Kudus

Kudus has two main claims to fame. The first is as the cradle of Islam in Java. It was in the, what were then, port towns of Kudus and Demak to the west, that the nine religious leaders arrived, who were to successfully introduce Islam to Java. They are now referred to as the Wali Songo, and are revered as saints.
The second claim to fame is as Indonesia's capital of the clove cigarette, kretek. The town is home to one of the biggest brands,Djarum, employing 75,000 workers.

The nearest airport and railway station are in Semarang, 1-2 hours to the west.
A Semarang taxi should be willing to take you to Kudus if picking you up either at the airport or railway station in Semarang.
If travelling in by bus from the west, the buses depart from Terboyo bus station on the eastern side of Semarang.
Road travel from Surabaya to the east will be around six hours.

• Masjid Menara KudusBuilt by Sunan Kudus in 1549 AD/956 H. The architecture is an amalgam of Islamic and Hindu styles.

• Old Town - also known as Kauman
• Kretek (clove-scented cigarette) factories
• Kretek (clove-scented cigarette) Museum
• Tomb of Sunan Kudus

• Jenang — this palm sugar and coconut milk confection is the gift of choice for visitors wanting to take something back for family or friends. There are a plethora of small stalls clustered around the mosque, selling religious paraphernalia, but also jenang
• Soto Kudus spices — if you wander in to the maze of streets to the side of, and behind the mosque, you may see signs offering the spices for Soto Kudus, for sale. You'll get a little twist of paper with enough ground spices for one dish. Sauté onion and garlic in a splash of oil, add the contents of the wrapper and cook til smelling delicious. Add meat or vegetables of your choice, enough stock to cover, and simmer til done. That's probably how the recipe goes. Grease it up with some coconut milk if you have any. Remember, no beef please, but buffalo is OK if you have it.

The dish which bears the town's name is Soto Kudus, a soup served with rice. This is the local version of the generic dish that is found across the archipelago in a myriad of local varieties. In Kudus the meat tends to be chicken of buffalo. There seems to be a local presumption against eating beef from cows, perhaps in recognition of the town's pre-Islamic Hinduism. The spicing for the soup is heavier with the warm notes of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, reminiscent of the curries of south Asia.

• Opor Sunggingan

  phone: +62 291 441125
  address: Jl Nitisemitro Kios 10-12

• Pindang Kudus Pak Sulichan

  address: Kompleks Taman Bojana Simpang 7
  One of the local speciality, like most food in Kudus, it contains no bovine meat (which considered sacred).

• rumah makan kenari

  phone: +62 291-439932
  address: jln sosrokartono 31a
  family restaurant

• kenari omah penyet

  address: jln diponegoro 18 kudus

• North

• The mountain village of Colo lies on the slopes of Mount Muria around 45 minutes drive north of Kudus. Garden restaurant Waroeng Keboen Iboe is a pleasant escape from the heat of the lowland plains
• Jepara

West

• Semarang

East

• Surabaya