Sulawesi

Sulawesi Island

Sulawesi's colourful history is the story of spices and foreign merchants of mariners and sultans and of foreign power wresting control of the spice trade. Much of South Sulawesi's early history was written in old texts that can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries.

When the Portuguese, the first western visitors, reached Sulawesi in 1511, they found Makassar a thriving cosmopolitan entre-port where Chinese, Arabs, Indians, Siamese, Javanese, and Malays came to trade their manufactured metal goods and fine textiles for precious pearls, gold, copper, camphor and, of course, the invaluable spices - nutmeg, cloves and mace which were brought from the interior and from the neighbouring Spice Islands, the present day Moluccas.

By the 16th century, Makassar had become Sulawesi's major port and centre of the powerful Gowa and Tallo sultanates which between them had a series of 11 fortresses and strongholds and a fortified sea wall which extended along the coast.

The arrival of the Dutch in the early 17th century, altered events dramatically. Their first objective was to create a hegemony over the spice trade and their first move was to capture the fort of Makassar in 1667, which they rebuilt and renamed Fort Rotterdam. From this base they managed to destroy the strongholds of the Sultan of Gowa who was then forced to live on the outskirts of Makassar. [Prince Diponegoro; the national hero, born in 1785, to Sultan Hamengkubuwono III of Yogyakarta put up a great resistance against the Dutch in the Java wars of 1825-30. After his capture he was exiled to Fort Rotterdam until his death in 1855.]

The character of this old trading centre changed as a walled city known as Vlaardingen grew, a place where slaves were at the bidding of the imposing foreigners. Gradually, in defiance of the Dutch, the Arabs, Malays and Bugis returned to trade outside the grim fortress walls and later also the Chinese.

The town again became a collecting point for the produce of eastern Indonesia - the copra, rattan, pearls, trepang and sandalwood and the famous oil made from bado nuts used in Europe as men's hair dressing - hence the anti-macassars (embroidered cloths placed at head rests of upholstered chairs).

Although the Dutch controlled the coast, it was not until the early 20th century that they gained power over the interior of the south through a series of treaties with local rulers. Meanwhile Dutch missionaries converted many of the Toraja people to Christianity. By 1938 the population of Makassar had reached around 84,000 - a town described by writer Joseph Conrad as "the prettiest and perhaps, cleanest looking of all the towns in the islands". By the 1950's the population had increased to such a degree that many of the historic sites gave way to modern development and today you need to look very carefully to find the few remains of the city's once grand history.

Sulawesi Island in Indonesia - Formerly known as Celebes, Sulawesi is shaped like a tropical orchid. It is Indonesia's third-largest island with an area of 172,000 square km. The island of Sulawesi is divided into the provinces of North Sulawesi, South Sulawesi and Southeast Sulawesi. Sulawesi has great topographical variety-spectacular mountains, scenic coastline, lakes, rice and dense jungles-and offer wonderful opportunities for travelers.

History of Sulawesi Island

Much of Sulawesi's early history was written in old texts that can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries. When the Portuguese, the first western visitors, reached Sulawesi in 1511, they found Makassar a thriving cosmopolitan entre-port where Chinese, Arabs, Indians, Siamese, Javanese, and Malays came to trade their manufactured metal goods and fine textiles for precious pearls, gold, copper, camphor and, of course, the invaluable spices - nutmeg, cloves and mace which were brought from the interior and from the neighbouring Spice Islands, the present day Moluccas.

By the 16th century, Makassar had become Sulawesi's major port and centre of the powerful Gowa and Tallo sultanates. The arrival of the Dutch in the early 17th century caused an upheavel in Sulawesi. To create their hegemony over the spice trade they captured the fort of Makassar in 1667, which they rebuilt and renamed Fort Rotterdam. From this base they managed to destroy the strongholds of the Sultan of Gowa who was then forced to live on the outskirts of Makassar.

The town again became a collecting point for the produce of eastern Indonesia- the copra, rattan, pearls and sandalwood. Although the Dutch controlled the coast, it was not until the early 20th century that they gained power over the interior through a series of treaties with local rulers. Meanwhile Dutch missionaries converted many of the Toraja people to Christianity. Later on when Indonesia became independent, Sulawesi became a part of it.

Sulawesi Weather

Sulawesi has warm tropical climate with wet and dry seasons lasting approximately six months each. The dry season is from April to October and the wet season is from November to May.

Best Time To Visit Sulawesi
The best time to visit Sulawesi is during dry season from April to October. June to October offers the best chance of witnessing a major Torajanese funeral.

Places to Visit in Sulawesi

Manado: It is the capital of North Sulawesi Province. Manado offers a variety of terrain with hills, volcanic mountains and scenic plateaus.

Bunaken Sea Garden: The world famous Bunaken Marine National Park, with an area 75.26 hectares, is located very close to Manado and comprises of 5 islands: Bunaken, Manado Tua, Siladen, Mantehage and Nain. The superb diving and snokelling sites puts the Marine Park in one of the top 10 dive area of the world and is a mecca for seasoned and beginner divers alike.

Manado Tua Island: 
This island is the main island of the group. There is a hiking path to the top which takes several hours to climb, and offers a spectacular view of all the islands of Manado Bay. The place offers excellent opportunuties for diving and snorkeling.

Kendari:  
Capital of Southeast Sulawesi. It is the seat of government and tourist center of the province. It lies along the sloping hill and seaside of Kendari Bay.

Moramo Waterfall:  
The fall is unique in itself. It traverses a 2 km plateau, with 127 separate terraced plumes, with the top of the waterfall some 100 meters above its basin pool. the falls have seven main terraces, each with its own natural bathing pool.

 

Moramo Bay:

This clean, pollution-free bay is only one and one half hours by car or speedboat from Kendari. The white sand beaches of Moramo Bay are host to all sorts of water activities and sports

Shopping in Sulawesi Indonesia
Some of the favorite shopping items in Sulawesi are filigree silverware and ornaments, hand-woven silks and cottons, hand carved wooden panels and pictures, bamboo household ornaments and brassware.

How to Reach Sulawesi
Makassar is the main airport. There are several flights each day from all major cities of Indonesia