Save-Our-World: PONTIANAK, THE LOVELY CITY

By : Imansyah

Pontianak is the capital of the Indonesia province of West Kalimantan, Indonesia. It is a medium-size industrial and trade city located at

0°0′N, 109°20′E, on the island of Borneo. It occupies an area of 107.82 km² in the delta of the Kapuas River, the longest river in Indonesia.It is located precisely on the equator.

The General Map of Pontianak City.

Pontianak, the lovely city is the water city.

History

The city was formerly the capital of the independent sultanate of Pontianak, Sultan Syarief Abdurrahman Alkadrie and was founded in 1771 around an old trading station on the Borneo coast. It is built on swampy ground that is subjected to regular flooding by the river, requiring buildings to be constructed on piles to keep them off the ground.

PONTIANAK

BRIEF HISTORY

The Pontianak Sultanate was founded in 1771 by a group of Arab adventurers led by al-Sayyid Sharif 'Abdu'l Rahman al-Kadri. This descendant of the Prophet had been drawn to Borneo by tales about diamonds and other riches. He made two impressive political marriages, to daughters of the Panembahan of Mampawa and Sultan of Banjar, respectively. Although they helped in creating a name for himself and to gain a foot hold on some territory, he failed to establish himself in effective power in Mampawa, Palembang or Banjarmarsin. Allying himself with the Dutch, he received recognition as Sultan of Pontianak in 1779. Although the Dutch made his son, by the Mampawa princess, Panembahan, he too failed to secure that throne.

'Abdu'l Rahman's successors maintained close relations with the British at Singapore, even after the return of the Indies to the Dutch. Several members of the family pursued commercial interests there, and it served as the usual bolt hole for any members of the family who fell foul of the Dutch. This was especially the case after the latter concluded firm contracts with the Sultan during the 1820's and then began to increase effective control.

The sultanate became a flourishing economic and centre during the early twentieth century, particularly after the discovery and exploitation of oil. This valuable commodity became increasingly important as the century progressed. These valuable oil deposits provided the prime motive for Japanese interest in the East Indies.

The Borneo states and their people, of all ranks, perhaps endured more hardship under the Japanese, than other parts of South East Asia. The ruling classes were not generally well disposed towards them, several members of the aristocracy helping the Dutch and allied forces in clandestine operations. This cost them dearly in 1944, when the Japanese publicly beheaded several Bornean rulers and their relatives. Sultan Muhammad, his heir apparent, and twenty-nine other members of the Pontianak Royal Family and senior their senior officials were amongst that number.

On their return to Borneo, the Dutch restored the sultanate to al-Sayyid Sharif 'Abdu'l Hamid II [Max], younger son of Sultan Muhammad. He had been brought up with a thoroughly European education, graduated from the Military Academy at Breda, served as an officer in the Dutch army and had a Dutch wife. He soon became something of 'a fly in the ointment' to the infant republic. He supported the Indonesian Federation in opposition to the Javanese republic, serving both as President of West Kalimantan and as a federal minister. It took the diplomatic and persuasive powers of his brother prince, the Sultan of Yogyakarta, to bring him over. After the amalgamation with the Indonesian Republic on Java in 1950, the republican authorities frequently subjected him to harassment and periods of detention. Thereafter, 'Sultan Max' spent much of his time in the Netherlands, his wife having taken their children there for safety. The adat council invited his son, known as Max-Nico al-Kadri, to take up the duties of Sultan, but he refused. He preferred to remain in the Netherlands, where he had remained for most of his life. The council of nobles then chose a cousin, al-Sayyid Sharif Ahmad Yan, the son of his father's eldest sister and younger brother to 'Abdu'l Hamid II's predecessor.

STYLES & TITLES:
The ruling prince: Sri Paduka Sultan al-Sayyid Sharif (personal name) ibnu al-Marhum (father's titles and name) al-Kadri, Sultan of Pontianak, with the style of His Highness.
The principal consort of the ruling Prince: Maha Ratu (personalised title suffix).
The Heir Apparent: Pangeran Adipati Anum Sri Maharaja.
The other male members of the dynasty, descended in the male line: al-Sayyid Sharif (personal name) ibnu al-Marhum (father's titles and name) al-Kadri.
The other female members of the dynasty, descended in the male line: Sharif a (personal name) ibnu al-Marhum (father's titles and name) al-Kadri.
NB: the senior male members of the Royal house usually also receive princely titles, on reaching their majority. These begin with the title of Pangeran, usually combined to an office, such as, Bendahara, Laksamana, etc.

The Sultans who had ruled Pontianak's Kingdom.
1. Syarif Abdurrahman Alkadrie had ruled 1771 -1808.
2. Syarif Kasim Alkadrie had ruled 1808-1819.
3. Syarif Osman Alkadrie had ruled 1819-1855.
4. Syarif Hamid Alkadrie had ruled 1855-1872.
5. Syarif Yusuf Alkadrie had ruled 1872-1895.
6. Syarif Muhammad Alkadrie had ruled 1895-1944.
7. Syarif Thaha Alkadrie had ruled 1944-1945.
8. Syarif Hamid Alkadrie had ruled 1945-1950.

During the Japanese occupation of 1942 to 1945, more than 21,000 people in Pontianak (including women and children) were kidnapped, tortured and massacred by Japanese troops.

After the end of war, the Japanese officers in Pontianak were arrested by allied troops and brought in front of an international military tribune. During the trial, it was revealed that the plan to start the rebellion did not exist and instead was only an imaginary plan created by Japanese officers who wanted to get promoted.

The massacre occurred from April 23, 1943 to June 28, 1944 and most of the victims were buried in several giant wells in Mandor (88 km from Pontianak). Allied forces occupying the area after the war found several thousand bones, and more than 60 years after the massacre, several secret graves of the victims were found in Mandor and the surrounding areas. A monument called Makam Juang Mandor was created to commemorate this tragic event.

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Taken in a place with no name (See more photos or videos here)

Kadariah Palace.

Historically, the Kadariah Palace was bulit by Sulthan Syarief Abdurrahman Alkadrie ( 1738 - 1808 AD ) started from 1771 AD and then finished in 1778 AD, along with the inauguration of first Sulthan of Pontianak. It stands in the meeting of two rivers, the Kapuas River and the Landak River. Administratively, it includes into Beting, Bugis Dalam Village, East Pontianak Sub District, Pontianak City. A hundred meters westward of the Palace, there is an ancient mosque . Nowdays, it is called Masjid Jami' Sulthan Abdurrahman.

Masjid Jami' ( Jami' Mosque )
Masjid Jami' Pontianak is the oldest mosque in Pontianak that built by Sultan Syarief Abdurrahman Alkadrie which is 33.7 meters in length and 27.74 in width. It is a mosque with conical four-stacked roof that the top of the roof resemble a cown or giant bell. As the enormous influence of the Dutch architecture , both the roof of the Kadariah Palace and Masjid Jami mosque are the same.

There are six massive pillars and 14 supporting pillars sustaining the centre room of the mosque.It is intentionally built at 1.5 meters above the earth considering the location is near the Kapuas River. It is aimed to prevent from the rising water of Kapuas River. The Europian architechtural styles on the windows and the doors are clearly seen while the Middle East architechtures are on the mihrab ( chamber in mosque indicating the kiblah ). Above the mihrab , a green iron plate decorated by Arabic calligraphy stating that it was built by Sultan Syarief Abdurrahman Alkadrie on Tuesday , Muharram in 1237 Hijriyah.

The equator monument.

Equatorial area in Pontianak.

Pontianak the only town in Indonesia situated right on the equator. It lies astride the confluence of Sungai Landak and Sungai Kapuas.

The Adipura monument.

Beting area in Pontianak.
The floating houses of the Beting Permai complex at Kampung Dalam reminded us of the water village in Brunei’s Bandar Seri Begawan. A four-kilometre wooden walkway connects each house in the village.Kampung Dalam is the oldest part of Pontianak, where the Kadariah Palace, which was founded in 1771, and its Ja’mi mosque are located.

Kapuas River.

Kapuas Bridge.

The Kapuas river, about 1,143 km, is the longest river in Indonesia, connecting Pontianak with the Sanggau, Sintang and Kapuas Hulu Regencies. Among the branches of the Kapuas river are the Landak, Kubu, Punggur, Melawi and Sekayam rivers.

Pontianak Waterfront, West Kalimantan.
Pontianak is an exotic land on Equator .

Kuching

Kuching Waterfront

Pontianak-Kuching Friendship

Pontianak-Kuching Friendship

The best way to see Pontianak is by boat along the canals that crisis-cross the city. Special places of interest include: Equator Monument, Kadariah palace in Kampung Dalam, the State Museum, and the Kapuas and Landak Bridges. No visit to Pontianak would be complete without an adventure into one of the famous floating markets. The nearby beach resort for diving, fishing and sailing.

Pontianak Convention Centre ( PCC )

Gajah Mada Street ( Flamboyan Traditional Market)

A Yani Megamall

Pontianak

Location of Pontianak in Indonesia
Coordinates:

0°0′N 109°20′E

Country	Indonesia
Province	West Kalimantan
Established	23 October 1771
Government
- Mayor	Buchary Abdurrahman
Area
- Total	107.82 km² (41.6 sq mi)
Population (2004)
- Total	516,737
Time zone	WIB (UTC+7)

Motto: Pontianak the Equatorial City with the Vision to be an International Trade Center with Quality Service.

Education

There are tens of primary schools and high schools operated by both state institutions as well as private and religious institutions. The University of Tanjung Pura, a state university, was established in Pontianak in 1963. In addition to this, there are other universities maintained by private institutions, one of the most notable among them is Christianity-influenced University of Widya Dharma, STMIK (Sekolah tinggi Manajemen Informatika dan Komputer), University of Panca Bhakti, State Islamic collage (STAIN), POLNEP (Politeknik Negeri Pontianak), and Muhammadiyah University.

Berkas:DSCN0408.universitas.tanjungpura.JPG

Tanjungpura University, Pontianak

Demographics

The 2000 census put Pontianak's population at about 526,600. Pontianak is a multicultural city. It has a large minority population of Chinese alongside the majority native Indonesians. In fact, Chinese form the largest single ethnic group in the city. Most Chinese are of either Teochew or Hakka extraction. Teochew is the main lingua franca used among the Chinese, and Teochew are the dominant ethnic Chinese group in Pontianak. Chinese and Malay are the majority population in the city. Most citizens of Pontianak use Malay accent of Indonesian, which is somewhat similar to that used in Malaysia.

Composition of Pontianak's population

No.	Ethnic	Procentage (%)
1.	Chinese	31.24
2.	Malay	26.05
3.	Bugises	13.12
4.	Javanese	11.67
5.	Maduranese	6.35
6.	Others	8.57
TOTALT		100

Cultutal Event
There are several annual events in Pontianak.

Tari persembahan is a welcome dance of Malay's ethnic.

1. Meriam Karbit's Festival
Meriam Karbit (Carbide Cannon ) which is popularly known by locals during 'Hari Raya Idul Fitri' festival are being seen along the Kapuas river at Pontianak. It is a common tradition practiced from ancient Pontianak Sultan until today. Kampong Kemboje is a one of the favouriete places to see this festival. In Kampong Kemboje Meriam Karbit's Festifal is usually organized by GMKK ( Generasi Muda Kampong Kemboje ), Association Of Young Generation of Kemboje's Village .

Meriam Karbit ( Carbide Cannon )

2. Cap Go Mei
The Chinese celebration of Cap Go Meh (Lantern Festival) at the end of the 15-day Lunar New Year festivities, the Chinese community perform a street parade of dragon and lion dances, with the Malays and Dayaks performing their own cultural dances.

Barongsai ( The Lion Dance )

The Dragon Show.

3. Gawai Dayak
Gawai Dayak is a festival of Dayak's ethnic . It is usual hold from may,20th- may,25th at The Rumah Panjang ( The traditional House of Dayak's ) , Jl. Sutoyo .

Dayak's Dance.

Places of interest

The equatorial line is marked by the Equator monument, which marks the division between the northern and southern hemispheres.

Shopping malls available include Mal Matahari, Mal Gajahmada, Mal Ramayana Pontianak, Megamal A Yani.

Restaurants available include KFC fast food chain with 3 outlets, Pizza Hut at Mal Gajahmada, Texas Fried Chicken, California Fried Chicken, American Restaurant next to Hotel Gajahmada and 200 metres from Hotel Santika, Italian Steak House & Hawaii Restaurant across the street from Hotel Kini, Sari Bento Japanese and Indonesian food & Gajahmada Restaurant at Teuku Umar Shop House Complex, and Istana Buah Restaurant at Jalan Gajahmada.

Pontianak's Food is like no other in the world. For an authentic taste of Pontianak's food, the place not to be missed is the food district surrounding the "Sudirman" market. Note the operating hours of dusk to 9-ish PM. Other places to check out are those along the Gajahmada road, Tanjungpura road, Pahlawan road, and Diponegoro road. The food stalls are open-air settings, and serve many authetic ethnic Chinese food. The Pontianak Chinese cuisine is unlike any Chinese food you would find in China, Thailand, Singapore, or any other Overseas Chinese outpost. The Chinese in Pontianak are, culinary-wise, well integrated, and they have introduced an indellible tropical and spicy accent to their simple Teochew and Hakka cuisine.

Supermarkets and Departemental Stores include Matahari (Mal Matahari), Matahari , Hyper Mart and a lot of shops in A Yani Mega Mall ( Biggest Mall in Pontianak ), Ramayana (Mal Ramayana), Ligo Mitra, Kaisar, Harum Manis, Mitra Anda, Garuda Mitra and Mitra Mart.