Sunda Kelapa Harbour is the old port of Jakarta located on the mouth of Ciliwung River in Penjaringan sub-district, of North Jakarta. “ Sunda Kalapa ” is the original name, and From the 13th to 16th century Sunda kelapa was the main port of Hindu Kingdom of Sunda “Pajajaran” . The capital of the Pakuan Pajajaran kingdom was located two day journey upriver, now known as Bogor. The port thrived on international spice trade especially pepper, the main spice produce of the Sunda kingdom.
In 1522, the Portuguese secured a politics and economic agreement with the Sunda Kingdom, the authority of the port. In exchange for military assistance against the threat of the rising Islamic Javan Sultanate of Demak. Prabu Surawisesa, king of Sunda at that time, granted them free access to the pepper trade. Portuguese who were in the service of the sovereign, made their homes in Sunda Kelapa.
However in 1527, Fatahillah, on behalf of the Demak attacked the Portuguese in Sunda Kelapa and succeeded in conquering the harbour on June 22, 1527, after it sunda kelapa was renamed Jayakarta. Later, the port became a part of the Banten Sultanate.
In 1619, Jan Pieterszoon Coen, an official working for the Dutch East India Company, seized the port of Jayakarta from the Sultanate of Banten. Then built a new city, Batavia. The old port served as the main port of Batavia until the late 19th century, when the Netherlands East Indies government decided to build a new Tanjung Priok port to accommodate the increasing traffic as a result of the opening of the Suez Canal. The new port is located 9 kilometers to the east from the old port. After the independence of the Republic of Indonesia, the Batavia old port was renamed back to its original name, Sunda Kelapa, as a tribute to the long history of the port as the cradle of Jakarta.
For something different, tourists can take a boat ride across the Dutch-made canal. Despite being popular among foreign visitors, Sunda Kelapa is not a favorite tourist destination for locals, who prefer modern entertainment centers and shopping malls.As part of Jakarta’s old city, the harbor attracts both locals and foreigners with its schooners, but lacks tourism infrastructure. Attended parking is available for cars but not for motorcycles.
Tourists are permitted onto schooners to get a look at the old sturdy wooden decks or a feel for the seafaring atmosphere, but first must climb a one-meter high concrete dock curb before reaching the ship. Sunda Kelapa may serve as a loading and storage facility, but it is not tourist friendly. Except for warehouses and a stock piling area there’s not much more for tourists to see on the dock, which is poorly maintained and partly flooded with seawater. There are no proper restaurants at Sunda Kelapa either, only street vendors selling cigarettes, peanuts and drinks. Toilets, another vital facility, are nowhere to be found.
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