Soroti Keraton Kasepuhan, Minister of Culture Fadli Zon Says Rich in History, Minimal Stories

CIREBON - Minister of Culture Fadli Zon encourages the Cirebon Kasepuhan Palace not to stop as a tourist destination. He wants this palace to be strengthened as a cultural education center, with a more vivid and easily captured history narrative by visitors.

When reviewing the Kasepuhan Palace, Saturday, April 3, Fadli assessed that the main strength of this area was not only its age and heritage, but also the long traces of civilization that are still standing. The Kasepuhan Palace is said to be around 600 years old, founded by Sunan Gunung Jati, and has become an important part of the history of the Cirebon Sultanate which is said to be older than the Yogyakarta and Surakarta Palaces.

In front of Sultan Sepuh XV Luqman Zulkaedin, Fadli appreciated the collection owned by the Kasepuhan Palace. However, he assessed that his homework was not yet complete. According to the Minister of Culture, the museum in the palace area is quite good, but needs strengthening in storytelling, display layout, and lighting so that the historical narrative is stronger.

"We want to revive the historical narrative here. Cirebon is not only an asset of West Java, but also a national asset," said Fadli.

The main highlight of Menbud Fadli was directed at the Pusaka Keraton Kasepuhan Museum. The collection is considered complete, but it has not yet fully spoken strongly to the public. He wants the younger generation not only to come to see historical objects, but also to understand the transformation of Cirebon architecture and culture from the 15th century to the present.

The Kasepuhan Palace stands on land of around 25 hectares and is surrounded by a brick wall left over from Prince Cakrabuana. Inside there is Siti Inggil, the bentar temple gate, the Kasepuhan Heritage Museum, Dalem Agung Pakungwati, and other buildings. Sultan Sepuh conveyed that the physical condition of the palace at this time also requires special handling.

For the Ministry of Culture, the key point of this visit is that the Kasepuhan Palace must remain alive, not only as a marker of the past, but also as a learning space for culture and science that is relevant to today's public.