First published: 17/10/09.

Els Slots 3.5

Yogyakarta

Yogyakarta (Inscribed)

Yogyakarta by Els Slots

The Kraton of Yogyakarta dates from the mid-18th century. It is a prime example of Javanese palace architecture. The complex belongs to the Sultanate of Yogyakarta.

Typical for the architecture is the use of a pendopo, a tall and large pavillion-like hall that is the focus of ceremonial occasions.

The main gate is guarded by two statues of giants, a good one and a bad giant. The grounds also hold some (Dutch) colonial style buildings.

A bit confusingly, there are two entrances that will take you into two different parts of the palace. The one on the south side is the major gateway. Entrance costs only a few thousand rupiah. Allow an hour or so for a visit.

The style of Indonesian palaces, like this one and the ones in Solo which I also have visited, is very distinctive. I don't think there are any sites on the List that can compare to this. Furthermore, there aren't even any (contemporary) Asian palaces inscribed. So my conclusion would be that this would be a worthy site to enlist as a WHS.

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