Kraton of Jogyakarta

Name: Kraton of Jogyakarta

Location: Jl. Rotowijayan Blok No. 1, Panembahan, Kecamatan Kraton, Kota Yogyakarta, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Reason to Visit: Place to know about the Islamic and Jawa culture of Indonesia

Opening Hours: 8:30-14:30(Closed on Mondays)

Kraton of Jogyakarta, also known as Sultan Palace, was first built in 1756, with a history of more than 200 years. Kraton of Jogyakarta is also called the garden of the Sultan Family in Jogyakarta. It was designed and built by the first King of Sultan. Now it is the No.10 generation of Sultan. The Sultan and his family still live here. It was built firstly for many reasons, now there are several buildings left. Sultan Palace is located in the center of Jogyakarta, 25 kilometers form the Merapi Mount and 25 kilometers from the beach. Sultan Palace is thought to be a safe place because of its location. The main function of Kraton of Jogyakarta is relaxing, sitting in mediation and working place to hide and protect the families of Sultan.

History of Kraton of Jogyakarta

Kraton of Jogyakarta is a good place to know about the history of Indonesia. At the beginning, Kraton of Jogyakarta was the palace of the old Sultan Kingdom. From 18th century to 19th century, Kraton of Jogyakarta was the place of the Jogyakarta Kingdom. From 1945 to 1950, Kraton of Jogyakarta is the temporary capital of Indonesia. At the foundation of the Republic of Indonesia, the Sultan Family are still permitted to live in Kraton of Jogyakarta. Most of the buildings in the Kraton of Jogyakarta was changed to museum, exhibiting the historical materials and collections of Sultan Family for visiting by the tourists.

How to Get Around

There is narrators in the Kraton of Jogyakarta, helping you better know about the culture of Indonesia. And the narrator will take you get around the Sultan Palace and introduce the buildings and things in the Sultan Palace for you. The Kraton of Jogyakarta includes a pavilion for receiving the guests. Dance and music will be performed here. There are also instruments at the Kraton of Jogyakarta. After the performances, they will directly sit on the ground. The numbers stand for tones of the instruments just like duo, rei, mi, fa, suo, la, xi. While during the bulan puasa in Indonesia, tourists will not see the performances at the Sultan Palace at days.

Bulan Puasa

Indonesia is a country with large population. And Indonesia is the most populous country of Muslims. Bulan Puasa and Hari Raya Idul Fitri are the most important traditional festivals and religious custom. Bulan Puasa is in the ninth month of Islamic Calendar, which lasts for about a month. And the first day after the Bulan Puasa is the Hari Raya Idul Fitri. During the Bulan Puasa(from daybreak to sunset), grown up Muslims will not eat, drink or smoke until the sun sets down(except for patients, travelers, infants, pregnant women, parturient women, women in menstruation, soldiers are in the war and persons of manual labor). after sun sets down, grown up Muslims will eats, visit relatives and friends, have some entertainments just like the new year in other countries.

Bulan Puasa is the holiest month of a year for the Muslims. During the Bulan Puasa, Muslims will not eat or drink from sunrise to sunset. They want to restrain their desires from this way.

Exhibition of the Collections of Sultan Family

There is exhibition of the collections of Sultan Family including Indonesian characteristic clothes, accessories, foods, paintings, decoration, handicrafts, etc. There are ancient instruments at the Kraton of Jogyakarta, which are worth visiting. There are also vehicles of royal family at the Kraton of Jogyakarta. A vehicle is made by Britain. There are characteristic clothes of Jawa display at the Kraton of Jogyakarta, which are exquisite and beautiful. You can visit these Jawa clothes and know about the Jawa culture here. And the clothes of the royal family are unique, which are worth visiting.