Cirebon is a coastal city in the northern part of West Java and bordering Central Java, Cirebon is a laid-back melting pot, blending a little bit of everything from Javanese, Sundanese, Chinese, Dutch and Islamic cultures.
We recently visited the quaint city on a cloudy weekend. The gray sky was not all that bad as it brought with it a nice cool breeze. The temperature normally averages around 29 degrees Celsius.
The ancient entrance of the Palace of the Cirebon Kanoman Sultanate has been transformed into a traditional market. (JP/Prodita Sabarini)
No more than 300,000 people live in the city. Despite its diverse culture and rich history -- it was the stronghold of Islam propagation in the 15th century and now is home to two sultanates -- the city lags behind in tourism, making it less popular than Yogyakarta and Bali.
But being low-key does not mean the city is uninteresting. One thing I noticed was the city's respect for the graves of religious leaders. Stemming from the locals' honor for the figures, the tombs of Cirebon founder and Islam propagator Sunan Gunung Jati, Fatahillah and Ki Buyut Trusmi have become sacred sites. People flock to the graveyard daily to pray.
I traveled to Cirebon with Kamabudaya, a community of culture and art lovers. The first grave site we visited was that of Ki Buyut Trusmi in kampung Trusmi, Plered subdistrict. The kampung is also known as Cirebon's batik center. Ki Buyut Trusmi spread Islamic teachings in Cirebon in the 15th century.
My bare feet felt the chill of the white tiled floor at the Trusmi grave site. In front of me, a low wooden door was padlocked. Behind the door is the tomb of Ki Buyut Trusmi.
Click. Light flashed from a digital pocket camera of a member of the tour group.
"Don't! You are not allowed to take pictures of the grave of Trusmi," said Sadir, the grave keeper.
"No one but the grave keeper is allowed to enter that door," the short, wrinkled keeper said.
When asked why, he answered, "That's just how the rules are. It's not allowed," without giving further explanation.
What is allowed, is praying. There is an ancient pool where people can wash themselves before praying. Growth of moss over the centuries has left the water tinted green.
Sadir said that multitudes of the faithful converge upon the grave site during the celebration of the birth of prophet Muhammad. Many wash themselves in the pool.
There were only a few people at Ki Buyut Trusmi's grave site when I visited it. At Sunan Gunung Jati's grave site in Astana village, however, hundreds of people were flocking to the site complex, praying.
Sunan Gunung Jati or Syarif Hidayatullah is an Islam propagator, believed to be the founder of the Cirebon Sultanate.
He is buried at Gunung Jati, the place where he taught Islam.
His grave site is unique with many ceramics from China's Ming dynasty and the Netherlands adorning the walls of the site complex.
Gunung Jati had nine wives, one of whom was Ong Ti Nio from China. Kamabudaya's tour guide, Rafan S. Hasyim, explained that the reason Gunung Jati had many wives was to spread Islam.
Buried next to Gunung Jati is Fatahillah, the first governor of Jakarta. Like Ki Buyut Trusmi's grave site, both tombs are behind locked doors and only key holders are allowed to enter.
"We value our ancestors highly," Rafan said, explaining why the tombs are so sacred to Cirebon people.
The courtyard of the palace. (JP/Prodita Sabarini)
Other sites to visit in Cirebon are the sultans' palaces.
The city has two sultanates, Kasepuhan and Kanoman, because the sultanate separated due to an internal feud in the 19th century. The influences of China and the Netherlands are highly visible in the Cirebon sultanates. The walls of both palaces are adorned with Chinese ceramics.
Unlike the sultanate in Yogyakarta, the sultanates in Cirebon do not have administrative power.
The Kasepuhan palace, which is the older sultanate, is better preserved than Kanoman.
Despite that, I found the trip to Kanoman more interesting as Kanoman is located behind a busy traditional market requiring the visitor to pass various stalls.
The courtyard wall of Kanoman Palace is painted pink. Teenagers sat on the grass in the courtyard, enjoying the afternoon.
Like the city, the younger palace stood modest and low key.
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