Tanjung Pinang is the capital and second largest city of te Indonesian province of Riau Islands after Batam. A city with roughly 200,000 residents, it is a trading port between islands in the Riau archipelago. Tanjung Pinang is located on south ofBintan island and has ferry and speedboat connections to Batam, Singapore (40 km away), and Johor Bahru.
History
Tanjung Pinang was a political center 500 years ago, when the Portuguese won the battle of Malacca and the Sultan Mahmud of Malacca fled to Tanjung Pinang to create a resistance against the Portuguese’s very hostile expansion.
Tanjung Pinang has always played a leading role in Malay culture. A few hundred years ago, Tanjung Pinang became a powerful trading port, attracting regional, Western, Indian and Chinese traders. Migrants including Chinese were also attracted, much in the same way how Malacca had developed into a regional power three centuries earlier.
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 was the creater and author of the first Malay Language grammar book, are one of the many legacies left by the Riau sultanate. Still in use is the old vice-royal mosque, the Mesjid Raya.
Raja Haji Fisabililah Monument
The 28-metre tall Raja Haji Fisabillah Monument was raised in memory of the Raja Haji Fisabilillah 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.
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