Mataram City
Mataram is the capital city of Lombok. The city is made up of four towns – Ampenan, Mataram, Cakranegara and Sweta which have grown to the point where it’s difficult to tell where one stops and the other starts but each has it’s own unique personality and characteristics. Ampenan is the historic port town once ruled by the Dutch and as well as featuring many buildings from the colonial era, is home to the State Museum of West Nusa Tenggara, which gives a good overview of Lombok culture. Cakranegara is where locals come to shop for everything from electrical goods and homewares to to fashion and food. It is also home to Lombok’s largest temple, Pura Meru. Sweta, is the main transport hub for the whole island and a great place to find locally made handicrafts – the Sweta market is considered one of the best and most authentic. Mataram City is the administrative centre for Nusa Tenggara Barat, a province that covers Lombok, Sumbawa and the surrounding islands.
As a centre of government administration, Mataram has many large, impressive public buildings and substantial houses. The main square or “alun-alun” is a popular meeting place and is used for art exhibitions, theatre, dance, and wayang kulit (puppet theatre) performances. In other parts of Mataram, there are a variety of old-style markets and neighborhoods featuring traditional handicrafts such as pottery, basket-weaving and “songket”, hand made sarongs threaded with gold and silver.
Although most tourists to Lombok head straight to the island’s many beautiful beach locations, Mataram nevertheless has a number of interesting and historic attractions which are outlined in the other sections of this blog and is also home to some of the tastiest food you will try in Indonesia. Moreover, it offers a unique insight into an Indonesian city quite unfazed by the march of progress and the rush to overdevelop natural assets and is a great base from which to explore the island and discover its many and varied attractions.
The Old Town, Ampenan
Ampenan is the oldest city in Lombok and as well as being an important port for the spice trade during the period of Dutch rule in the 19th and early 20th century, Ampenan has been a central meeting point for fishermen and traders from all over Indonesia since the early 14th century. Although all port activities were shifted to nearby Lembar in the 1970’s, Ampenan is still a bustling town with it’s mix of colonial architecture and cultures from Indonesia, the Middle East and China still living and trading here, offering a wide variety of shopping food and nightlife.
The word Ampenan comes from the word “Amben” which means “Heaven”. Today, the population of Ampenan city consists of various ethnic communities, such as Chinese, Arabs, Malays and Bugis. On one side of the main street, Yos Sudarso are a number shops which belong to local Chinese traders. On the other side, is a row of shops belonging to the Arab community who sell goods from the Middle East. As you move from street to street you will see evidence of the different communities reflected in what is offered for sale in the shops and especially in the food sold in the restaurants and cafes.
As well as the many Dutch Colonial buildings, and lively trader community, the Museum of West Nusa Tenggara gives a great overview of indigenous Sasak culture and the history of Lombok. Ampenan also has a beach well known for it’s beautiful sunsets. On any given night people flock to the foreshore to eat roasted corn or to sit at one of the many foreshore cafes and take in the gorgeous panorama of sun setting over the sea. One can also see the ruins of an old pier which was built during the Dutch around 1948 -1950. The pier is presently a popular fishing location.
The State Museum of West Nusa Tenggara
The State Museum of West Nusa Tenggara holds a collection of some 7,000 artifacts and offers a comprehensive overview of Lombok History and traditional Sasak Culture.
The collection includes significant works of art as well as traditional crafts such as pottery and basket weaving, ceremonial costumes, weapons and archeological remains.
The Museum is located in Ampenan and is open Tuesday to Sunday from 8am til 3pm. It is open from 8am til 11am Friday to accomodate Friday prayers.
Sweta Market
The Sweta Market is the largest market in Lombok, offering tourists and locals a lively, traditional market atmosphere with a wide range of genuine, hand crafted items as well as fresh produce including locally grown herbs and spices.
And best of all, as it is a “real” market, ie not geared solely to tourists, prices are unbelievably cheap, especially when compared to similar markets in the tourist areas of Bali. Indeed, many Balinese entrepreneurs buy here to take back and sell at marked up prices.
Locally made pottery, wicker baskets and jewellery are in plentiful supply here as well as songket, traditional hand-woven cloth threaded with gold and silver. The artisans and craftspeople who make these items, are, in many cases women, who come from villages that have been specialising in a specific craft for generations, if not centuries, so you can be assured that you are buying items of real quality.
Many traders will even help with overseas delivery at very reasonable prices.
The Sweta Market is located next to the bus terminal, about 15 minutes drive from Mataram City and is close to the historic town of Narmada. The market is open most days.
Narmada Water Park
Constructed by King Anak Agung Gede Ngurah Karang Asem in 1727, Taman Narmada is one of the oldest historical sites in Lombok. It is a replica of Mount Rinjani’s summit and the crater lake which, to this day, is still an active volcano. Apparently, as the king became older, he could not regularly perform his pilgrimage to the summit of this 3,726 metre mountain, (the second highest peak in Indonesia, it is a challenge to modern day mountain climbers) so he built Taman Narmada, about 11 kilometres away to the east of Mataram. Inside the park, he constructed the Segara Anakan to represent the mountain and a pool to represent the lake. It is said that the king spent plenty of time in Narmada’s beautiful garden to relax and to worship the Hindu god, Lord Shiva. There is a natural spring by the pool that Hindis believe to be the Fountain of Youth and the site attracts loyal followers throughout the year.
Pura Lingsar
Pura Lingsar is located 8km east of Mataram in the village of Lingsar.
Pura Meru
Pura Meru is the largest and most popular Hindu temple on Lombok. Built in 1720, the inner court has 33 small shrines to represent each of the 33 villages that came together to build the temple and three thatched, teak-wood meru multi-tiered shrines dedicated to the Hindu gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The central meru, with 11 tiers, is Shiva’s house; the meru to the north, with nine tiers, is Vishnu’s; and the nine-tiered meru to the south is Brahma’s. The three meru are also said to represent the three volcanoes considered sacred by Indonesian Hindu’s; Mt Rinjani (Lombok), Mt Agung (Bali) and Mt Bromo (Java).
Pura Meru is located on Jalan Selaparang, 2km from the city centre.
Pura Batu Bolong
Pura Batu Bolong is the oldest Hindu Temple in Lombok and predates Balinese occupation on the island by about 200 years.
It was built in 1533 by the East Javanese rishi (wise man) Dang Hyang Dwijendra.
Dwijendra was a prominent religious figure in his time and founder of Shaivite Hinduism which is the primary form of Hinduism practiced in Bali to this day.
Pura Batu Bolong is located 12km from Mataram near the beach town of Senggigi. It is built on a rocky coastal outcrop and enjoys stunning sunsets and views back to Mt Agung on Bali.
Pusuk Monkey Forest
Pusuk Monkey Forest is situated 30 minutes from Mataram in lush tropical forest between West and North Lombok. The area is a protected natural reserve and the habitat of the native macaque. These small, grey monkeys have become quite tame and accustomed to people. They can be seen along much of the roadside and can be hand fed at the summit, which provides views back to the west coast. If you forget to take your own bag of nuts you can buy some at the summit.
