Ujung
Pandang has a population of about 950.000 and is the provincial
capital of south Sulawesi. The majority of the population in
this region are Muslims. Ujung Pandang is the largest city on
Sulawesi, and has for centuries been the commercial trade center
for the entire island and the eastern Indonesian islands. Major
goods exported from here are textiles, paper, processed food,
building materials and a variety of agricultural products. The
Portuguese came here first in 1512 and settled here until 1667,
when they were forced to leave by the Dutch. The Dutch called
the city Makassar, a name it kept until the early 1970's when
it got it's present name. From here the Dutch had control over
much of the ships that sailed between west and east Indonesia.
The Bugis
people originates from this region, and are in some areas just
known as "sea gypsies". The Bugis are famous boat
builders and sailors, and they have in ancient times probably
gone as far as Madagascar and north Australia to trade their
goods. Later on they also settled in other coastal areas of
Indonesia, in particular on Sumatra and in Riau. The old Pelabuhan
Paotere harbor are well worth a visit, here the traditional
Bugis sail ships called Perahu (see photo) come and go with
goods to and from other Indonesian islands. Pantai Losari is
the name of the promenade along the sea with a large number
of local "warung" where you can have something to
eat. There are also some modern hotels here, and you can relax
on a cafe overlooking the ocean and enjoy the sunset.
The city
has a museum, a university and an old Dutch fort, called Vredenburg
or Fort Rotterdam, an impressing memorial of the colonial time
close by the harbor. Inside the fort there is a museum with
artifacts from large parts of Sulawesi. In addition there are
several colonial buildings in the city, like the Governor's
Residence. In the southeast part of the city there are several
memorials of the once so mighty Gowa empire, like the resting
place of Sultan Hasanuddin who ruled Gowa from the middle of
the 17th century and had to surrender to the Dutch. Outside
the grave you will see the Pelantikan stone, where the rulers
of Gowa was crowned. A few km further south is the old Sultan
palace Benteng Sungguminasa, now a museum.
Ujung Pandang
is often used as a starting point for expeditions into the interior
of Sulawesi, especially to the famous Toraja land (Tanah Toraja)
on central Sulawesi. Ujung Padang has an airport with daily
flights to Jakarta and Manado. The are several facilities here
like accommodation and restaurants, with a large variety of
seafood. There is a large Chinese community here as well, and
a lot of restaurants with Chinese food.
Hakata Tours & Travel