Few visitors to the oldest part of the teeming city of modern Jakarta can possibly imagine its varied and exciting past - the pomp and pageantry of royal Javanese court beside the River Ciliwung; invasion fleets of European sailing ships assembling in the Bay; the clash of arms, the din of battle. During weekdays the streets of the old city still the same hive of commercial activity that they have been since the days of the spice traders when they were filled by a colourful, cosmopolitan, population of Indonesians, Europeans, Chinese and Arabs. Today, many of its most major buildings have been converted to museums providing graphic insights into the city's rich past... This book is a lavishly illustrated, practical guide to visitors who want to find out no t only where to go and what to see but also to understand the centuries old history which once earned Jakarta the soubriquet of 'queen City of The East.'