Description

Banten, once a powerful maritime capital rivaling the vast Javanese Mataram Empire, is today a fishing village with an illustrious past. The Capital City of Banten Province is Serang. Old Banten is one of the well known historical objects, only 10 km from the town of Serang. In this site, we can find a lot of remains of Islamic Banten Kingdom, founded between 16 and 18 century.

History

During the reign of Sultan Agung (1651-1683), Banten experienced its golden era. Unfortunately when Sultan Agung of Banten fell, the Dutch began to take over.

Banten Kingdom was an Islamic one and remnants of this mighty kingdom can still be found in this area. Most notably Mesjid Agung, this mosque dated from the 16th century still stands today. It shows the beginning of Islamic architecture.

Entry

Soekarno Hatta International Airport is the main access  to Banten. It also can be reached by car or motorbike through a route of Jakarta – Serang. This is the coastal area where the Dutch formerly landed to trade.

People & Culture

The local people are called Sundanese, pious folks who sometimes believe in the age old ways. Their local dialect is also called Sundanese.

Cuisine

Sundanese food is perhaps suitable for most people because it tends to be bland yet tasty. Just make sure you don't take the sambal--chili sauce, that is--if you dislike spicy food. Try sate bandeng Banten, one of the specialties here. It's made of milk fish. The flesh and bones are removed, the outer skin is used as shell for the milk fish flesh, mixed with certain spices. This dish is then roasted then served. It can last for several days' time. The taste is somewhat sweet and tasty.

Tourism Office

Jl. Raya Serang – Pandeglang Km. 4

Komplek Tembong Indah No. 1, Serang

Phone: (62 254) 219836

Fax: (62 254) 219836

There's no official site dedicated to the Banten Tourism Office. You may check the official regional government site (http://www.banten.go.id), but be warned that it's in Bahasa Indonesia.