Walking Through History: A Free Tour Explores the Hidden Stories of Sunda Kelapa

The group of more than a dozen people began their walk from the Kota Tua area, heading north. The tour, part of a free program run by the Jakarta Old Town Management Unit under the DKI Jakarta Tourism and Creative Economy Agency, has been operating since 2023. The first stop was Jalan Cengkeh, a street now busy with traffic but which once served as a key distribution route for spices during the Batavia era. Tour guide Haidar Husein explained that the name ‘Cengkeh’ (Clove) is a direct marker of this history, reminding participants that the area was central to the global spice trade that drew European powers to the archipelago. The group then moved to the VOC’s East Warehouse, a robust structure whose thick walls and history as a storage facility for commodities before shipment to Europe were highlighted. The tour concluded at the historic port of Sunda Kelapa, where participants could see traditional pinisi ships and reflect on the port’s centuries-old role as a gateway for trade and colonial expansion. One participant, Olivia Senorita, noted that the tour provided a new perspective on the city, transforming ordinary streets and buildings into a living museum of Jakarta’s rich history.