Mataram is the capital and by far the largest city in Lombok. Mother Nature watches over Lombok in the form of Rinjani and humanity congregates in Mataram to behold her.. or something like that. The 2026 population estimates are around 600k, but it feels smaller than that since there are no skyscrapers or real downtown feel. There are massive residential areas and wide central boulevards with quite a bit of greenery.
As is often the case, an immediately noticeable difference between the city and the jungle and mountains is the height of the heat. It gets HOT in Mataram!
One hot day we went to visit the Islamic Center NTB (NTB stands for Nusa Tenggara Barat, the Indonesian name for the province of West Nusa Tenggara). A wonderfully enthusiastic and informed young man guided us through the complex, teaching us about Islam in a very factual and respectful way. He explained how one becomes a Muslim and described typical observance. He brought us to the Masjid Hubbul Wathan Great Mosque. This is the biggest mosque by far on Lombok.
Once we were dressed properly for the mosque he encouraged us to enter (quietly) and take pictures. We had never been in a mosque and weren’t sure if we were even allowed as non-Muslims. It was very peaceful, personal (people just pick a spot on the open carpet and do their own thing), and… airily vast.
Lombok, The Island of a Thousand Mosques
Lombok is known as the “The Island of a Thousand Mosques”.. although there are actually about 9,000! This makes sense when you consider that Indonesia has the most Muslims in the world, with over 800,000 mosques in total. They come in all shapes and sizes, and more than 50% of those on Lombok are in small villages. Larger mosques are known for having minarets, which provide a prominent place for the muezzin (crier) to deliver the adhan (call to prayer) five times a day. During our trip several people commented on how much the quality of criers varies, and ranges from soothingly musical to crackled and harsh. As with our trips to other Islamic areas, the call is a profound reminder of being in a distant land.
The tallest minaret at the Islamic Center NTB (there are five, representing the five pillars of Islam) has a viewing deck at the top. It is exactly 99 meters high, representing the 99 beautiful names of Allah. Unfortunately it has been closed since the 2018 earthquake, with renovations still underway. Our guide was nice enough to request special permission to take us up anyway, although the stairs were covered with construction materials.
The minaret offers a stunning panorama, and arguably the best view on the island. You can see all of Mataram, Rinjani, the mountain ranges to the north and south, as well as the ocean in several directions. It was also a bit cooler up there 😃.
Mayura Park (aka Mayura Water Palace) is located just East of central Mataram. With the extreme heat we were looking for a water-themed site! It’s mostly an open green area on three sides of a large rectangular manmade pond with an open pavilion on an island in the middle.
There were lots of charming little statues on the island. I can’t get enough of the faces and poses!
The outer areas have a series of shrines. It’s a very calm, quiet place in general. No activities, and at least while we were there, very few people. Locals seem to go just to chill out in the shaded areas. Oh yeah.. despite the pond it was HOT.
In general, Mataram is not very walkable. It’s weird since there is plenty of room and it feels safe in terms of neighborhoods and people. However sidewalk presence and placement is haphazard. You may walk halfway down a street on a great sidewalk just to have it end and you’re stranded between a curb and whizzing scooters. Ride- share services like Gomel or Grab are recommended, or if you’re feeling adventurous there’s always motorcycle ride-shares or horse & buggy..
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