Province North Maluku | Phone +62 813-5558-7567 | |
 | ||
Address Sangaji Utara, Ternate Utara, Sangaji Utara, Ternate, Kota Ternate, Maluku Utara, Indonesia Hours Open today · 8AM–5PMWednesday8AM–5PMThursday8AM–5PMFriday8AM–5PMSaturday8AM–5PMSunday8AM–5PMMonday8AM–5PMTuesday8AM–5PM Similar Fort Kalamata, Fort Oranje, Sulamadaha Beach, Fort Kastela, Gamalama | ||
Fort tolukko
Fort Tolukko is a small fortification on the east coast of Ternate facing Halmahera. It was one of the colonial forts built to control the trade in clove spices, which prior to the eighteenth century were only found in the Maluku Islands. Sources variously ascribe its original builders as Portuguese, Dutch, and Spanish.
Contents
2016 march 9 total solar eclipse at fort tolukko ternate indonesia
History
The pre-Islamic island of Ternate already have a government body known as a buldan which was led by a king (kolano). With the arrival of Islam and the decline of Majapahit influence in North Maluku, the government bodies of North Maluku changed into a Sultanate in the fifteenth century.
There are differing opinions regarding the history of Fort Tolukko. The first mention is that the Fort was originally a Portuguese Fort. The arrival of the Portuguese in Ternate in early sixteenth century to establish a trade port was welcomed by the Ternate Sultanate, partly because the Portuguese promised to help the Ternatese in their fight against their rival the Sultanate of Tidore, which allied with the Spanish. The Ternate Sultanate allowed the Portuguese to build several forts around Ternate. One of the fort is Fort Saint Lucas, which was constructed in 1512 at the order of Francisco Serrão. By the end, it was clear that the Portuguese's intention was not merely to establish a trading port, but to monopolize the spice trade showcased in a treaty. The treaty oblige the Ternatese to sell the spices as cheap as possible to the Portuguese. In 1533, the Ternatese, led by Dajalo, tried to captured the Portuguese forts, but failed. António Galvão managed to calm the situation and maintain peace in Ternate so Portuguese was able to maintain their monopoly over spice trade in Maluku Islands. This is further strengthened in a new treaty made in 1570 between Governor of the Moluccas Lopez de Mesquita and the Sultan of Ternate Khairun Jamil. However, not long after the treaty, Jamil was murdered by a person under the order of Lopez de Mesquita. Because of this, Khairul's son Babullah declared a war with the Portuguese for seven years. Gradually, the Portuguese forts were taken by Ternate and in 1577 the Ternatese managed to expel the Portuguese out of the region. After renaming of the fort into Fort Hollandia, the fort was handed back to the Sultan of Ternate to be ysed as a fortified royal residence. At this time, the fort received its new name Fort Tolukko after the tenth ruler of Ternate Sultanate, Kaicil Tolukko. However this is doubtful because Tolukko's reign only started in 1692 and the Fort had received the name Tolukko at least in mid 17th-century.
Other more convincing claim regarding the fort's origin is that the fort was originally a Spanish fort. Original documents indicating that the Governor of the Spanish Philippines, Captain-General Juan de Silva dispatched an expeditionary force in 1611 under Captain Fernando de Ayala to construct the fort. With the Dutch fortress of Fort Oranje lying between Fort Tolukko and the main Spanish fortress of Kastella, the Spanish - who named the fort San Juan de Toloco - found it difficult to maintain Fort Tolukko, and it was abandoned by 1613.
In 1610, Pieter Both ordered the improvement of Fort Tolukko to prepare for the attack by the Spain. At this time, Fort Tolukko was utilized as a place of refuge. When the war occurred, most Ternatese seek refuge to Fort Malayo. According to report, there were 15 to 20 soldiers inside the fort, with enough ammunition and weaponry. Foods were sent from Fort Malayo to Fort Tolukko for the 22 soldier working in the Fort. In 1661, The Dutch government allowed the Ternate Sultan Mandar Syah of Ternate to stay in the Fort with his soldiers. With the arrival of the Sultan, the Dutch garrison was reduced until it reached 160 personnel.
On April 16, 1799, a small group of Tidorese soldiers led by Kaicil Nuku (the nineteenth Sultan of Tidore) attacked Tolukko Fort; but quickly retreated thanks to the combined forces of Ternate and VOC. Continuous war between Ternate and Tidore reduced the population of the city of Ternate from 3,307 people in 1797 to 2,157 people. Majority of the population died of starvation and war, or fled to Halmahera.
In 1864 under the order of the Resident P. Van der Crab, the damaged buildings inside Fort Tolukko were demolished and the fort was vacated.
In 1996 the fort area was redeveloped into a garden. Lack of proper conservation process destroyed some of the historic element of the fort, such as the removal of the underground tunnels which connected the fort to the sea.
The fort
Fort Tolukko is located in the village of Duga Duga on the edge of Ternate City. It is a 6 meter tall fort sitting on a cape about 10.5 meter above sea level. Fort Tolukko's unusual phallic layout is more likely a function of the immediate topography than anything else. It's small narrow layout with two bulwarks is distinctive Portuguese, different with the Dutch Fort of Fort Oranje and Fort Kalamata. Its primary function was to dominate a rare coral reef-free landing point directly in front of the fort.