In the first of the Beyond the Cracks series on Lombok, we find that Sasak’s ancestral roots could be traced to Bali. And that Islamic culture in Lombok isn’t as straightforward as one would think. Mallika Naguran packs her bag to travel around the island of Lombok to discover its many built and natural attractions, culture and crafts.

KUTA LOMBOK, 10 November 2019. Lombok is an Indonesian island that needs exploring, particularly following the tragedy that struck last year. Injuries and deaths following the July to August earthquakes in 2018 have not diminished the warmth of the people; instead hope is rekindled with the rebuilding of Lombok in affected places.

I was keen to know how well Lombok’s tourism was thriving a year on as well.  So last week I set about to travel to a few places within Lombok with a couple of well-heeled writers and a young blogger from Singapore. With us in the van were Indonesian tourism officials keen to explore Lombok with us and to ensure we had a good feed day and night. That, we did.  

What’s Lombok like? Let’s start with the big picture. To begin, it’s 4,514 square kilometers,  about the size of Bali. It is also located next to it, eastwards (or up to five hours boat ride over choppy waters from Padang Bai). But that’s where the similarity ends. Lombok has its own distinct culture.

Mostly, the residents are “Orang sasak tribe” or Sasak people, believed to have migrated from Java and Sumbawa. Around 3.6 million Sasak people live on this island, which is located in the West (Barat) Nusa Tenggara province of Indonesia. Nearly 80% of them are Muslims. This is a stark contrast to its flamboyant cousin Bali where Hinduism reigns.  

The sound of Sasak fascinated me, so I made a mental note to dig deep. But I didn’t have to go very far, as Pak Karyadi Duyung, the local tour guide, explains as we go past schoolgirls in tudong chatting with each other by the road, that the Sasak people speak… Sasak! There are dialect variations, though, depending on where they live on the island. The Sasak language is pretty close to what’s spoken in Bali and Sumbawa, an island to Lombok’s east in the Lesser Sunda island chain.

I also learn by visiting boutique and homespun galleries that the Sasak people have their own motifs in fashion and art. These could be found on the beautiful woven pieces of cloth called the Songket. Such motifs could be spotted on pottery too. If you visit the famous towering Islamic Centre (at 99m high), the Sasak motifs is pretty stunning on the inner dome inside the prayer hall. Watch the vid!

I like what I saw—Sasak. I even like the sound of it. Upon reaching home with snapshots, videos, souvenirs and snacks, I dug deeper. 

The History of Sasak

Historically, the Majapahit prime minister, patih Gajah Mada ruled Lombok. In the early 16th century, Lombok was conquered by the Gelgel Balinese kingdom and this brought a wave of Balinese to Lombok, along with their culture. Today, around 10-15% of Lombok’s population is Balinese. Apart from them, there are a bunch of minorities who live in Lombok such as the Tionghoa-peranakan, Javanese, Sumbawa and Arab Indonesians.

Between the late 16th to early 17th century, the conversion to Islam took place. A blend of religious beliefs then emerged: basic Islamic and Hindu-Buddhist thinking gave rise to a new religion – the Wetu Telu.

The Wetu Telu, which literally means “three times", was predominantly the traditional belief of the Sasak people. However, it is now concentrated around Bayan, a town north of Lombok. The Wetu Telu refers to the number of prayer times a day as opposed to the stricter Waktu Lima or Wetu Lima meaning “five times”, as practiced by orthodox Muslims. Guide Karyadi tells us that there is a village called Malaka in North Lombok that was directly influenced by Islamic missionaries from Melaka, West Malaysia.

Those who practice pre-Islamic beliefs are also known as Sasak Boda, referring to the original religion there called Boda, which is ancestral worship (and nothing to do with Buddhism). A temple in Pura Batu Bolong village draws Hindus to it.

Lombok’s diverse cultures are intriguing.  

Celebration of Lombok Culture

In Lombok, the pace of life is slow. Like in Gili Trawangan (the biggest of the three Gilis off northwest Lombok), you can have a bumpy “chidokar” or horse cart ride from the market to your hotel. Unlike Gili Trawangan, Lombok has main roads and motorised traffic. So it gets busy, noisy and a tad polluted. Which is why a road in Mataram, the provincial capital, is closed for two hours on Sunday mornings and you’ll see people walking about rather than tooting. 

Lombok has a name for itself— the Land of the Mosques. That’s because there are more than 1000 mosques! The smaller worship halls—the Mushollah—are for quick prayers in small groups. So a devout Muslim would not be heading there for prayers on a Friday, but instead, to a proper mosque such as the Islamic Centre. Cracks on this religious building in Mataram were being sealed as we visited the premises. People still flock to pray here, and tourists are welcome to enter the hall and roam around (but not the prayer hall itself). Men and women have to cover most of their limbs and there’s a gamis to slip on, just in case. Check out the large bedok drum at the side of the entrance, another aspect of the Sasak culture. Young guides that speak pretty good English can take you around—just make sure you tip them for their effort!

Next, I was delighted with clay pottery in Banyu Mulek, West Lombok. With the guidance of a woman, I shaped mud clay into a sea turtle with my bare hands and loved the experience. She told me that she and her friends have been making such pottery for years, and these are then fired in the oven to harden them. A toddler roamed on the muddy ground, and nobody seemed to mind. After a bath (in a tub next to our demo), she promptly crawled on the mud floor again!  

There are a number of pottery shops in Lombok, so do browse in a few as something might catch your eye. There were waist-high vases with eggshell print, which are rather distinctive, but a big challenging for the suitcase. I settled for a tea light candleholder that could easily fit into my backpack.  

Weaving Craft

We visited the Sukarara village that is known for its community-focused weaving craft and trade. There, it is home to more than 300 people, according to the guide of the demonstration centre and gallery. We admired the Sasak rice storage huts with ylang ylang and borak material for the roof. We couldn’t help take turns in snapping selfies.

Each thread is around four metres long, dyed from plant bits (like saffron) and a simple design often took a week to complete. Weaving, among the Sasak folks, is considered a treasured skill for the women to ensure their eligibility for marriage. So they start to learn to weave as early as the age of seven. And the men, well, they’re out in the fields to grow cotton (for the weaving) and rice.  

This craft is taken on with passion at one’s own home, and once the cloth is complete—be it a shawl, sarong or bedspread—it is then taken to the gallery for sale. Profits are shared among the community.  There are challenges, though. “Drought, especially during the dry season, makes it hard to cultivate rice and cotton,” said the guide.  “And the women work up to eight hours a day to earn a living.”

Seeing my worried look, he smiled. “Here, we have the three Ls. Lambung is clothes for women. Lumbung is the house. And this is Lombok.” 

This is Lombok, indeed.  

Read the second article in the Beyond the Cracks series. It’s on developing Mandalika tourism with sustainability in mind.

How to Get to Lombok 

At the time of writing, there are direct flights to Lombok’s international airport i.e. Zainuddin Abdul Madjid International Airport  (IATA: LOP) from Singapore (via SilkAir) and Perth (via AirAsia). Lombok international airport is located in southwest Lombok.

Or connect via Bali. From Bali, flights from Ngurah Rai International Airport (Bali) (IATA: DPS) to Zainuddin Abdul Madjid International Airport  (Lombok) (IATA: LOP) take about 40 minutes.

From the airport it takes about 1.5 hours drive to reach Senggigi main tourist areas in the west Lombok. For those heading to the Gili Islands, take a two-hour drive to the jetty of Teluk Nara. It takes about 30 minutes drive to Kuta south Lombok. 

Reduce your carboon footprint by sea travel. Public ferries depart from Padang Bai (Southeast Bali) and Lembar (Southwest Lombok) every hour, taking a minimum of 4–5 hours to make the crossing in either direction.

Fastboat services are available from various departure points on Bali and principally serve the Gili Islands, with some significant onward traffic to the Lombok mainland. Arrival points on Lombok are dependent upon the operator, at either Teluk Nare/Teluk Kodek, Bangsal harbour or the township of Senggigi, all on the northwest coast. Operating standards vary widely.

This trip was made possible with the sponsorship of Indonesia Tourism. Photos by Mallika Naguran, Gaia Discovery.