Gresik

Gresik stands on the north coast of eastern Java, close to the Madura Strait. Its harbour was a meeting place for merchants from China, India, Arabia and the islands of the archipelago. Ships travelling between the Moluccas and western markets called here, making Gresik one of the great trading towns of the Javanese coast. The tomb of Maulana Malik Ibrahim recalls the early Muslim community established in the port.

From the fourteenth century Gresik grew in importance as a port of Majapahit. Muslim traders and teachers brought their faith to its diverse population, and the religious centre of Giri developed nearby. Sunan Giri, also called Ainul Yaqin, began to rule in 1487; his descendants retained authority in the area for generations. In the early sixteenth century the Portuguese writer Tomé Pires praised Gresik as a leading Javanese port. The influence of Giri's teachers extended beyond Java, while Gresik remained a centre of commerce into the age of the Dutch East India Company.