Kupang Off The Beaten Path Tips by theo1006 Top 5 Page for this destination

Kupang's oldest church building

The Dutch who landed in West Timor brought their protestant religion with them. There already was a congregation in 1614 (see "Grave of the Unknown Minister"), but the oldest church building - which now serves the Timorese faithful - dates back to 1882 and is designated as a cultural heritage. The tablet reads: "This church building was constructed in 1882 by J.H. de SISO at the time of assistant preacher J.F. Niks and financed by the congregation."

We just walked onto the premises and someone turned up keen to show us around and explain things.

The church building is too small for the growing number who want to attend service, but being a cultural heritage it cannot be changed or replaced. The solution was to build an awning in front of the entrance, for those who do not fit inside.

Address: Jalan Soekarno no 23, Kupang

Phone: +62.380.21457

Airmata Mosque

Kupang's oldest mosque would have been older than the oldest church, if they had not rebuilt it recently. The original mosque dates from 1806, and an old photograph shows what it looked like. Unfortunately the building did not have the status of cultural heritage, and because of the growing number of believers it has been replaced by a bigger building on the same site.

Because it is located in kelurahan Airmata, the mosque is known as Airmata mosque, but officially it is now the great mosque Al Baitul Qadim.

The caretaker, mr Abdul Gani Mustafa, was eager to show us around, pointing out a few relics from the earlier mosque: drum, pulpit and cupboard for the holy qur'an.

Address: Jalan Trikora, kel. Airmata, Kupang, NTT

Grave of the unknown minister

Inside the church on Soekarno Street are listed the ministers of the protestant church of Kupang, starting with Van den Broek in 1614. Not all of them are known, there are gaps in the list.

So much do the Timorese hold their ministers in high esteem, that they have a grave for "a minister whose name is not yet known".

Colonial buildings

For those interested in architecture or history, there are a few colonial buildings in Kupang still unchanged.

Our first picture shows the EMTO building, it once was the office of the electricity company "Elektrische Maatschappij Timor en Onderhorigheden". This 1920's style building was desiged by a well-known architect, Ir Soekarno, who later became the first president of Indonesia!

The second picture shows the one-time ice factory "Minerva".

Both buildings are on Jalan Siliwangi.

Kupang Governor's Residence and Office

It's what Timorese want you to see, anyhow you pass by when you drive to town from the airport: the residence and office of East Nusa Tenggara province's governor.
Put up a polite conversation with the guards, and they are keen to pose with you.

Location: On Jalan El Tari, the four-lane road to the airport.

A WWII Relic

If you happen to stay at the Sasando Hotel, ask around for this World War II anti-aircraft gun (well, that's what we think it is).
It is in the kampung downhill of the hotel, fenced in and named a Cagar Budaya (protected cultural relic).