Ujung Pandang “Makassar” Gateway to the East

Ujung Pandang “Makassar” Gateway to the East
History and Culture, called Makassar until 1971, present day Ujung Pandang served as the gateway to the fabled Spice Island (Maluku) and all points east. From 1500’s, the trading town of Makassar was the meeting point of all shipping and commercial activity East of Java. With sailors and trading ships coming from all directions, Makassar achieved the status of a truly international city as Chinese, Europeans, Indians, Malays, Japanese and Indonesians traded with against each other. But perhaps the most famous sailors and traders were the Makassar people themselves.
The local Makassarese and the Bugis became renowned throughout Southeast Asia, sailing to ports from Malacca to Manila. people The Bugis Prahu (wooden schooner) are legendary for Makassar people sailing ability. In fact, the prahu sail so well that over 800 are still used today in the logging trade and local shipping, though most now use motors with their sails. And as many as another 1,000 smaller but similarly designed vessel ply the waters as far away as Singapore using only the wind in Makassar people sails and the stars for navigation.
With the Maluku’s gaining international importance because of the spice trade in the 17 th century, Makassar transformed into gateway to riches. As the colonial powers fought over the Maluku’s, controlling Makassar meant great control over the spice trade. With the English, Portuguese, Danish, Spanish, French and Asian traders trying to block the Dutch spice monopoly, holding Ujung Pandang became a Dutch priority. The massive walls of Fort Rotterdam were the result. Today, Ujung Pandang remains an active trading port-still the gateway between the east and west.
People and Religion, In South Sulawesi, the Bugis are the largest of four main ethnic groups, followed by the closely related Makassar people and the similar Mandarese.
While these three similar groups occupy coastal lands and primarily live off the sea, the fourth group, the Toraja, inhabit the rugged interior of the South Sulawesi peninsula in a far different lifestyle.
Ujung Pandang boasts a modern city of 800,000, while the overall population of South Sulawesi is about six million. Sulawesi, a land of seafarers and traders demonstrates the variety that such maritime traffic will bring: Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Confucians and numerous indigenous religions make up one of the most diverse religious combinations in Indonesia.
Site and Sights, just outside Paotere Harbor, the street activity is the busiest in all Ujung Pandang. Men and women buying and selling everything, and children running wild waving sticks with tiny boats and cars tied on strings.
Inside the harbor, one long dock is reserved for the huge Bugis prahu an impressive sight looking down the row with their curved, upturned bows and tall masts forming an eye-pleasing symmetry. But these big wooden boats are there for more than aesthetics, and their crews work furiously to load and unload cargo. Barefoot sailors walk long wooden planks-once whole trees-between the boat decks and the dock with an expert dexterity that defies the resonant bounce of the planks. Among the small boats, authentic Bugis and Makassar character-big character-puton a real life show.
Back in town, Fort Rotterdam marks the city’s historic center. Originally built in 1545 by the local Gowanese kingdom, the beach-side Fort Rotterdam was captured and rebuilt in 1667 by the Dutch. The two-meter-thick outer walls stand seven meters tall and form a large square. At each corner and at the main gate, diamond shaped defensive bastions ptotrude, giving the fort an invincibility that allowed the Dutch to headquarter there for hundred of years. Today, the fort still guards Ujung Pandang’s seas and exhibits great examples of Dutch colonial architecture. It also houses the Cultural Foundation, an engaging living history museum for South Sulawesi.
All throughout Ujung Pandang, fine examples of Dutch colonial architecture still stand, though unfortunately some beautiful old buildings are being destroyed in favour of modern box architecture. Still colonial homes dot the narrow streets of the downtown area around Fort Rotterdam. With a large Chinese population, the city also boasts many old Chinese buildings, including four colourful Buddhist temples.
Diponegoro’s Tomb houses the remains of one of Indonesia’s greatest heroes. The son of the Sultan of Yogyakarta, Diponegoro led the resistance against the Dutch in the Java war from 1825-1830. Betrayed to the Dutch, he was exiled to Makassar, where he lived the rest of his life in Makassar. A family tree pained on the tomb shows that his family has stayed in Ujung Pandang.
Food and entertainment. In the evening, the esplanade at Pantai Losari turns into a food festival, with the smells of sate and ikan bakar wafting through the air. In a carnival atmosphere of food stalls, the people of Ujung Pandang congregate here, sitting among friends and strangers to share a simple supper. Ujung Pandang also presents good nightlife with discos, karaoke lounges and billiards halls.
Things to buy. Torajans handicrafts like small wood-carved tau-tau, engraved bamboo containers and Toraja trays make good souvenirs. Antique porcelain and celadon stoneware can also be found, and on jalan Sombu Opu, artisan produce intricate gold and silver jewellery.
Sulawesi grows and exports some of the finest coffee in the world, so a visit to one of Ujung Pandang’s small coffee factories might be unavoidable. Inside the factory shop, workers pack and grind exclusive Arabica and Toraja varieties. If you show a little interest, the workers will brew a fresh sample of their best for taste-testing. Though the sample is free, it will convince you to purchase at least a kilo for the trip home-a tasty and aromatic reminder of the ‘Gateway to the east!’