Serang

Serang – Gateway to Banten Province

Though it was only formally established in 2007, Banten's modern-day provincial capital of Serang stands on hallowed cultural grounds rich in history. Its northern half contains the historical site of Old Banten, which is the ruins of Banten Sultanate's capital dating back to the 16th century. Back then, the area was a busy commerce hub, with merchant ships coming from countries as far away as China, Arabia and Turkey to trade spices. Today, this relatively young provincial capital (which houses a population of 723,794 inhabitants living in its 266.18 square kilometer city limits) serves as a coastal gateway to the rest of Banten and as a strategic bridge for commercial traffic between the islands of Java and Sumatra.

Those interested in learning more about Serang's storied local history can visit Banten State Museum. Religious tourism is also popular in Serang. Pilgrims can visit Girang Serang, a site that contains tombs and caves of the province's earliest converts to Islam. They can also journey to historic mosques like the Great Mosque of Banten, built in 1552. Serang, after all, is often referred to "The City of a Thousand Kyais and a Million Santris" precisely because of how much its history is intertwined with Islam. There are also relics of the old sultanate in places like Surosowan and Kaibon palaces.

In terms of its economy, Serang is still in the process of getting back on its feet after the pandemic. Though it has grown positively in the past few years, it still hasn't reached its pre-pandemic highs of 6.59 percent in 2018. Its economy still grew 3.88 percent growth in 2021, and further increased to 4.71 percent in 2022 and 4.74 percent in 2023. Its Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) at current prices in 2023 stood at Rp 39.84 trillion, with its biggest contributing industries being wholesale retail and trade (at Rp 10.93 trillion or 27.45 percent), construction (at Rp 8.09 trillion or 20.32 percent), and property(at Rp 3.55 trillion or 8.9 percent).