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Cirebon Palace plans to build museum to house artifacts
The Cirebon Kasepuhan Sultanate has provided 1 hectare of land for the planned construction of a museum to house historical artifacts salvaged from sunken ships in nearby waters and from across the country
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he Cirebon Kasepuhan Sultanate has provided 1 hectare of land for the planned construction of a museum to house historical artifacts salvaged from sunken ships in nearby waters and from across the country.
The palace, located in the West Java city of Cirebon, proposed the plan to follow up the central government’s plan to auction thousands of artifacts from China and the Middle East dating back to the 10th century.
“The proposal shows that the Kasepuhan Palace wants to protect historical remnants,” said Cirebon Kasepuhan Crown Prince Pangeran Raja Adipari (PRA) Arief Natadiningrat.
The government planned to auction the artifacts, pulled from a shipwreck off Cirebon, on May 5. The auction is scheduled to be handled by the National Committee for the Salvage and Utilization of Valuable Objects from Sunken Ships.
The number of relics to be auctioned reaches 271,000 valuable items believed to date back to the 10th century.
They include various types of pottery, gold and silver jewelry, gemstones and crystal ware.
The artifacts were salvaged from a shipwreck in Java Sea about 70 nautical miles off the Cirebon coast from 2004 to 2005.
The auction value is estimated at about Rp 1 trillion (US$1 billion).
Arief said palace authorities conveyed their plan to build the museum to the government in early April.
The palace, he said, also sent a letter to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and also forwarded it to the Maritime Affairs and Fishery Ministry, the Culture and Tourism Ministry and the State Secretariat.
The national committee’s officials were also told about plan to build the museum. They visited the Kasepuhan Palace on April 24. “We have met with the national committee team,” said Arief. “They welcomed and supported the plan.”
However, he said that during the meeting, both sides failed to reach an agreement on the upcoming auction.
“The Kasepuhan Palace is against the auction, but the committee said it would continue with it.”
The committee, however, has promised to set aside one item from each artifact type to be auctioned for the museum.
Arief said preserving artifacts was more beneficial compared to auctioning them for economic reasons on the pretext of boosting state income. “This auction shows the government is not sensitive to cultural and historical issues.”
