Muria Strait
| Muria Strait | |
|---|---|
 Muria Strait at the time of Sultan Trenggana (1521–1546). By 1657 this strait had shrunk or disappeared. | |
  Muria Strait  Muria Strait | |
| Coordinates | 6°52′S 110°53′E / 6.867°S 110.883°E |
| Type | former strait |
| Primary inflows | Java Sea |
| Primary outflows | Java Sea |
| Basin countries | Indonesia |
| Average depth | 0 metres (0 ft) |
| Islands | Greater Sunda Islands |
The Muria Strait (Indonesian: Selat Muria) was a former strait that once separated the island of Muria from the northern coast of Central Java, Indonesia. The strait historically flowed between Mount Muria to the north and the present-day regencies of Jepara, Kudus, and Pati to the south. In geological terms, it served as a shallow marine channel that connected the Java Sea in the north with estuarine and riverine systems to the south.[1] Over the centuries, the strait gradually silted up due to sedimentation from nearby rivers such as the Wulan, Serang, and Juwana, and by around the 17th to 18th centuries, the Muria Strait had disappeared entirely, with the former island of Muria becoming part of mainland Java.[2]
The Muria Strait once played a significant role in the regional geography and maritime activity of northern Java. It provided a natural waterway that facilitated trade, fishing, and transport between settlements on either side. Archaeological and historical records suggest that the strait may have influenced the development of early port towns and settlements in the area, including Jepara, which was a prominent seaport in the Majapahit and Demak Sultanate periods.[3] The presence of the strait also influenced the distribution of mangrove forests, estuarine ecosystems, and deltaic landscapes that remain partially preserved in the coastal zones of Pati and Jepara today.[4]
Geography
[edit]The Muria Strait is currently included in the main non-structural plain, which means that it is estimated that in a period in the past the area was an ocean.[5]
Muria Island
[edit]At the time of the Muria Strait there was an island called Muria Island. The landscape of Muria Island itself consists of Mount Muria which is located in the middle. While in the southern part there are Patiayam hills which were formed from the volcanic activity of Mount Muria in the past (some examples are Maar Bambang, Maar Gunungrowo, and Maar Gembong).[6]
Paleontological records state that the Patiayam hills area has various fossils of ancient buffalo (Bos bubalis paleokarbau), banteng (Bos bibos paleosondaicus, deer family/Cervidae (Cervus zwaani), wild boar family, elephant, stegodon elephant, hippopotamus family, tiger family, turtle family, and mollusk fossils.[7]
On this island are also located the capital cities of the northern coast of Java, such as Jepara, Kudus, and Pati.
Harbor
[edit]In its time on the banks of the Muria Strait there were trading ports with various commodities such as traditional cloth from Jepara, salt and shrimp paste from Juwana, and rice from the interior of Java and Muria Island.[8] In addition, the existence of the strait also makes the Muria Strait area the location of shipyards that produce Javanese junks made of teak wood which are commonly found in the Kendeng Mountains [id], which is located in the south of the strait.[6] The existence of a shipbuilding industry made this area richer than the center of the Majapahit Kingdom, so this area which was dominated by Muslim merchants who were nicknamed by Tomé Pires (a Portuguese writer) as "lords of the junks".[8]: 182
Initially, this area consisted of small ports around the strait with Demak as the main port, but due to political conflicts, commodities originating from the area around the Muria Strait (Muria Island and Kendeng Mountains) shifted to Sunda Kelapa Harbor.[9] In addition, a report in 1657 stated that fluvial deposits from rivers that emptied into the Muria Strait such as Serang River, Tuntang River, and Lusi River resulted in siltation so that the strait could not be crossed by large ships. The trading center was moved to Jepara.[8][page needed][10] Because of this siltation, Tumenggung Natairnawa from Pati had ordered to dig up the sediment in the strait, but the sediment was getting faster in removing the Muria Strait.[11]: 111–113 In the last days of the existence of the Muria Strait there was a water channel that could be passed by small boats which is now called the Londo River.[citation needed]
Current condition
[edit]The remainder of the Muria Strait can be seen by the Londo River, which stretches from Juwana in the east to Ketanjung in the west.[12] Several rivers are also formed from the former Muria Strait such as the Silugunggo River which crosses the Pati Regency area.[13] In this area, there are often the discovery of the wreckage of boats, ships, and cannons which are evidence of the existence of a strait in this area.[12]
In addition, the area that used to be the Muria Strait is often flooded during the rainy season.[14][15]
References
[edit]- ^ Sunarto (2013-07-01). "GEOMORPHOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE MURIA PALAEOSTRAIT IN RELATION TO THE MORPHODYNAMICS OF THE WULAN DELTA, CENTRAL JAVA". Indonesian Journal of Geography. 40 (2). doi:10.22146/indo.j.geog,2257. ISSN 0024-9521.
- ^ Dagh-register gehouden int Casteel Batavia: vant passerende daer ter plaetse als over geheel Nederlandts-India (1656-1657), hlm. 27 via Sejara Nusantara hdl:2027/mdp.39015020146026
- ^ Falaq, Yusuf; Wasino, Wasino; Utomo, Cahyo Budi; Brata, Nugroho Trisnu (2024). "Javanese Coastal Community Value System: Study of the Muria Raya Coastal Community". International Conference on Science, Education and Technology.
- ^ Rahman, Rahman; Bramana, Aditya; Suharti, Ratna; Irawan, Hendra (2025-02-20). "Analisis Vegetasi Mangrove Berdasarkan Faktor Lingkungan Perairan di Kawasan Pesisir Kabupaten Pati". Buletin Oseanografi Marina (in Indonesian). 14 (1): 49–60. doi:10.14710/buloma.v14i1.62083. ISSN 2550-0015.
- ^ Van Bemmelen, Reinout Willem (1949). Geology of Indonesia. Den Haag: Government Printing Office. ISBN 9789024711741.
{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) - ^ a b Masruri, Ahmad Bukhori (2021) [2021]. "Jati, Juwana, dan Jung Jawa: Geohistoris Pegunungan Kendeng dan Selat Muria". In Masruri, Bukhori (ed.). Benantara, Bentang Alam dalam Gelombang Sejarah Nusantara (in Indonesian) (1 ed.). Jakarta: Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia. p. 82. ISBN 9786024816551.
- ^ Siswanto; Noerwidi, Sofwan (2016). "Posisi Fauna Situs Patiayam dalam Biostratifigasi Jawa" (PDF). Jurnal Sangkhakala. 19 (2): 149–166. doi:10.24832/sba.v19i2.31. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
- ^ a b c Cortesão, Armando (1944). The Suma oriental of Tomé Pires : an account of the East, from the Red Sea to Japan, written in Malacca and India in 1512–1515 ; and, the book of Francisco Rodrigues, rutter of a voyage in the Red Sea, nautical rules, almanack and maps, written and drawn in the East before 1515 volume I. London: The Hakluyt Society. ISBN 9784000085052.
{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ Singgih, Tri Sulistiyono.(2017). Peran Pantai Utara Jawa Dalam Jaringan Perdagangan Rempah, Dalam Rempah Mengubah Dunia, makalah elektronik, eprints.undip.ac.id/60531 diakses 27 Juni 2021.
- ^ Tundjung; Hidayat, Arief (2018). "Politik Dinasti Dalam Perspektif Ekonomi Dari Kerajaan Demak". Alur Sejarah: Jurnal Pendidikan Sejarah. 3 (1). Retrieved 16 November 2021.
- ^ Dagh-register gehouden int Casteel Batavia: vant passerende daer ter plaetse als over geheel Nederlandts-India (1656-1657), hlm. 27 via Sejara Nusantara hdl:2027/mdp.39015020146026
- ^ a b "Selat Muria, Sejarah Yang Terlupakan" [Muria Strait, Forgotten History]. Aliansirakyat News (in Indonesian). 8 October 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
- ^ Fatimah, Nurul; Taufiq, Muhammad (2021). "Vitalitas Pelabuhan Juwana Sebagai Proses Perdagangan dan Islamisasi abad XVI-XVII" [The Vitality of Juwana Harbor as a Process of Trade and Islamization in the 16th-17th Centuries]. FIHROS: Jurnal Sejarah Dan Budaya STAI Syekh Jangkung Pati (in Indonesian). 5 (1): 26–38. Archived from the original on 2021-11-16. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
- ^ Rasyid, Shani (9 February 2021). "42 Desa di Pati Terendam Banjir, Ini 3 Faktanya" [42 Villages in Pati Submerged in Floods, Here are 3 Facts]. merdeka.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 16 November 2021.
- ^ Kusuma, Roy (22 January 2017). "Korban Banjir Bandang Wonosoco Ditemukan Tewas Di Kali Londo" [Wonosoco Flash Flood Victim Found Dead in Londo River]. radiosuarakudus.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 1 January 2020.
