Tanjung Pinang

Tanjung Pinang or Tanjungpinang is the capital and largest town of the Indonesian province of Riau Islands. The city with 150,000 residents Fact|date=March 2007) and is a trading port between islands in the Riau archipelago. Tanjung Pinang is located on Bintan island and it has ferry and speedboat connections to Batam, Singapore (40km away), and Johor Bahru and is an international entry/exit point.

Administration

Tanjung Pinang is the biggest city on Bintan Island and the capital of, as well as, the administration center of Riau Islands province of Indonesia

History

Bintan was a political center for over 500 years ago, when the Portuguese won the battle of Malacca and the Sultan Mahmud of Malacca fled to Bintan and created a resistance against the Portuguese very hostile expansion.

Later Bintan was the capital of the Johor Sultanate, in southern Malaysia. Tanjung Pinang has always played a leading role in Malay culture. Bintan became a powerful trading port, attracting regional, Western, Indian and Chinese traders as well as migrants including Chinese much in the same way Malacca had developed into a regional power three centuries earlier.

The Indonesian national hero Raja Haji died during the battle of Malacca against the Dutch in 1784. He was a famous Malayan king and had his palace ("istana") on the island Penyengat off Tanjung Pinang.

Landmarks

The cultural center for stage performances of Malay music and dances is located in Tanjung Pinang. The center organizes regularly festivals and other performance. Culture happenings such as music and dance. Renowned Buddhist temples are located outside central Tanjung Pinang in a small town named Senggarang.

Penyengat Island

The old ruler's palace and royal tombs, among them the grave of the respected Raja Ali Haji, who also was creater and author of the first Malay Language grammar book, are among the legacies left by the Riau sultanate. Still in use is the old vice-royal mosque, the Mesjid Raya.

Raja Haji Fisabillah Monument

The 28-metre tall Raja Haji Fisabillah Monument raised in memory of national hero Raja Haji who died during the battle of Malacca against the Dutch in 1784. He was a famous Malayan king and had his castle on Penyengat island outside Tanjung Pinang.

External links

* [http://wikitravel.org/en/Tanjung_Pinang Tanjung Pinang at Wikitravel]