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Founding
Founding of Surabaya
city in East Java Province, Indonesia
- 31 May 1293
- Southeast Asia
Founding
city in East Java Province, Indonesia
Fetching the article from Wikipedia…
Surabaya is the capital and largest city of East Java province and the second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. Located on the northeastern corner of Java island, on the Madura Strait, it is one of the earliest port cities in Southeast Asia. According to the National Development Planning Agency, Surabaya is one of the four main central cities of Indonesia, alongside Jakarta, Medan, and Makassar. The city covers a land area of 334.50 km2, and had a population of 2,874,314 within its city limits at the 2020 census. With 3,003,860 people living in the city as of mid 2025 (comprising 1,487,077 males and 1,516,783 females) and over 10 million in the extended Surabaya metropolitan area, according to the latest official estimate, Surabaya is the second-largest metropolitan area in Indonesia. Surabaya metropolitan area also has ASEAN's 6th largest economy, ahead of Hanoi. In 2023, the city's GRP PPP was estimated at US$150.294 billion.
The city was settled in the 10th century by the Kingdom of Janggala, one of the two Javanese kingdoms that was formed in 1045 when Airlangga abdicated his throne in favor of his two sons (the other was the Kediri kingdom). In the late 15th and 16th centuries, Surabaya grew to be a duchy, a major political and military power as well as a port in eastern Java, probably under the Majapahit empire. At that time, Surabaya was already a major trading port, owing to its location on the River Brantas delta and the trade route between Malacca and the Spice Islands via the Java Sea. During the decline of Majapahit, the lord of Surabaya resisted the rise of the Demak Sultanate and only submitted to its rule in 1530. Surabaya became independent after the death of Sultan Trenggana of Demak in 1546.
From the 18th century until the mid-20th century, Surabaya was the largest city in the Dutch East Indies and the main trading hub for the Indonesian archipelago, competing with Shanghai and Hong Kong.
Surabaya has been one of the busiest trading city ports in Asia. Principal exports from the port include sugar, tobacco, and coffee. Its rich history as a trading port has led to a strong financial infrastructure with financial institutions such as banks, insurance, and export-import companies. The economy is influenced by the recent growth in international industries and the completion of the Suramadu Bridge. The city is home to a large shipyard and numerous specialized naval schools. The Bank of Indonesia has also made plans for Surabaya to be the Islamic financial center of Indonesia. Surabaya is classified as a Gamma− (Gamma minus) global city according to the World Cities 2024 - GaWC rankings by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network.
The name Surabaya, derived from the Javanese phrase "sura ing baya," translates to "bravely facing danger." Its origins trace back to the Pali words "sura," referring to the figure "Asura" from Buddhist beliefs, and bhaya, meaning "fear," "perils," or "danger." This name is connected to a prophecy by Jayabaya, a 12th-century psychic king of the Kediri kingdom, whose name itself means "conquering fear or perils, drawn from the Pali words "jaya" or "vijaya" (victory or conqueror) and bhaya (fear or peril). Jayabaya predicted a battle between a giant white shark and a giant white crocodile in the region.
The event is sometimes interpreted as foretelling the Mongol invasion of Java, a major conflict between the forces of Kublai Khan, Mongol ruler of China, and those of Raden Wijaya's Majapahit on 31 May 1293, which is now considered the date of the city's founding.
The two animals are now used as the city's symbol, with the two facing and circling each other, as depicted in a statue appropriately located near the entrance to the city zoo.
Some people consider Jayabaya's prophecy as being about the great war between native Surabayan people and foreign invaders at the start of the war of independence in 1945. Another story tells of two heroes who fought each other to be the king of the city. The two heroes were named Sura and Baya. These folk etymologies, though embraced enthusiastically by its people and city leaders, are unverifiable.
Surabaya was previously known as Soerabaja, a name written using the van Ophuijsen spelling system, an older form of Indonesian orthography.
The Kingdom of Janggala was one of the two Javanese kingdoms that were formed in 1045 when Airlangga abdicated the throne of the Kingdom of Kahuripan in favor of his two sons. The earliest historical record of Surabaya was in the 1225 book Zhu Fan Zhi written by Zhao Rukuo, in which it was called Zhòng Jiā Lú (重迦庐). The name Janggala is derived from the Old Javanese name Hujung Galuh (lit. 'Cape Diamond' or 'Cape Gemstone'). Hujung Galuh was located on the estuary of Brantas River and today is part of modern Surabaya city and Sidoarjo Regency.
By the 14th and 15th centuries, Surabaya was one of the Majapahit ports or coastal settlements, together with Tuban, Gresik, and Hujung Galuh (modern Sidoarjo). Ma Huan documented the early 15th-century visit of Zheng He's treasure ships in his 1433 book Yingya Shenglan.
After travelling south for more than 20 li, the ship reached Sulumayi, whose foreign name is Surabaya. At the estuary, the outflowing water is fresh.
— Ma Huan, Yingya Shenglan
Ma Huan visited Java during Zheng He's fourth expedition in 1413, coinciding with the reign of Majapahit king Wikramawardhana. He describes his travel to the Majapahit capital. He first arrived at the port of Tupan (Tuban) where he saw large numbers of Chinese settlers migrated from Guangdong and Zhangzhou. Then, he sailed east to the thriving new trading town of Koerhhsi (Gresik), Supaerhya (Surabaya), and then sailing inland into the river by smaller boat to the southwest until he reached the Brantas river port of Changku (Canggu). Continuing to travel by land to the southwest, he arrived in ManchepoI (Majapahit), where the Javanese king stayed.
The Surabaya area was once the main gateway to the capital of the Majapahit Kingdom from the sea, at the mouth of Kali Mas river. The anniversary of the city of Surabaya was set on May 31, 1293, commemorating the victory of the Majapahit led by Raden Wijaya against the Mongol invasion. Mongol troops who came from the sea were described as Sura (sharks/brave) and Raden Wijaya's troops who came from the land were described as Baya (crocodiles/danger), literally translating to brave to face the dangers that come threatening. So the day of victory is commemorated as the anniversary of Surabaya.
By the late 15th century, Islam began to take its root in Surabaya. The settlement of Ampel, located around Ampel Mosque in today's Ampel village, Semampir District, northern Surabaya, was established by Islamic preacher Sunan Ampel.
In the late 15th and 16th centuries, Surabaya grew to a duchy, a major political and military power in eastern Java. The Portuguese writer Tomé Pires mentioned that a Muslim lord was in power in Surabaya in 1513, though likely still a vassal of the Hindu–Buddhist Majapahit. By that time, Surabaya was already a major trading port, owing to its location on the Brantas River delta and the trade route between Malacca and the Spice Islands via the Java Sea. During the decline of Majapahit, the lord of Surabaya resisted the rise of the Demak Sultanate and only submitted to its rule in 1530. Surabaya became independent after the death of Sultan Trenggana of Demak in 1546.
Following the collapse of Demak, Surabaya was conquered by the Mataram Sultanate, under the leadership of Panembahan Senopati in 1598, and invaded by Panembahan Seda ing Krapyak in 1610, An article by the VOC in 1620 described Surabaya as a rich and powerful region.
The Duchy of Surabaya entered conflict with and was later captured by the more powerful Sultanate of Mataram in 1625 under Sultan Agung. It was one of Mataram's fiercest campaigns, in which they had to conquer Surabaya's allies, Sukadana and Madura, and to lay siege to the city, blocking the flow of the Brantas River, Sultan Agung forced Surabaya to surrender. With this conquest, Mataram then controlled most of Java, except the Banten Sultanate and the Dutch settlement of Batavia.
The expanding Dutch East India Company took over the city from a weakened Mataram in November 1743. In consolidating its rule over Surabaya and, in time, the rest of East Java, the Dutch collaborated with leading regional magnates, including Ngabehi Soero Pernollo (1720–1776), his brother Han Bwee Kong, Kapitein der Chinezen (1727–1778), and his nephew, Han Chan Piet, Majoor der Chinezen (1759–1827), all from the powerful Han family of Lasem.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, Surabaya was largest city in the Dutch East Indies, becoming a major trading center and hosting the most extensive naval base in the colony. Surabaya also served as the center of Java's plantation economy, industry, supported by its natural harbor.
During the Dutch East Indies era, Surabaya was the capital of the Surabaya Residency, whose territory encompasses what is now the Gresik Regency, Sidoarjo, Mojokerto, and Jombang. In 1905, Surabaya received the status of municipality (gemeente). In 1926, Surabaya was designated the capital of the province of East Java. Since then Surabaya developed into the second largest city in the Dutch East Indies after Batavia.
Before 1900, the city center of Surabaya revolved around the Jembatan Merah (lit. 'Red Bridge'). In 1910, a modern port facility was built in Surabaya, now known as Tanjung Perak Harbor. Until the 1920s, new settlements such as Darmo, Gubeng, Rungkut, and Ketabang grew.
Surabaya was an early center for leftist political organizing in colonial Indonesia. In the 1910s, Dutch colonists founded the predecessor to the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI), the ISDV. The success of organizing with sailors and local Indonesians led to a crackdown in 1917.
Japan occupied the city in 1942, as part of the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies, and it was bombed by the Allies in 1944. After the surrender of Japan at the end of World War II, Surabaya was seized by Indonesian nationalists. The young nation soon came into conflict with the British, who had become caretakers of the Dutch colony after the Japanese surrender.
The Battle of Surabaya, started after the Arek-Arek Suroboyo (lit. 'Young People (or just people) of Surabaya') killed British Brigadier Aubertin Mallaby on 30 October 1945, near Jembatan Merah, allegedly with a stray bullet. The Allies gave an ultimatum to the Republicans inside the city to surrender, but they refused. The ensuing battle, which cost thousands of lives, took place on 10 November, which Indonesians subsequently celebrate as Hari Pahlawan (Heroes' Day). The incident of the red-white flag (the Dutch flag at the top of Yamato Hotel's tower that was torn into the Indonesian red-white flag) by Bung Tomo is also recorded as a heroic feat during the struggle over the city.
The city is known as Kota Pahlawan (lit. 'The City of Heroes') due to the importance of the Battle of Surabaya in galvanising Indonesian and international support for Indonesian independence during the Indonesian National Revolution.
After the independence era, population growth and rapid urbanization forced Surabaya to develop towards the east and west as it is today. The increase in vehicles, the growth of new industries and the proliferation of housing carried out by real estate companies occupying the outskirts of the city have resulted in traffic jams not only in the downtown area but also frequently in the suburbs. Surabaya grew from a relative poor city in the late 19th century into a metropolis in the late 20th century, and became one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in Southeast Asia. Surabaya also managed to become one of the most organized metropolitan cities in Indonesia with the cleanest air.
On 13 May 2018, three churches in Surabaya and one apartment complex in the neighboring regency of Sidoarjo were bombed in a series of terrorist attacks initiated by Jamaah Ansharut Daulah, the Southeast Asian branch of ISIS, followed by a bombing on Surabaya Police Department HQ the next day. 28 people were killed, including the assailants. 57 people were injured; several of whom where in a critical condition.
The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in East Java was in Surabaya, on 17 March 2020. In May 2020, Surabaya became the epicenter of the pandemic in Indonesia.
Surabaya, the capital of East Java province, extends over 335.93 km2 (129.70 sq mi), its metropolitan area covers 6,309.34 km2 (2,436.05 sq mi), which includes the satellite cities of Mojokerto, Gresik, Sidoarjo, Bangkalan, and Lamongan, and has an estimated population of 10.08 million as of 2024, making it the Second largest urban area in Indonesia and the Top 50 largest in the world. Surabaya ranks 11th among the Indonesian city in the human development index. Surabaya's offer business and employment opportunities, along with its ability to offer a potentially higher standard of living compared to other parts of the country, have attracted migrants from across the Indonesian archipelago, making it a melting pot of numerous cultures.
The city is referred to as Kota Pahlawan (the city of heroes) due to the significance of the Battle of Surabaya during the Indonesian National Revolution. The city is one of the important financial, commercial, industrial, transportation, and entertainment hubs of the archipelago. Arguably the second most significant city after Jakarta, the city is also home to Indonesia's second-busiest seaport, the Port of Tanjung Perak, which is located in northern Surabaya. The city is also known for being one of the cleanest and greenest in Indonesia.
Architecture in Surabaya is a mixture of colonial, Asian, Javanese, modern, and post-modern influences. There are many colonial-era relics still standing today, such as Hotel Majapahit and Surabaya Post Office. As a relatively old city in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, most colonial buildings were built around the 17th century to the early 20th century. These buildings show the influence of Dutch or European style in the Middle Ages.
Ketabang is an area of Genteng District of Surabaya which was planned by Dutch architect Cosman Citroen.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Surabaya”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.