Yogyakarta to get Islamic village

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Plans to set up an international Islamic village here were announced by Governor Sultan Hamengku Buwono X on Wednesday.

The traditional monarch said after a plenary meeting with the local council that 27 countries had conveyed their support for the plan. Among them were Brunei Darrusalam, Malaysia, the United States and a number of Middle Eastern countries.

The Sultan said foundations would be laid for the construction of the village, which would be located on 200 hectares of land between Kotagede in Yogyakarta and Plered, 10 kilometers to the south of Yogyakarta.

The plan has been in preparation for the last two years, he said.

The area around Kotagede and Plered was where the Islamic Mataram kingdom was established in the early 16th century. In 1755 it was split into the Yogyakarta and Surakarta sultanates.

The governor declined to mention the amount of funds involved in the project. (23)