Kotagede, a typical Javanese city

By Bambang M.

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Kotagede is usually associated with silver handicraft items because the industry has become its trademark. In fact, the southeast area offers more than that.

Kotagede is a typical Javanese traditional city with all the characteristics.

Kotagede, which originally was called Mentaok, was the first Islamic Mataram kingdom founded by Danang Sutawijaya, who later adopted the royal name Panembahan Senopati after ascending to the throne in 1575.

The capital city was designed following the basic architectural pattern called catur tunggal (four in one). At the center was the palace where the king resided. In front of the palace was a square, and a mosque was built on the left-hand side and a marketplace on the right.

"The citizens' housing complexes around the palace served as a shield to protect the palace from enemy attacks," said a lecturer of philosophy at Gadjah Mada University, Ahmad Charris Zubair, who is also chairman of the Center for the Study, Documentation and Development of Kotagede Culture (Pusdok).

The commoner's houses were built on the property of aristocrats, and this had a social meaning. It indicated that the more people who lived on the aristocrat's property, the more respected the aristocrat was.

Five centuries later, we can still find the remains of the first Islamic Mataram kingdom. The palace is in ruins and the square is occupied by residents, but the marketplace and the mosque still exist and are in use after renovation.

The palace is in the present-day village of Jagalan.

Other remaining historical sites of the first Islamic Mataram kingdom are Watu Gilang and Batu Gateng, Panembahan Senopati's tomb, fort, Sendang (spring) Saliran and Gapura (gate) Paduraksa.

The approximately 19,000 Kotagede residents now live in ancient villages built at the same time as the palace.

"This can be traced back to the names of the villages -- they had historical-functional relationships with the ancient Mataram kingdom," said Zubbair.

The villages were usually named after the residents' occupations. For example, Prenggan was a village where its citizens were producers of kris frames, while Purbayan was where noble families resided, Mondorakan was where Ki Ageng Pemanahan lived, Sayangan was where men who made copper handicrafts lived and Jagalan was where butchers resided.

These villages of old dwellings also had many old Javanese houses with joglo architecture. These houses are situated on the sides of narrow lanes only two meters wide and are surrounded with high walls. If you visit there, you would feel you have stepped back into another time.

Among the joglo houses are also big European-style houses. In ancient times, owners of these houses were gold, silver and bronze merchants who had business in European countries.

Zubair said the joglo houses that still exist today were generally constructed in the 19th century. From his 1985 study, he found 170 joglo houses in Jagalan, Alun-alun, Purbayan, Prenggan and Basen. The oldest can be found in Purbayan and Prenggan. But because of their poor condition, many houses have been renovated.

Many historical joglo houses are in bad shape and their future is in doubt. One belonging to Sopingen in Prenggan is a typical example. It no longer has a front verandah because he sold part of the property. The same thing happened to the Bakris' joglo house. In some cases, the old houses are abandoned and neglected.

It turns out that it is not only old houses which have deteriorated. Much of the furniture, such as gebyog (meticulously carved partitions made of teakwood), regol (a fence gate made of teakwood) and antique wardrobes, have been sold.

"All this happened because of economic hardships," said Sholehuddin Basyori, the Jagalan village chief in Kotagede.

According to Pusdok's records, the oldest joglo house which is still intact and well-maintained is the one owned by Prawiraharjo PH in Jagalan village. The house, occupied by his son, Soediyo Prasetyo, was built in 1750 by Raden Djimat Amadalem Hanomtapsir I, whose royal title was Raden Ngabei Djajaniman, father of Prawiroharjo PH.

Soediyo said Raden Ngabehi Djajaniman was the 11th generation of Sultan Hadiwijoyo, also known as Joko Tingkir, the founder of Pajang kingdom and the fifth descendant of Raden Tumenggung Wiroguna, the central figure in the Javanese folk legend, Roro Mendut -- Pronocitro.

"Even before the government made an appeal for old houses to be preserved as cultural heritage, my father told me that this house would be kept for the family," said Soediyo.

The house was neglected and unoccupied between 1948 and 1980 but it underwent a major renovation between 1985 and 1990.