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Summary: This travel note introduces Demak, the Earliest Sultanate in Java. Demak is now a small town a one-hour drive from Semarang, the capital of Central Java province in Indonesia, but in the 15th and 16th centuries, it was the most important city on the north coast of Java. It is useful for readers interested in Demak Sultanate, Java Islam, Muslim Heritage.

Demak is now a small town a one-hour drive from Semarang, the capital of Central Java province in Indonesia, but in the 15th and 16th centuries, it was the most important city on the north coast of Java. The Demak Sultanate overthrew the powerful Majapahit Kingdom in the early 16th century and became an important trading port on Java at that time. Today, the most important early mosque and the tombs of the sultans of Java are still preserved here.

On the morning of May 3, 2019, after having breakfast at the hotel in Semarang, I used the Grab app on my phone to call a car directly to the Great Mosque of Demak. The one-hour ride cost 50 RMB, and the distance was about the same as from the Second Ring Road in Beijing to Tongzhou.

The rise and fall of the Sultanate of Demak

Although the area around Demak today is surrounded by rice fields, it was once a busy port. Demak was once located at the mouth of a strait that separated Java from the island of Muria; this strait disappeared in 1657, after which Muria and Java became one island. Between the 15th and 17th centuries, this strait was an important shipping route along the north coast of Java to the Spice Islands, and it connected to the Serang River, which reached deep into the rice-producing regions of Java. By importing spices from the Spice Islands and exporting rice to the Malacca Sultanate, Demak became a powerful trading port on Java.



Demak in the 15th and 16th centuries

1. Late 15th century: Independent from the Majapahit Kingdom

Since the 15th century, with the decline of the Hindu/Buddhist Majapahit Kingdom and the rise of the Islamic Malacca Sultanate, many Muslim merchants from Arabia and India chose to settle on the north coast of Java.

In 1468, the Majapahit Kingdom split during a power struggle, and Prince Kertabhumi became King Brawijaya V (reigned 1468-1478). King Brawijaya V chose to unite with Muslim merchants on the north coast of Java, granting them trading rights on the north coast of Java. This policy boosted the financial strength of the Majapahit Kingdom, but it laid the groundwork for conflict between Buddhists and Muslims in the country.

In 1475, King Brawijaya V sent his son, Raden Patah, to rule the port of Demak. Raden Patah studied under Sunan Ampel, one of the 'Wali Songo' (nine saints) of Javanese Islam, and was a devout Muslim. This year is considered the founding year of the Demak Sultanate, although Raden Patah did not call himself Sultan at that time.

In 1478, the predominantly Buddhist Majapahit army besieged the palace of King Brawijaya V. The Muslim army of Demak, led by Sunan Ngudung, went to provide reinforcements, but the king had already been killed before they arrived. After the king's death, Raden Patah declared himself the Sultan of Demak. As the legitimate son of the king, Raden Patah led the Muslim army in a 20-year war against the Majapahit Kingdom, which lasted until a temporary truce in 1498.

2. Early 16th century: Conquest of the Majapahit Kingdom

In 1511, the Malacca Sultanate was captured by the Portuguese, and the Majapahit Kingdom went to the port of Malacca to seek an alliance with the Portuguese. In order to protect the spice trade, Demak launched attacks against the Portuguese and the Majapahit. In 1513, Demak sent 100 ships to attack Malacca, but they were defeated by the Portuguese. Within the island of Java, Demak completely crushed the Majapahit Kingdom, and a large number of Majapahit royal family members, courtiers, craftsmen, and monks fled to Bali.

Raden Patah passed away in 1518, and his brother-in-law Pati Unus became the second Sultan of Demak. In 1521, Pati Unus led 375 ships to launch another attack on Malacca, but he was defeated by the Portuguese again and lost his life in the process.

In 1522, Raden Trenggana, the brother-in-law of Pati Unus, was crowned Sultan by the Javanese Sufi master Sunan Gunungjati. Under the rule of Sultan Trenggana, the Demak Sultanate expanded rapidly across Java, and he is also known as the most powerful ruler of Demak.

In 1522, in order to control the pepper trade, the Portuguese chose to form an alliance with the Hindu Sunda Kingdom in western Java. The Demak Sultanate formed an alliance with the Cirebon Sultanate, another Muslim state in central Java, to oppose the Portuguese-Sunda alliance. Because the Portuguese did not send troops to assist the Sunda Kingdom in time, the joint Demak-Cirebon forces seized the opportunity to capture the important Sunda Kingdom port of Sunda Kalapa and renamed it Jakarta. In 1527, the joint Demak-Cirebon forces captured another important seaport of the Sunda Kingdom, Banten, and the Cirebon Sultan Prince Hasanudin subsequently established the Banten Sultanate there.

In 1527, the Sultanate of Demak completely destroyed the once immensely powerful Majapahit Empire, razed the last capital of Majapahit to the ground, and brought a large amount of treasure back to Demak.

At its peak, the Demak Sultanate controlled all the trading ports on the north coast of Java and gained rule over the ports of Jambi and Palembang in eastern Sumatra, making it a powerful maritime state at that time.

3. Mid-16th century: Final fall of the kingdom

In 1548, Sultan Trenggana died in battle in East Java, and his son Sunan Mukmin succeeded him, but was immediately killed by his cousin Arya Penangsang. Arya Penangsang faced opposition from ministers due to his poor character and was eventually killed in 1568 by Kyai Gedhe Pamanahan, a subordinate sent by the minister Hadiwijaya, marking the end of the Demak Sultanate. Hadiwijaya moved all the wealth of the Demak Sultanate court and established the short-lived Pajang Kingdom.

As a hero who helped bring down the Demak Sultanate, Kyai Gedhe Pamanahan was granted a forest that would later be called Kotagede. He and his adopted son, Danang Sutawijaya, established the Mataram Sultanate in Kotagede, which became the most powerful Islamic state on the island of Java.



The four sultanates established on Java in the 15th and 16th centuries

Demak Great Mosque: 1479

The Great Mosque of Demak (Masjid Agung Demak) is said to have been built in 1479 by Raden Patah, the first Sultan of Demak, and Sunan Kalijaga, one of the 'Nine Saints' (Wali Songo) of Javanese Islam. Sunan Ampel, one of the 'Nine Saints', served as the imam of this mosque for a long time.





19th century



The 1920s and 1930s

The Great Mosque of Demak is a typical traditional Javanese mosque, with its main structure consisting of a prayer hall and a front porch. The pyramid-shaped multi-tiered roof of the prayer hall is called Tajug, which is very similar to the Hindu pagodas of Bali. This architectural structure originated from Indian and Chinese cultures and appeared before Islam entered Java; it is the result of the fusion of traditional Indonesian Islam and local culture. The decoration at the very top of the roof is called Mustoko or Memolo. The original Mustoko was made of clay, but it was replaced with metal during later restorations.



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The front porch, Serambi, is located in front of the main prayer hall and is connected to it. The front porch is mainly used for shade and shelter from the rain, and people also pray there during Jumu'ah prayers.



Inside the front porch is a Bedug drum used for the call to prayer, which is still used every Friday for Jumu'ah, during Ramadan, and on major holidays.



The walls of the mosque's main prayer hall are decorated with tiles that were specially ordered from Vietnam.



The mosque does not use walls for support, but is instead held up by four pillars connected to the highest roof. These four pillars are called Soko Guru, and each pillar is connected to the foundation by a stone base called Umpak; these bases prevent the wooden pillars from absorbing groundwater and also act as shock absorbers during earthquakes.



On the north side of the mihrab niche in the main prayer hall stands the minbar for sermons, which is in the style of a traditional Javanese carved wooden throne.





On the south side of the mihrab, there is a structure called Kholwat or Maksuroh, which is a place for the Imam and other important figures to pray, and the general public is not allowed to enter.



To the north of the mosque is a small museum displaying the original architectural components of the mosque.



A 19th-century style model of the mosque



The mosque's four main wooden pillars, Soko Guru, are said to have been made by four Javanese Islamic saints: Sunan Bonang, Sunan Gunungjati, Sunan Ampel, and Sunan Kalijaga.



The stone column bases, known as Umpak, that connect the wooden pillars were brought from the Majapahit Kingdom, because Demak was still a swampy area at the time and lacked stone.



The Bledeg Gate, made in 1466, is said to have been crafted from teak wood by Ki Ageng Selo.



The monster with its mouth open above is said to be a captured bolt of lightning, an image that may have originated from the Naga, the serpent deity in Hindu and Buddhist culture.



The 15th-century Bedug drum



A 15th-century Kentongan. The Kentongan is an ancient Indonesian communication tool, and legend has it that it was brought by Zheng He. The Kentongan is usually made of bamboo or teak wood with a hole in the middle. Tapping the Kentongan with different rhythms can represent different signals, serving the purpose of transmitting information over long distances.



Tomb of Raden Patah: 1518

The backyard of the Great Mosque of Demak contains the graves of Raden Patah, the founder of the Demak Sultanate, and the second sultan, Pati Unus.









The gate of the Sultan's tomb from 1710 is now on display in the Demak Great Mosque museum.



Leaving the Great Mosque of Demak, we headed to the shrine of Sunan Kalijaga in the southeast of the city.



Sunan Kalijaga Tomb: 1550

Sunan Kalijaga is one of the nine saints (Wali Songo) of Islam in Java, and he played a significant role in the spread of Islam across Java.

When Sunan Kalijaga was spreading Da'wah, he used local Javanese culture and art as a medium to gradually integrate Islam into Javanese traditions and customs, which played a key role in the formation of traditional Javanese Islamic culture.

When preaching, Sunan Kalijaga was adept at utilizing art forms such as wayang shadow puppetry, traditional gamelan music, and carving, and he focused on promoting the traditional Javanese Muslim attire Baju Takwa, the Sekaten festival, and the Grebeg Maulud procession.

Legend has it that Sunan Kalijaga lived to be 100 years old, passing away in 1550. During his lifetime, he witnessed the fall of the Majapahit Kingdom and the establishment of the Demak, Cirebon, and Banten Sultanates. He eventually passed away in Demak and was buried southeast of the city.

Today, the Sunan Kalijaga shrine has become one of the most important Islamic holy sites in Java, visited by hundreds and thousands of people every day.















I caught the Jumu'ah prayer at the Sunan Kalijaga Mosque and saw the scene of the call to prayer being made using the traditional Bedug drum. After the Jumu'ah prayer, everyone received a popsicle and a snack, and everyone ate them happily.















Next to the shrine of Sunan Kalijaga is a large bazaar, where many stalls are selling T-shirts and pictures printed with the image of the saint Sunan Kalijaga. I bought pictures of the "Nine Saints" of Javanese Islam and the saint Sunan Kalijaga. Saint Sunan Kalijaga is the only one among the "Nine Saints" who wears traditional Javanese clothing, which also reflects his characteristic of using traditional Javanese culture as a medium when preaching.









After leaving the shrine, I took a Grab to another city, Kudus. The driver who accepted the order was the brother I had just prayed Jumu'ah with; he was very excited to take a selfie with me, and his mother was in the passenger seat. view all