Semarang, Java, Indonesia

Semarang is Indonesia’s fifth largest city, located on the north coast of the island of Java. Its history dates back to the 9th century, when it was known as Bergota; by the end of 15th century, an Arab mullah by the name of Kyai Pandan Arang founded a village and an Islamic boarding school here. On May 2, 1547, after consulting Sunan Kalijaga, Sultan Hadiwijaya of Pajang declared Kyai Pandan Arang the first regent of Semarang, thus culturally and politically, on this day Semarang was born. In 1678, Sunan Amangkurat II promised to give control of Semarang to the Dutch East India Company (VOC) as a part of a debt payment and four years later, the Semarang state was founded by the Dutch colonial power. On October 5, 1705, after years of occupations, Semarang officially became a VOC city when Susuhunan Pakubuwono made a deal to give extensive trade rights to the VOC in exchange for wiping out Mataram’s debt. VOC and later the Dutch East Indies government established tobacco plantations in the region, and built roads and railroads, making Semarang an important colonial trading center. In the 1920s the city became a center of leftist and nationalist activism, particularly with the founding of the Communist Party of Indonesia, which led Semarang to be known as the “Red City.” The Japanese military occupied the city, along with the rest of Java in 1942 during World War II. After Indonesian independence in 1945, Semarang became the capital of Central Java province. Extracted from mix sources