Kasepuhan Palace Asked to be Rescued, Minister of Education Fadli Zon Urges Accelerated Revitalization

Minister of Culture Fadli Zon. (IST)

JAKARTA - The physical condition of the Cirebon Kasepuhan Palace became the focus of attention in the meeting between Sultan Sepuh XV Luqman Zulkaedin and Minister of Culture Fadli Zon at the Ministry of Culture's office, Jakarta, Monday, March 2. The Sultan conveyed that the palace needed special handling and hoped that the government would accelerate the revitalization program.

Sultan Sepuh XV explained that the Kasepuhan Palace, which is around 600 years old, was founded by Sunan Gunung Jati, and became part of the history of the Cirebon Sultanate which was a continuation of the Pajajaran Kingdom. He said that the age of the Cirebon Sultanate was older than the Yogyakarta and Surakarta palaces. For the palace, this fact confirms that Indonesia still has a very old Islamic kingdom and has survived until now.

The Kasepuhan Palace, said the Sultan, has an area of about 25 hectares and is surrounded by a brick wall built by Prince Cakrabuana. Inside the complex there are buildings such as Siti Inggil, the bentar temple gate, as well as a number of other buildings. However, the current physical condition of the palace is considered to require special handling.

Responding to the exposure, Minister of Education Fadli Zon stated that the government was committed to supporting revitalization. He called the palace the spearhead of cultural civilization. According to him, the acceleration of revitalization must be supported by the internal readiness of the palace, as well as utilizing existing planning documents so that the process does not revolve.

Fadli emphasized that the revitalization of the palace was part of efforts to preserve national culture and in line with the President's direction to maintain the sustainability of the palace in Indonesia.

Sultan Sepuh XV also emphasized that the current position of the palace no longer has political power as it used to. Therefore, he hopes that the government's attention will not stop at symbols, but will touch on the real needs so that the palace remains sustainable. He believes that revitalization can encourage an increase in tourist visits and have an economic impact on the community. "We hope that with the improvement and revitalization of several buildings, tourist visits to the Cirebon palace can increase," he said.