Centuries old seafaring tradition still exists in Surabaya
Centuries old seafaring tradition still exists in Surabaya
By Simon Marcus Gower
SURABAYA (JP): The heat is high in central Surabaya and dust
rises from its ever traffic laden streets making a walk around
this large and centuries old city a difficult experience.
But there are few pedestrians on these streets. The center of
modern Surabaya has become a series of wide, sweeping one-way
streets that may confuse the visitor but are clearly designed to
improve traffic flow through and around the city. In older parts
of Surabaya the pedestrian may experience similar difficulties.
Aged, crumbling colonial buildings stand in tightly developed
rows facing each other across narrow streets that leave no space
for walkways.
Among these narrow aged streets clouds of dust and
polluting fumes are belched up by trucks that tell of
Surabaya as a place of trade and as a port. Many of the colonial
buildings are old warehouses into and through which masses of
merchandise pass either as imported goods or export trade. It is
here, then, that a first suggestion of Surabaya's importance as a
port may be glimpsed.
In the modern center of the Surabaya there are few
hints to the city's seafaring significance. International hotels
rub shoulders with multistory shopping plazas that offer air-
conditioned luxury and respite from the heat and dust of the busy
city.
In the more congested colonial parts of the city the
architecture itself tells of the city's seafaring history. The
colonial buildings show the way in which the Dutch East Indies
Company (VOC) developed the city into the major seaport in the
area. For centuries, Surabaya remained rebellious and violently
resilient to the power and control of the VOC.
However, by the middle of the 18th century the Mataram king
was forced to concede control of the city. Thus, under colonial
control, Surabaya steadily grew and in particular its port was
developed. Indeed by the beginning of the 20th century it was the
largest city in the then Dutch East Indies, larger even than
Batavia, now Jakarta.
Further evidence of the colonial and cosmopolitan
growth of the city stands in the older parts of the city in the
form of the Arab Quarter, (or Kasbah Quarter). In the center of
this quarter, and thus the point one inevitably aims to reach, is
a mosque which was built in 1900 and is said to be the oldest in
East Java.
Maze-like alleyways twist and turn and hide the
mosque. But upon entering this quarter it is clear that a
different and immigrant region of the city has been reached. The
children running, playing and cycling through these alleys do not
have Javanese or even eastern features. Indeed, many of them,
wearing one-piece white flowing robes, look as though they
have been transported directly from Saudi Arabia or Egypt. But
the language they speak is Indonesian and they are Indonesians.
Their forefathers, perhaps centuries ago, sailed here bringing
their Islamic faith and an Arabic atmosphere to this portion of
the city.
In the midst of the narrow alleys and congested housing is the
Ampel Mosque. One of the nine wali, the traveling Islamic
preachers who are reputed to have been among the first carriers
of Islam to Java, Sunan Ampel, established this mosque. He died
in 1481 and his grave lies within the mosque's walls. His
presence in Surabaya is a further example of the city's
centuries-old significance as a seaport. It is widely
agreed that these wali traveled to the archipelago
following the existing trade network.
The Arab Quarter is a busy hub of the city. The mosque
stands as a place of pilgrimage for many Indonesians who come to
honor the memory of Sunan Ampel and partake of the holy waters
that also flow at the rear of the mosque.
Near to the Arab Quarter is Jembatan Merah (Red
Bridge), which is another reminder of the city's international
significance. Today this area is dominated by a shopping mall but
its past tells of international events. At the end of World War
II thousands of British troops landed here to oversee the removal
of Japanese forces and help to restore Dutch control of the city.
The British army met stiff resistance from Indonesian
fighters and had to reinforce with more troops and air
attacks. It took more than three weeks to put down the rebellious
locals but historians agree that the Battle of Surabaya marked a
turning point in the independence movement. It was the site of
some of the fiercest fighting ever seen in the islands and showed
the strength of commitment to resistance. In Surabaya today, Tugu
Pahlawan (Heroes Monument) remembers the thousands who died
trying to reject the reinstatement of colonial rule.
North of the monument and Jembatan Merah one
approaches the port of Surabaya. Sweeping up and down
these roads is a different kind of traffic this an indicator of
the port's huge scale, for massive trucks hauling containers pass
to and from the hundreds of cargo ships that dock at the port.
Vast prefabricated warehouses proliferate here and the ever-busy
cranes that lift the containers from the ships line the skyline.
Soon the seawaters are reached and the full extent of the port
can be witnessed.
Dozens of cargo ships sit placidly anchored in the waters
waiting to dock while numerous others are docked and port workers
busily work on, over and around them.
Small boats buzz around the giant ships and ferries
transporting passengers to dry land while the big ships have to
wait for a docking point. The waters are heavily polluted but
that does not deter fishermen and, despite oily deposits lapping
up to the harbor walls, the view across the Strait of Surabaya is
impressive.
Similarly impressive is the giant statue of an Indonesian
naval officer that proudly looks out across the strait. Erected
as a tribute to the Indonesian naval forces this giant statue
stands upon a building that houses a naval museum. One of the
features of this museum is a gong, called Kyai Tentrem, which is
reputed to be one of the largest in the world. The combined
height of the pedestal building and the giant figure is just over
60 meters, which makes this one of the tallest monuments in
Southeast Asia. Quite apart from its grand scale this monument
has a regal and noble appearance.
Looking proudly and calmly down on the intense activity of the
port this figure watches the coming and going of hundreds of sea
vessels. The sultry and dusty heat of Surabaya brings its own
intensity but the port of Surabaya draws international and
domestic vessels, as it has done for centuries as perhaps the
most central port in the whole of the country.