Kudus is a city in northeast Central Java in Indonesia.

Understand

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.

Get in

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.

See

The Kudus mosque

• 1 Masjid Menara Kudus (The mosque of Kudus), Jl Menara. Built 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
• 2 Kretek Museum (Museum Kretek), Jl Getas Pejaten No. 155. Presents the history of the cigarette industry in Kudus. Rp3,000. (updated May 2020)
• 3 Tomb of Sunan Kudus (Makam Sunan Kudus). It is located in the Masjid Menara Kudus complex. (updated May 2020)

Buy

Sugary jenang, a good pick-me-up during a long road trip

• 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.

Eat

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, Jl Nitisemitro Kios 10-12, ☏ +62 291 441125. from06:30. Rp8,000-15,000. 
• Pindang Kudus Pak Sulichan, Kompleks Taman Bojana Simpang 7. One of the local speciality, like most food in Kudus, it contains no bovine meat (which considered sacred). 

Drink

• rumah makan kenari, jln sosrokartono 31a, ☏ +62 291-439932. 10am-9pm. family restaurant 
• kenari omah penyet, jln diponegoro 18 kudus. 10 am-9 pm. 

Sleep

• 1 @HOM Kudus, Jl. Tanjung No 14-16, ☏ +62 291 4258999, reservation@hotelhomkudus.com. Built in 2013. (updated May 2020)

Go next

• 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
  • Demak, once the center of Demak Sultanate
  • Semarang, capital of Central Java
• East
  • Surabaya

Routes through Kudus

Anyer ← Demak ←

W  E

→ Pati → Panarukan