HISTORICAL TRANSFORMATIONS AND ARCHITECTURAL TYPOLOGY OF SUROSOWAN PALACE, SERANG, BANTEN
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Abstract
Surosowan Palace survives primarily as a ruin, which makes its architectural type difficult to infer from the extant fabric or any single historical plan. This research discusses the impact of political, military, and infrastructure events on the palace complex in Old Banten. The research uses a qualitative, interpretative case study approach, integrating six historical representations from 1596 to 1900, archaeological and historical research, and site observations and images from 2024. Evidence was categorized in a typological matrix of function, spatial-formal organization, tectonics and materials, and defensive-historical qualities and contrasted across four historical stages. The analysis identifies Surosowan as a composite fortified palatial compound rather than a single building type. Recurrent characteristics include hierarchically differentiated royal, governmental, defensive, service, and water-related zones; a rectangular enclosure with controlled access; and brick-and-coral construction with functionally differentiated floor treatments. The most consequential transformations occurred during fortification under Maulana Yusuf, the 1680–1681 conflict and Cardeel-assisted reconstruction, and early nineteenth-century colonial dismantling. European-derived defensive geometry altered the enclosure and gateways, whereas the functional hierarchy of the sultanate compound persisted. The study contributes a phase-based typological interpretation that links fragmentary architectural evidence to historical change and offers an auditable basis for conserving ruined palace complexes.
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