Oh, the moon shines bright, and we sail to-night,
And we’re bound for Surabaya!
Charles Henry Souter (1918)
Surabaya is second only to Jakarta as Indonesia’s premier city. With 3 million people in the city and surrounding area, it is the major city of East Java. Surabaya has achieved this status by sheer size and its position as one of the country’s economic powerhouses.
With its strategic location on hot plain of north Java the mouth of the Brantas River, Surabaya has a rich history going back over one thousand years. Folk lore has it that the city was the site of a battle between the sura (a shark) and a baya (crocodile).
Surabaya has seen the Majapahit kingdom, the Mongol Emperor Kublai Khan, the Chinese, the Arabs, the Portuguese, Spanish, the English, the Dutch and the missionaries who brought Islam to Surabaya in 1525 over the centuries. While some have come and gone, and some have stayed, the influence of all of them is still visible in Surabaya. Through its history, wealth and characters such as Surabaya Sue, the city has become famous throughout the world as a great and vibrant port.
Helped by the new airport and large economy, there are plenty of plenty of business people and tourists who find themselves in Surabaya for a day or so but have no idea of the many sights and attractions of this most interesting city.
Despite the popular perception of Surabaya as principally a business and commercial centre with little to offer visitors, the city does not have the traffic and other logistical problems of Jakarta. With its fascinating history, there is plenty to see and do in a spare day or so in and around the city. It is sufficiently compact to allow for sightseeing before and after work if necessary.
Dawn, as the morning prayer sounds, is a great time to visit the old Arab Quarter of Surabaya. The sights, sounds, and smells in the alleyways are reminiscent of the ancient souks of Saudi Arabia. Wander down the narrow street towards the fifteenth century Mesjid Sunan Ampel where the sarongs, peci, jewellery, spices and perfumes evoke thoughts of the words and images of “The Arabian Nights" and the music of Scheherazade.
In the pre-dawn light, the faithful stream past through the narrow gate which leads to this historic mosque of old Surabaya. Under the shelter of the awning many slumbering bodies peacefully defy the sign forbidding sleeping around the entrance. Take time to wander about the surrounding grounds in the mesjid. Named after one of nine wali who brought Islam to Java centuries ago, Sunan Ampel himself is laid to rest here.
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