Experience the enchantment of Kudus City, an Indonesian regency located to the East of Semarang in the Central Java province.
The city of Kudus was something of an important Islamic holy city in the sixteenth century and is the only place in Java that has permanently acquired an Arabic name (‘al-Quds’, Jerusalem). Sunan Kudus, one of the nine Wali Sanga, was said to have been the fifth imam (head) of the mosque of Demak and a major leader of the 1527 campaign against ‘Majapahit’, before moving to Kudus.
This made Kudus a key destination of a pilgrim’s spiritual journey and one of the sites that became a specific destination was the “Menara Kudus”. With strong Hindu architectural nuances that cover the the tomb of Sunan Kudus, one of the nine Islamic Saints of Java. There are also tombs of scholars and figures including Panembahan Palembang, Pangeran Pedamaran and Panembahan Condro.
As well as “Menara Kudus” there is a mosque that dates back to 1549. The Menara Kudus mosque is one of the oldest in Indonesia, built at the time of Islam ‘s spread through Java. Inside the mosque, there is a twin gate that resembles one from the Majapahit kingdom.
As the city of the “Santri” where you can find the best “Pesantren” (Islamic Boarding School), Kudus has several beautiful mosques, Kudus Great Mosque is one of the largest. Located in “Alun-alun” Kudus, the mosque has a touch of traditional architecture, with a large wooden pillar and a limasan style roof with ornate carvings.
Kudus city has a diverse history of which it is justifiably proud. Apart from its religious importance, it is known as the city of “Kretek”,as PT Djarum, the largest cigarette company in Indonesia, is located here. Through this company, Kudus created a champions generation where the best badminton athletes were born and the best prospective animators were educated via the funding provided by the Djarum foundation.
It’s vocational School, Raden Umar Said (RUS) Kudus, is separated from the main school building, and in particular the animation department has world-class facilities that range from the spacious classroom auditorium, sound editing room, extensive animation making room with super-sophisticated computer devices, and several side walls used as a showrooms of various animated characters.
The school is also equipped with a cinema room to see the results of the animations that have been created. Classic and fun lounge spaces are provided for students to relax and chill while in the center of the area there is an upside down car that has been transformed into a gaming room while a classic van has become a comfortable sofa sitting room.
This place has forged reliable animators, whose practical work has been seen inmany places including Singapore’s Changi Airport, the animated movie “Alvin and The Chipmunks”, and the animated film “Pasoa and Sang Courageous .
The charm of Kudus is present in the peculiarities of its batik fabric, whose patterns are dominated by tobacco flower patterns.But Kudus is especially ready to pamper your taste buds with its unique food, such as Soto Kudus. The most legendary restaurant for Soto Kudus is the Ibu Jatmi Restaurant. Located at Kyai Haji Wahid Hasyim No.43, in a simple kiosk that is not too spacious, it is always crowded. In addition to the buffalo meat that differentiates this from others, this Soto has different fillings, namely a slightly thick yellow sauce and Soto stuffing with sprouts and celery slices, a sprinkling of fried onions, lime slices, chili sauce and special soy sauce. Soto dishes at this tavern are usually served with a menu of “perkedel”, fried foods, or a variety of satay and the price of a portion of soup is Rp12,000 for a large bowl.
Your culinary experience will be spoiled by the variety of delicious Kudus’ foods that includes Garang Asem that can be found at Sari Rasa Restaurant. Garang Asem will cost you Rp28,000 for which you can enjoy the softness of “Ayam Kampung” with a fresh sour soup full of spices. Kudus satay is another authentic dish, especially “Sate Kerbau” (buffalo satay), buffalo meat which has been processed and marinated, has a dominant sweet taste. Don’t miss trying the special Kudus’ Egg Tofu or “Tahu Oser”, Fried tofu mixed with scrambled eggs and then served with cabbage and “Peyek”…so yummy.
There never seems to be enough time to explore Kudus City as there are too many breathtaking places to see that will captivate any tourist who visit this “Santri” City. But you should try to get out to the Northern area where, among others, ayou will find Muria Mountain (where Sunan Muria’s Tomb is located) along with nature tourism such as waterfalls, mountains and hills, that include Montel, Gonggominu Colo, “sendang Jogo” Kudus, Kedung Gender. Kalibanteng, and Ternadi waterfalls. Kudus, with all its charms, is a small city that offers a spiritual journey through which to indulgence your senses.
