Martapura is the capital of the

Banjar Regency Banjar Regency is one of the eleven regencies in the Indonesian province of South Kalimantan; the capital is Martapura. It covers an area of 4,668.5 km2, and had a population of 506,839 at the 2010 Census, 553,721 at the 2015 Census and ...

South Kalimantan South Kalimantan ( id, Kalimantan Selatan) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is the smallest province in Kalimantan, the Indonesian territory of Borneo. The provincial capital was Banjarmasin until 15 February 2022 when it wa ...

province,

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

. It is located close to the city of

Banjarbaru Banjarbaru is the capital city of South Kalimantan, one of the provinces in Indonesia. It is located southeast of Banjarmasin, the largest city of the province. The city had a population of 248,423 as of the 2017 Census, and the latest officia ...

(with which it forms a continuous built-up area) and it consists of three

districts A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

within the Regency - Martapura,

West Martapura West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

and East Martapura, with a combined population at the 2010 Census of 147,654 people. Originally this town was named "Kayutangi", which was the last capital of the former

Sultanate of Banjar Sultanate of Banjar or Sultanate of Banjarmasin ( Banjar: كسلطانن بنجر, Kasultanan Banjar) was a sultanate located in what is today the South Kalimantan Province of Indonesia. For most of its history, its capital was at Banjarmasi ...

. The famous Banjarese

ulema In Islam, the ''ulama'' (; ar, علماء ', singular ', "scholar", literally "the learned ones", also spelled ''ulema''; feminine: ''alimah'' ingularand ''aalimath'' lural are the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious ...

Sheikh Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonly designates a chief of a ...

Muhammad Arsyad al-Banjari, author of

Sabilal Muhtadin Grand Mosque of Sabilal Muhtadin is the largest mosque in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It con ...

, comes from this town. This town is famous as ''

kota santri ''Kota santri'' ("city of santri" or "city of pious people") is an epithet used in Indonesia, predominantly in Java, given to a region historically important in the context of Islamic education. The term ''santri'' generally means a Muslim student ...

'' or the "city of ''

santri In Indonesia, ''santri'' is a term for someone who follows Islamic religious education in ''pesantren'' (Islamic boarding schools). Santri usually stay in the place until their education is complete. After completing their study period, some of t ...

'' (Muslim students)" in

Kalimantan Kalimantan () is the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo. It constitutes 73% of the island's area. The non-Indonesian parts of Borneo are Brunei and East Malaysia. In Indonesia, "Kalimantan" refers to the whole island of Borneo. In 2019, ...

, because of the ''

pesantren ''Pesantren'', or ''pondok pesantren'', are Islamic boarding schools in Indonesia. They consist of pondok, mosque, santri, teaching of classical Islamic texts and Kyai.Zamakhsyari Dhofie''The Pesantren Tradition: A Study of the Role of the Kyai ...

'' (Islamic boarding school) of Pondok Pesantren Darussalam Martapura. Martapura is often called "

Veranda A veranda or verandah is a roofed, open-air gallery or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a railing and frequently extends across the front and sides of the structure. Although the form ''veran ...

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...

" because there are many santris wearing white clothes in this town who walk up and down to study

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

, similar to Mecca in the

hajj The Hajj (; ar, حَجّ '; sometimes also spelled Hadj, Hadji or Haj in English) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried ...

season.Jalan-Jalan ke 6 Kota Santri di Indonesia yang Damai dan Religius
''Pegi pegi''. Retrieved April 2, 2021. This town is often visited by

tourist Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mo ...

s because of its

diamond Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the Chemical stability, chemically stable form of car ...

industry center and the main diamond polishing in Kalimantan and provides many jewelry handicrafts.

Administration

Martapura comprises three of the

(''kecamatan'') of Banjar Regency, listed below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 Census and according to the latest estimates (for mid 2017):Badan Pusat Statistiuk, Jakarta, 2019.

References

Populated places in South Kalimantan Regency seats of South Kalimantan {{SKalimantan-geo-stub