GEOGRAPHY
The Wallace Line, named after 19th century naturalist, Alfred Russell Wallace, marks a point of transition between the flora and fauna of Western and Eastern Indonesia and acts as the Western boundary of West Nusa Tenggara which includes the islands of Lombok and Sumbawa.
Lombok is noticeably different to its close neighbor, Bali. The northern part of the island is mountainous and lush with tall trees and shrubs. The south, on the other hand is arid and covered by savannas. Large Asian mammals are absent and replaced instead by large numbers of marsupials, lizards, cockatoos and parrots. The difference becomes more pronounced as one moves further east where dry seasons are more prolonged and the land is dry and bush-like, and, therefore, in many areas corn and sago are the staple food, instead of rice.
At around the time Islam first came to these islands in the 16th century, four Hindu Kingdoms co-existed in apparent peace in what is now West Nusa Tenggara and is still the religion embraced by those in the west of Lombok, who are primarily Balinese. Lombok experienced strong Balinese influences in the past, but has still retained a unique identity The indigenous people of Lombok, the Sasaks, are predominantly Moslem and have a strong, distinguished tradition as do the people of neighboring Sumbawa.
Soft, white sand, virgin beaches are typical in Lombok, where the motto is "You can see Bali in Lombok, but not Lombok in Bali". Famous for its ikat – hand woven textiles, the island has exceptional charm and is relatively undiscovered, except for the town of Senggigi which has become a major resort area.
Regular shuttle flights from Bali and Surabaya as well as ferries, provide excellent transportation links within the islands of the province as well as with the rest of the country.
CLIMATE
The climate of West Nusa Tenggara is tropical. It has two seasons – the dry season and the wet season. The dry season lasts approximately from May to October and the wet season from November to April. Temperatures range between 21 to 33 degrees Celsius.
PEOPLE
Lombok has a population of about 2,4 million people made up of a vast majority of Moslem Sasaks who live in the eastern part of the island, about 10% of Hindus inhabiting western Lombok and the rest being composed of Chinese, Arabs, Bugis from southern Sulawesi and newcomers from other islands, mostly from Java, Bali and Sumbawa
CULTURE
The Sasak culture, which has been dominantly influenced by the environment and historical factors, is an interesting blend of outside influence and local traditions. Elements of Java and Bali are obvious in the dances and ceremonies. The Islamic religion arriving in the 16th and 17th centuries has also been incorporated into the Sasak belief, customs, and tradition.
ARTS
Music, dance and drama are important forms of entertainment of which the most popular is the wayang kulit (shadow play with its intricately carved and painted flat leather puppets cast on the screen with the help of a torch light. Portraying traditional stories derived from popular folklore and legends, the story usually revolves around the spread of Islam. Besides this, popular contemporary theatre are staging conventional mask dances as the Cupak Gerantang and Amak Abir describing the battle between the good and the evil which always ends in victory for the good.
HANDICRAFTS
Handicraft items are usually the products of wickerwork, pottery, woodworking and weaving. Nusatenggara is particular famous for its great variety of ikat with each island having its own traditional cloths and motifs. Sukarare is the main rural weaving center, but the villages of Sengkol, Puyung and Punjuruk also produce fabrics using traditional techniques.
PLACES OF INTEREST
Mataram and Cakranegara
Mataram is the capital of the province which has in the past decades joined with Ampenan, the port, and Cakranegara to become the province's biggest urban complex.
At around the beginning of the 18th century, Mataram was the residence of the crown prince of Karang Asem, a kingdom in southern Bali.
The ruler himself had his seat in Cakranegara. The royal pal¬ace no longer exists, but many of the old temples and pleasure gardens are still there
Lombok's biggest Balinese temple is the Pura Meru in Cakranegara. Dedicated to the Hindu trinity of Shiva, Brahma and Vishnu, it was built in 1720 by Anak Agung Made Karang. Three pagoda-like places of worship stand in a line from north to south in the innermost courtyard. The one on the north is dedicated to Vishnu and has a roof with nine tiers. The central is dedicated to Shiva with 11 tiers on its roof and the southernmost one is for Brahma with a roof of seven tiers.
Nearby is Taman Mayura. Once part of the royal palace, it has an artificial lake set in the middle of a park. A raised path leads from the side of the pond to a pavilion built in the middle of the lake. In former days, justice was meted out and religious rituals were performed in this open-sided pavilion.
Narmada
Taman Narmada, 11 kilometers east of Mataram, was built in 1727 by King Anak Agung Gede Ngurah Karang Asem as both a pleasure garden and place to worship Shiva. Its big pool is said to represent Segara Anakan, the crater lake on the volcano Rinjani where they used to make offerings by throwing valuables into the water. As he became too old to make the pilgrimage up the 3,726-meter high mountain, he had Narmada made to represent the mountains and the lake.
Pura Lingsar
This may be the only Hindu shrine in the world where both Hindus and Moslems come to worship. About 7 kilo¬meters west of Narmada, it was built in 1714 and rebuilt in 1878 to symbolize harmony and unity between the Hindu Balinese and Moslem Sasak population of the area, especially those who adhere to Lombok's unique Wektu Telu school of Islam.
The Balinese temple is built on higher ground, behind the Moslem section in the compound. In the lower yard is a spring in which pilgrims in the temple yard stage a mock battle between Hindus and Moslems, in which both parties hurl rice cakes at each other.
Pura Agung Gunung Sari
This great temple on a hill at Gunung Sari, about four kilometers from Mataram, was witness to the Puputan battle to the last man, fought on November 22, 1894, between Lombok's last Balinese ruler, Anak Agung Nengah and followers, and the Dutch troops under General Van der Vetter's command.
Sukarare
This is a village of weavers south of Cakranegara. Lombok is known for its brightly patterned songket cloth. People have been making it on their handlooms for many generations.
Sengkol, Pujut and Rambitan
Time seems to have frozen in these three villages in southern Lombok on the road from the capital to Kuta Beach. All the houses and barns are built in the age-old traditional style where life itself appears to be as it always has been.
The arid savanna-like landscape of this area is impressive even in its starkness.
Batu Bolong Beach
Located 9 km from downtown Mataram, this beach has a huge rock with a hole in it. A Hindu temple lies on top facing the Lombok Strait and across is the contour of majestic Mount Agung of Bali.
After sunbathing, relaxing and frolicking on this beautiful beach front, try to stay till the end of the day to watch one of the most stunning sunsets you have ever seen when the sun slowly begins to disappear behind Mount Agung with incredibly flaming colors.
Taman Mayura
The Mayura Park is what remains of the once existing Karang Asam kingdom of Bali whose King A.A. Ngurah built it in 1744. In the middle of a large pond is a structure called Balai Kambang which at the time functioned as a legal court of justice as well as a hall for important meetings. Curiously, its architecture shows both Hindu as well as Islamic influences, whereas around the place statues made of stone are found in the form of a Moslem hajji.
Pura Meru
Another relic remaining from the Karang Asam Kingdom is the Meru Temple at Cakranegara, close to Mataram. The temple was built in 1720 during King A.A. Made's rule as a symbol of Hindu unity on Lombok Island. Several structures are found in this complex, all of them designated to function for particular purposes, including the 33 stalls located next to the main temple.
Kuta Beach
Also known as Putri Nyale Beach, Kuta on the south coast of central Lombok is one of the most scenic and unspoiled beaches in this part of Indonesia. From Kuta to Tanjung Aan five km away, it is an unbroken stretch of clean white sand on the Indian Ocean.
It is safe for bathing and swimming. Further to the west are surfers and windsurfers beaches. Each year, on the 19th day of the tenth month of the Sasak lunar calendar when the nyale fish come to the sea's surface, Kuta Beach is the site of great festivities. Fishermen sail out to sea while young men and women gather along the beach to join in the merrymaking, tease each other and perhaps meet to build a more lasting relationship.
Gili Air, Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan
Gili in Sasak language means "island". These three are clustered together just off the northwest coast of Lombok. Coral gardens abound in clear waters around the islands. Gili Air, the nearest island, can be reached in 10 to 15 minutes by outrigger boat from Bangsal harbor, near Pamenang.
Senggigi Beach
Senggigi, north of Bangsal, belongs to the most scenic and most popular beaches on the island of Lombok with good accommodation facilities. Coral gardens grow in the sea just off the shore.
Mount Rinjani
Mount Rinjani, a 3,726 meter high active volcano, is one of the tallest mountains of Indonesia. At the floor of the volcano’s huge caldera is the sickle shaped crater lake Segara Anakan, surrounded by steep walls. The mountain is popular with hikers.
Sembalun Bumbung and Sembalun Lawang are two traditional Sasak villages on the slopes of Rinjani.