Tag Archives: jakarta

Clear skies over Jakarta!

Posted on June 3, 2020 by ianburnet

As you can see from this painting by Hendrik Jacobsz, it was possible in 1650 to see the mountains behind Jakarta from the harbour. Mountains which are about 60 km inland, are not far past the town of Bogor, and … Continue reading →

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The Forgotten Mardijkers of Batavia

Posted on September 16, 2017 by ianburnet

In 1699 the population of Batavia consisted of 3679 Chinese, 2407 Mardjikers or Portuguese Eurasians, 1,783 Dutch, 670 Dutch Eurasians and the original inhabitants or Orang Betawi. These Portuguese Eurasians had been brought to Batavia as slaves or indentured labour … Continue reading →

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Old Batavia – The Harbourmasters Tower

Posted on March 23, 2017 by ianburnet

This lithograph from 1844 by C.W.M van de Velde shows Indonesian prahus alongside the landing dock or Aanleg Plaats on the Main Canal at the interior of Sunda Kelapa harbour. A harbour which is still used by the large Bugis … Continue reading →

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The Jakarta – Bandung Railway

Posted on July 26, 2015 by ianburnet

I have always considered the Jakarta – Bandung railway to be one of the great railway journeys of the world. The line follows the northern coastal plains until turning south near Cikampek when our train slows to a crawl as … Continue reading →

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Old Batavia – The Westzijdsche Pakhuizan (destroyed by fire)

Posted on March 17, 2015 by ianburnet

Regretfully these historic buildings which formed Museum Bahari or the Indonesian Maritime Museum were recently destroyed by a fire which is thought to be caused by faulty electrical wiring. Hopefully there will be the funds and the initiative to restore … Continue reading →

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The Walls of Old Batavia

Posted on January 16, 2015 by ianburnet

The map below shows the outline of the City of Batavia and its defensive walls and bastions in 1780, at the peak of its commercial development and before the subsequent bankruptcy of the United Dutch East India Company (VOC) only … Continue reading →

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‘East Indies’ — The first book reviews have started coming out

Posted on January 16, 2014 by ianburnet

The book reviews for ‘East Indies’ have started coming out and here is what they say: East Indies —- Book Review When you read East Indies by Ian Burnet, you can almost smell exotic spices over salt spray and wet … Continue reading →

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