Home / Batik Regions – Western Indonesia – Northern Sumatra – Riau Islands

Facts of the region

Discover Batik in Riau Islands

 

The Batik textile inspired by the carpet making in Natuna, Riau Islands (photo: @Infobatik Ramli Designer)

The variety of Batik in Tanjung Pinang, Riau Islands (photo: @Ambar Nadia )

The Kemuning flower as Batik motif inspirations in Riau Island (photo: Kemuning)

The Enchanting Colours of the Sea Garden

The history of Riau Islands’ batik is known and developed along with other batik areas around the end of the 19th century. Batik textile art was developed through cultural exchanges with Javanese artisans. Today, Batik production centers in Riau Islands are developing. Thanks to the support of the local government and strong cultural communities in Riau Islands.

Textile Tradition in Riau Islands

This province has its distinctive textile tradition, called Telepuk. Telepuk is a special technique of decorating a textile with gold or bronze dyes. This tradition has developed since the Lingga Sultanate in the 19th Century. The Telepuk tradition remains preserved in the Batik production of Riau Islands.

Batik Motifs in Riau Islands

Batik Villages in Riau Islands

local batik workshop 

Batik villages are the region where the Batik producers mostly reside. You could buy the Batik textiles from the artisans and participate in the making process of Batik on the site.

Riau IslandS

Visual Journey

in 1 Minute

Batik Production in Riau Islands

Batik Fashion Show in Riau Islands

The Spirit of Diversity 

RiaU IslandS

Ksitigarbha Buddhist Temple (photo: travelingyuk)

About Riau Islands

 

Tanjungpinang is the capital city of the province, which can be reached from Singapore in approximately 1-2 hours by boat. The history of Riau Islands evolved from Hindu-Buddhist to Islamic times. Pasir Panjang Inscription in Karimun island shows the presence of Buddhist shrine during the 9-10th century AD. Every year the region celebrates the Maritime Festival and Dragon Boat Contest that attract international participants.

Facts about Riau Islands

Riau Islands Province is one of the Indonesian archipelago provinces, located close to Sumatra Island. Riau Islands Province consists of around 2,408 large and small islands, with the main islands such as Bintan Island, Batam Island, Kundur Island, Karimun Island, and Bunguran Island.

The geographical position of Riau Islands Province stretches from Malacca Strait to South China Sea (Natuna) and is directly bordered by Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Singapore. Riau Islands Province spans in a total area of ​​251,810 km2, where 96% of them comprises water and 4% comprises land. (photo: Bintan Trikora beach, Indonesia).

Highlights on Culture

The history of Riau Islands evolved from Hindu-Buddhist to Islamic times. Pasir Panjang historical inscription in Karimun island shows the presence of Buddhist shrine during the 9-10th century AD. In the 19th century, the region was under the rule of the Islamic Malay Kingdom, called Riau-Lingga Sultanate.
Every year the region celebrates the Riau Islands Maritime Festival, which features a variety of unique Riau Islands cultures, from Dangkong Dance, Dragon Boat Contest, to Carang River Festival.  (Photo: Tari Salam)

 

Map of Riau Islands

Map of Riau Islands (photo: Big.go.id)

Map of Indonesia

Map of Indonesia (photo: Resourceful Indonesia)

Tourist Attractions in Riau Islands