Mataram

Mataram – City of a thousand mosques

Over 3,700 large mosques and over 5,000 small mosques can be found scattered throughout the 61.30 square kilometers of urban sprawl that make up the city limits of Mataram in West Nusa Tenggara province. The fact that the city has this many mosques is no coincidence. They not only provide avenues of worship for the vast majority of Mataram's 441,147 residents who identify as Muslim, they also represent the city's long history of being a center of power for the indigenous Sasak peoples, who are Muslims of Malayan ancestry. The sheer abundance of these buildings has given Mataram a nickname of being "The City of a Thousand Mosques". Besides formally being West Nusa Tenggara's provincial capital, Mataram is also effectively the heart and center of Lombok Island due to its sheer size (the island's largest) and its economic and cultural influence.

There is plenty to see and do in Mataram thanks to the legacy left behind by the numerous nations that have occupied the island over the ages. The Hubbul Wathan Great Mosque is the province's biggest mosque. Aside from being picturesque with its 99-meter-high towers, the place also serves as a study center for people who want to learn more about Islam in Lombok. Mayura and Narmada parks are both historic Hindu locations, with the former being a water palace and the latter being a place built for royalty to relax. Lombok Museum has all the information about local geology, history and culture that you'll ever need.

The city has done reasonably well for itself economically as of late. It grew 4.51 percent in 2023, up from 3.53 percent in 2022. Its Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) at current prices in 2023 was Rp 22,780 billion, up from Rp 21,182,26 billion in 2022. Wholesale and retail trade was the dominating industry, at Rp 4,936 billion (or 21.67 percent) of all GRDP at Current Price contributions, followed by financial and insurance services at Rp 2,404 billion (or 10.55 percent), and construction with Rp 2,134 billion (or 9.37 percent).