Exhibit Maps Historic Forts

Jakarta, Indonesia - Hundreds of old forts can be found across Indonesia today. But while many of these structures have historical significance and architectural merit, the fact that they exist is not generally known beyond the world of historians.

In July 2007, the Pusat Dokumentasi Arsitektur (Architectural Documentation Center, or PDA), together with the Directorate General of History and Archaeology at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and Passchier Architects & Consultant from the Netherlands, embarked on a three-year project to inventory every fort in Indonesia, mapping their condition, their infrastructure and the surrounding physical and social conditions.

Passchier made Dutch funding available for the project and carried out research in the Netherlands.

The project has been divided geographically into three phases: eastern Indonesia, Java and Sumatra islands, and central Indonesia.

Work on the project began in eastern Indonesia, where 107 forts were recorded, before moving on to Java and Sumatra, where 180 forts were found. Work in central Indonesia will commence in the middle of this year.

Documentation of the forts that have so far been identified is being exhibited at HER.it.AGE gallery in South Jakarta by the documentation center, together with Indonesian Heritage Trust, Passchier and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The exhibition, titled “300 Forts in Indonesia,” features maps and photographs of the forts of eastern Indonesia.

According to Nadia Purwestri, the executive director of the documentation center, the project started in the eastern part of Indonesia because the Tourism Ministry was at that time focusing on the region‘s tourism image.

“It also turned out that east Indonesia was the first port of call for the Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch and English colonialist, so it was quite fitting that we started there,” added Febriyanti Suryaningsih, the executive director of the documentation center.

Ternate Island in North Maluku Province is home to some of the country‘s oldest forts.

The fort of Kastella, according to the results of the project, was the first to be built on the island.

It was originally called Nostra Senhora del Rosario, though it was known by the surrounding community as Gamlamo, which means “big city.”

In 1575, the people of Ternate, under the leadership of Sultan Baabulah Datuk Sah, succeeded in driving the Portuguese from the island. The fort was then turned into government offices.

With the passing of time, many of the forts changed ownership.

“They would be used by the Portuguese and Spanish and then by the sultanate, followed by the Dutch and the English,” Nadia said.

Mudarjito, an archaeology professor at the University of Indonesia, said that only a fraction of the forts found in eastern Indonesia were built by locals.

“There are more [remaining forts] from the colonialists because, for the most part, Indonesian forts were built from materials that do not last, such as earth, wood, as well as rocks, so they disintegrated faster,” Mudarjito said.

The structures documented include colonial and traditional forts, as well as forts built during World War II.

Traditional forts in Indonesia were built around villages to protect them. For such forts, it is hard to work out who the builders were or when they were built. While those built during World War II were built by the Japanese, including a large number of pillboxes and man-made caves found in western Indonesia.

The organizations involved in the “300 Forts” exhibit said they hoped that public awareness of the richness of the nation‘s heritage would be heightened as a result of the project. “Most people are surprised to find out how many forts there actually are and what they look like,” Nadia said.

The “300 Forts” exhibition is the second held in connection with the documentation project. The first exhibit was held in September 2008 and the final exhibition, which will feature the complete findings of the project, is planned for 2010. Titania Veda

“300 Forts in Indonesia”
April 2-May 2
HER.it.AGE gallery
Jl. Veteran I No. 27, Central Jakarta
Tel: 021 35 111 27
www.bppi-indonesianheritage.org

Pusat Dokumentasi Arsitektur
Jl. Ridwan II No.21
Patal Senayan, South Jakarta
Tel: 021 5799 2602
www.pda-id.org.

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com (17 April 2009)

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