Shah Jahan and his architectural triumphs: The Taj Mahal and the Red Fort
IO - If you were to go to India what is the site that you are most likely to visit? For most people the answer is the Taj Mahal. Everyone still remembers Lady Diana’s silent...
Enjoy the sunset, watch the surfers at Echo Beach, Bali
Jakarta, IO - Enjoying the beautiful sunsets over the waves is a most pleasurable way of spending your holiday time on the island of Bali. One of the fine beaches with this kind of...
Cap Go Meh – a celebration of hope, joy and pluralism in the Old...
IO - In Glodok, the Chinese quarters of the Old Town area of Jakarta, Cap Goh Meh has been celebrated for centuries. The only interlude was during the Suharto era but in 2002 President...
The role of language and culture in the formation of an Indonesian national identity
IO - Sometimes foreigners who know very little about Indonesia’s history or culture think that there is no such thing as an Indonesian culture. In this however, they are mistaken. What are the elements...
Cimanggis Manor House: First tolerance and diversity test for Indonesian International Islamic University
IO - “It’s beautiful and its unique,” said Ratu Farah Diba who heads the Depok Heritage Community of the bucolic Cimanggis Manor House. Cimanggis Manor was built between 1771 and 1775 by...
The Old Town of Jakarta as Candidate for UNESCO World Heritage Status Part...
IO - In the battle with the VOC, Prince Jayakarta’s town, Jacatra was razed, and not only were there no buildings left but most of its inhabitants were either killed in the fighting or fled....
The heritage embroidery of Inez Mardiana
Inez Mardiana is one of Jakarta’s best kept fashion secrets. In the so called good old days referred to in Indonesia as Tempo Dulu, society ladies used to go to their favourite batik producers...
The Old Town of Jakarta as Candidate for UNESCO World Heritage Status, Part...
IO - Batavia was a town built for trade but that trade needed to be defended and so defense became one of the Old Town’s defining features. Simon Stevin, whose Scheme for the Ideal...
UNESCO world heritage status for Jakarta Old Town?
IO - This is the second disaster to hit the Jakarta Old Town historic area this month. The first was the collapse of a 19th century Chinese building in Junior High 32 earlier in...
Collapse of old chinese building at Junior High 32 in historic preservation area
IO - On the 21st of December 2017 a 19th century Chinese building standing in the courtyard of Junior High School 32 in the Pekojan district of Jakarta collapsed. Both the roof and second floor...
