Jokyakarta is a city in the very center of Java and the center of the Special District of Jokyakarta. Once, Jokyakarta was the capital of Indonesia (and in the recent past, in the middle of the last century, as many as two years), and until 1006 was the capital of the Yavansko-Indian kingdom Matama, which was erased from the face of the earth during the eruption of the Merapy, volcano in 30 km from the city.
The name of the city happened from the Indian city of Iodhya from the ancient Indian epic. "Yoga" (Jockey) is "suitable", "Map" - "prosperous". Thus, Jokyakarta is a "city, suitable for prosperity." And really. Today, Jokyakarta is the center of classic Javanese art and culture - batik, ballet, drama, music, poetry and puppet theater.
In general, as you see, you need to go to Jokyakarta in order to penetrate the cultural spirit of the country. Attractions in the city of Maulo - Temples, Art Gallery, Museums.
In general, despite the fact that it is absolutely Cultural city There are also traffic jams, there are large shopping centers and clubs with bars. However, the agreed efforts of local authorities and the residents themselves led to the fact that the Javanese traditions did not fall under bullets of the upcoming progress.
Dutch colonialists also left their mark in the architecture of the city, and this fact cannot be noticed. In general, the Yavansky culture, the morals and beliefs are still strongly brought over the society, but among all this there is a modern bright society, especially in the north of the city, which is sisit of students (after all, there are many universities), we are dressed in the most fashionable clothes, which only You can imagine. In general, in Jokyakarta is one of the largest Indonesian university towns, so the city has long wandered "student", and therefore cheerful.
But in general, this region is much more conservative rather than Bali or Bright Jakarta. Despite the fact that there are from the biggest Hindu and Buddhist temples in Indonesia, the overwhelming majority of the inhabitants are Muslims, so guests of the city must show respect for local culture and not exacerbate the situation, dining outwardly openly.
What is still good? Many centuries ago the settlers noted that the soil around Jokyakarta is very fertile, thanks to volcanic dust, and began to grow everything there. Although these Lush rice fields - Case risky.
Active volcano Loading on the horizon near the city, and the inhabitants are waiting for the horror that he will resort again. Although in the yard of the 21st century, and scientists can already predict a possible eruption. But still this is a terrible thing, and so quickly do not go away from the volcano away. By the way, the Volcano Merapy was regularly erupted from 1548, and for the last time he threatened the inhabitants in April 2006. Shortly thereafter, the destructive 6,3-ball earthquakes fell on Jokyakarta (it was 27 May).
About 6,000 people died, tens of thousands were injured, 135,000 buildings were destroyed. The city center suffered significant damage, but everything was quickly restored. Nevertheless, in remote areas, the situation still testifies to the earthquake, even many years later. Although no longer obviously as four years ago. The tourism industry helped the restoration of the city's economy.
Jokyakarta is generally to offer travelers, so it remains the most popular place on the island of Java for guests from other countries. And in Jokyakarta live The most friendly people On the planet, who seek to share their culture with the guests of the city. This city is famous for the handicraft production of beautiful fabrics, here you can admire the incredibly beautiful Javanese dances, visit the traditional theater and the Shadow Puppet Theater (Vayang Kulit) almost every day and night of the week.
And then come to Jokyakarta for the sake of absolutely stunning, protected by UNESCO Borobudur temples and Prambanan which are relatively not far from the city. Yes, the path to these temples is impressive - rice fields sometimes look too lush and green to be real.
The city center is rather simple and visible to tourists. Many key sights and interesting places are within walking distance of each other. If the street is too hot for walks, you can always fall into a not much comfortable, but a pretty bench (Veloiksha) is a distinctive feature of the city landscape.
Jokyakarta can offer two main zones for tourists. Sosrowijayan is located next to Jalan Malioboro's main street in the north, next to Tugu Main Station. Jalan Malioboro goes from the station down to the Palace of Sultan and in general from here it is worth starting your travel around the city.
South of the Palace is Jalan Prawirotaman, on which there is a whole bunch of inexpensive hotels. Both of these areas offer a large range of features of restaurants, bars, as well as basic useful services, such as Internet cafes, travel agents, and the like. Most of the main attractions in the city center lie in the area between these two zones.
In addition to vintage temples and museums, there is one thing that needs to be done in Jokyakarta: just soak up Atmosphere of the city . Just catch around the neighborhoods of the city that are completely intrigued. Near the Kraton along the narrow streets, there are puppet workshops and batik galleries, while on the south of the cat Gidea you will see many handicraft workshops, where the masters are made by silver products. And in Jokyakrat a lot really Talented street musicians So you never know when and where you may encounter an improvised street concert.
Shopping in Jokyakarta is also good - there is plenty of good shops and markets that are bursting from cheap souvenirs.
It is a pity that many tourists arrive in the city only a couple of days to further go to the temples of Borobudur and Prambanan. In fact, it would be better to spend four days there.
In a sense, the card show the city as very big and it seems to everyone that it is extremely chaotic. In fact, everything is wrong. Local residents did not lose playfulness and charm, and the atmosphere here is some very intriguing! It is worth visiting, the conclusion is one!