Mataram: the working capital of Lombok

Mataram is not a tourist city, and it does not try to be. It is the administrative capital of West Nusa Tenggara, formed in 1993 from the merger of Mataram, Cakranegara and Ampenan, three towns with different histories and different characters. The result is a city of about 450,000 people, with universities, hospitals, government offices and a market that supplies the island.

Most visitors pass through on the way to Senggigi or the airport. They should stop for half a day. Mataram has the Mayura water palace, the largest Hindu temple in Lombok, a Chinese-influenced market, the old port at Ampenan and some of the best food on the island.

Cakranegara and the Mayura water palace

Cakranegara was the capital of the Balinese kingdom of Lombok in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and it still has a Hindu-Balinese character. The Mayura water palace was built in 1744 as a royal pleasure garden, with a artificial lake, a pavilion and a ceremonial banyan tree. It is now a slightly faded public park, and that is part of its charm.

The palace was the site of the 1894 battle between the Balinese and the Dutch, and there is a small monument to the fallen. The lake is used for fishing and for the ceremony of the day; the pavilion is closed but the grounds are open, and the entrance fee is a few thousand rupiah. Early morning is the best time: the light is soft, the joggers are out and the lotus is open on the water.

Pura Meru and the Hindu heritage

Pura Meru, a few hundred metres from the water palace, is the largest Hindu temple in Lombok, built in 1720 by the Balinese king Anak Agung Ngurah Karangasem. The main meru has eleven tiers, and the compound has shrines to the Hindu trinity. It is an active temple, not a ruin, and the ceremonies are worth timing a visit around.

The Balinese minority in Lombok is small but old, and Cakranegara is its heart. The temple is used daily, and the surrounding streets have Balinese houses, shrines and warungs. Dress modestly and do not enter during a ceremony unless you are invited.

The Cakranegara market

Pasar Cakranegara is the biggest traditional market in Lombok, a maze of stalls selling vegetables, spices, fish, textiles and household goods. It is busiest between six and ten in the morning, and the food section is worth the trip alone: Lombok's chillies, dried fish, palm sugar and the ingredients for ayam taliwang.

The market is not designed for tourists, and that is why it is good. Go early, bring small notes, ask before photographing, and taste the local snacks: lepat, a sticky rice cake wrapped in banana leaf, and the small fried bananas sold at the entrance.

Ampenan and the old port

Ampenan was the port of Lombok before the airport and the ferry terminal, a mixed community of Sasak, Balinese, Chinese and Arab traders. The old town has shophouses, a Chinese temple and a mosque, and a waterfront that is now mostly fishing boats and warehouses.

It is not a polished heritage district, but it is atmospheric in the late afternoon, when the light comes across the water and the food stalls set up along the road. The Arab quarter has a few good bakeries and coffee shops, and the Chinese temple is open to visitors who ask.

Where to eat: ayam taliwang and plecing

Mataram is the best place in Lombok to eat ayam taliwang, the island's signature grilled chicken, pounded flat and covered in a fierce sauce of chilli, garlic, tomato and shrimp paste. The best warungs are in Cakranegara, and a portion with rice and plecing kangkung costs around Rp 45,000.

Plecing kangkung is the other essential: water spinach blanched and dressed with chilli, lime and tomato. For dessert, try the sasak pancakes or the local coffee from the hills. The city also has a good Chinese-Indonesian food scene around Ampenan, a legacy of the port.

The Islamic Center and the city's mosques

The Islamic Center on Jalan Gajah Mada is the most visible building in Mataram: a large mosque with a green dome and a minaret, built in the 1990s and used for prayers, classes and weddings. Non-Muslim visitors are usually welcome outside prayer times if they dress modestly and ask at the office.

The city has hundreds of smaller mosques, and the call to prayer at dusk is the soundtrack of the place. The Hindu temples at Cakranegara are a reminder that Lombok has been multi-religious for centuries, and the Lingsar temple, 20 minutes east, is shared by Hindus and Muslims and hosts a famous annual ceremony involving rice cakes and duck eggs.

Getting there and a half-day route

Mataram is 30 to 40 minutes from Lombok International Airport and 15 to 20 minutes from Senggigi. The ferry from Bali arrives at Lembar, 30 minutes south. The city is flat and hot, and the sights are spread out, so a car and driver for half a day is the easiest way to see them.

Start at the Cakranegara market at seven, then the water palace and Pura Meru, then lunch at an ayam taliwang warung. In the afternoon, drive to Ampenan for the old town and the waterfront, and finish at the Islamic Center for the sunset call to prayer. It is a half day that shows you how Lombok actually lives.

• 07:00 Pasar Cakranegara, breakfast and snacks.
• 09:00 Mayura water palace and Pura Meru.
• 12:00 Ayam taliwang lunch in Cakranegara.
• 15:00 Ampenan old town and the waterfront.
• Dress modestly for the temples and the mosque.

Questions people actually ask

Is Mataram worth visiting?

For half a day, yes: the water palace, Pura Meru and the Cakranegara market are genuinely interesting, and the food is the best on the island. It is not a beach destination.

Where is the best ayam taliwang in Mataram?

The warungs in Cakranegara, especially around Jalan Cakranegara, are the classic choice. Go for lunch, when the chicken is fresh off the grill and the sambal has not been sitting all day.

Can you visit Pura Meru?

Yes, outside ceremony times. Dress modestly with a sarong and covered shoulders, and do not enter the inner shrines. The temple is active, so behave as you would in any place of worship.

How far is Mataram from Senggigi and the airport?

Senggigi is 15 to 20 minutes north, the airport 30 to 40 minutes south-east, and the ferry port at Lembar 30 minutes south.