮪ᮕᮏᮏᮛᮔ᮪; known as Dayeuh Pakuan/Pakwan or Pajajaran) was the fortified capital city of Sunda Kingdom. The location roughly corresponds to modern Bogor city in West Java, Indonesia, approxi ...
, located about 60 km inland south, along the Ciliwung river
hinterland Hinterland is a German word meaning the 'land behind' a city, a port, or similar. Its use in English was first documented by the geographer George Chisholm in his ''Handbook of Commercial Geography'' (1888). Originally the term was associated wi ...
, now the site of modern
Bogor Bogor City (), or Bogor (, ), is a landlocked city in the West Java, Indonesia. Located around south of the national capital of Jakarta, Bogor is the 6th largest city in the Jakarta metropolitan area and the 14th overall nationwide.
. The port thrived on the international spice trade especially pepper, the main spice produce of the Sunda kingdom. Sunda Kelapa, together with
Aceh Aceh ( , ; , Jawi script, Jawoë: ; Van Ophuijsen Spelling System, Old Spelling: ''Atjeh'') is the westernmost Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is located on the northern end of Sumatra island, with Banda Aceh being its capit ...
and
Makassar Makassar ( ), formerly Ujung Pandang ( ), is the capital of the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of South Sulawesi. It is the largest city in the region of Eastern Indonesia and the country's fifth-largest urban center after Jakarta, ...
, was one of the few Indonesian ports that maintained ties with Europe.


Islamic/Portuguese period

By 1511, the Portuguese had conquered
Malacca Malacca (), officially the Historic State of Malacca (), is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state in Malaysia located in the Peninsular Malaysia#Other features, southern region of the Malay Peninsula, facing the Strait of Malacca ...
and established the earliest European colony in Southeast Asia. According to
Suma Oriental Suma may refer to: Places * Suma, Azerbaijan, a village * Suma, East Azerbaijan, a village in Iran * Sowmaeh, Ardabil, also known as Şūmā, a village in Iran * Suma-ku, Kobe, one of nine wards of Kobe City in Japan ** Suma Station, a ra ...
, written in 1512–1515,
Tomé Pires Tomé Pires (c. 1468 — c. 1524/1540) was a Portuguese apothecary, colonial administrator, and diplomat. In 1510 he was commissioned by the Portuguese court to serve as a " factor of drugs" in India, arriving at Cannanore in 1511. In 1512 he was ...
, a Portuguese explorer reported about the importance of the port of ''Calapa'' which corresponds to the port of Sunda Kalapa. In 1522, the Portuguese secured a political and economic agreement with the Hindu Kingdom of Sunda, the authority of the port. In exchange for military assistance against the threat of the rising Islamic Javanese
Sultanate of Demak The Demak Sultanate () was a Javanese Muslim state located on Java's north coast in Indonesia, at the site of the present-day city of Demak. A port fief to the Hindu-Buddhist Majapahit kingdom thought to have been founded in the last quarter of ...
, Prabu Surawisesa, king of Sunda at that time, granted them free access to the pepper trade. Portuguese who were in the service of the sovereign made their homes in Sunda Kelapa and were the first Christians in the lands of present day Indonesia. However, in 1527,
Fatahillah Fatahillah, Fadhillah Khan, or Falatehan (Portuguese writing) was a commander of the Demak Sultanate, Sultanate of Demak who is known for leading the conquest of Sunda Kelapa in 1527 and changing its name to Jakarta, Jayakarta. The conquest of Sun ...
, on behalf of the Demak attacked the Portuguese in Sunda Kelapa and succeeded in conquering the harbour on 22 June 1527, after which Sunda Kelapa was renamed Jayakarta. Later, the port became a part of the
Banten Sultanate The Banten Sultanate (, ) was a Bantenese people, Bantenese Islamic trading sultanate, kingdom founded in the 16th century and centred in Bantam (city), Banten, a port city on the northwest coast of Java; the contemporary English name of both w ...
.


VOC/Dutch colonization

In 1619,
Jan Pieterszoon Coen Jan Pieterszoon Coen (; 8 January 1587 – 21 September 1629) was a Dutch naval officer of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in the early 17th century, holding two terms as governor-general of the Dutch East Indies. He was the founder of ...
, an official working for the
Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( ; VOC ), commonly known as the Dutch East India Company, was a chartered company, chartered trading company and one of the first joint-stock companies in the world. Established on 20 March 1602 by the States Ge ...
, seized the port of Jayakarta from the Sultanate of Banten and founded Batavia. During the early period of VOC, the port was mainly used by small ships which were able to sail into the canal and toward the Kali Besar, where goods were loaded and ships were repaired in shipyards i.e. the VOC and the Chinese shipyards located opposite of the Batavia Castle. Larger ships were difficult to enter the port due to its narrow width as well as the shallow water, so these had to anchor out at sea. By the late 17th-century maintenance of the port already prove to be very difficult, due to sandbanks continuously building up at its mouth and around the area. A fortification called Waterkasteel was built in 1741 to provide protection to the harbour. In the 18th-century, for a short time the VOC made use of slaves and horses to tow dredges along the canal from its eastern bank. The strategy proved to be inefficient and caused loss of life, partly also because of the unsanitary condition and the heat of the tropical climate.


Modern colonialism

During the 19th-century, the port was known as the ''Haven Kanaal'' ("Harbor Canal"). Being the only entrance to Batavia, it earned the nickname "Roads of Batavia" or "Batavia's Roadstead". The port was still a narrow canaled harbor, so large vessels still had to anchor their ships further north. Smaller ships, known as "lighters", were used to transport cargo and passengers to the port. The lighters were described as a very small and very shallow iron steamship, which replaced the earlier large rowing boats. The condition of the ''Haven Kanaal'' during the period was deteriorating and performed below the accepted standards, which was similar with the condition of the
Old Town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins. In some cases, newer developments on t ...
at that time. The whole process of carrying passengers and cargo were time-consuming and could be dangerous during stormy weather. Accidents (e.g. collisions between ships with moored junks) were recorded. In 1885, the
Netherlands East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...
government decided to build a new Tanjung Priok port to accommodate the increasing traffic as a result of the opening of the
Suez Canal The Suez Canal (; , ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, Indo-Mediterranean, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia (and by extension, the Sinai Peninsula from the rest ...
.Cobban, James L. 1985. The ephemeral historic district in Jakarta. ''Geographical Review'' 75(3):300-318. The new port is located 9 kilometers to the east from the old port.


Post-independence

After the independence of the
Republic of Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
, the Batavia old port was renamed back to its original name, Sunda Kelapa, as a tribute to the long history of the port as the cradle of Jakarta.


See also

*
Jakarta Old Town Kota Tua Jakarta (Indonesian language, Indonesian for "Jakarta Old Town"), officially known as Kota Tua, is a neighborhood comprising the original downtown area of Jakarta, Indonesia. It is also known as (Dutch language, Dutch for "Old Batavia" ...


Notes


Works cited

* Adolf Heuken SJ dan Grace Pamungkas, 2000, ''Galangan Kapal Batavia selama tiga ratus tahun''. Jakarta:Cipta Loka Caraka/Sunda Kelapa Lestari * Jan Gonda, 1951, ''Sanskrit in Indonesia''. * * Supratikno Rahardjo et al., 1996, ''Sunda Kelapa sebagai Bandar di Jalur Sutra. Laporan Penelitian''. Jakarta: Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan RI * Thomas B. Ataladjar dan Sudiyono, 1991, 'Sunda Kelapa' di ''Ensiklopedi Nasional Indonesia''. Jakarta: Cipta Adi Pustaka


External links


Menyusuri Kota Tua Jakarta, Pikiran Rakyat


{{in lang, id Ports and harbours of Indonesia Sunda Kingdom Buildings and structures in Jakarta Cultural Properties of Indonesia in Jakarta North Jakarta