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Alun-Alun
SUSTAINABILITY & URBAN DESIGNbeginner
Definition
The central open square of a traditional Javanese city, located in front of the kraton (royal palace) and the main mosque. Alun-alun is the spatial and ceremonial heart of the Javanese urban order — a flat, grassed or paved field framed by the palace, mosque, government offices, and market. It functions as a space for military parades, public gatherings, markets, and everyday recreation. Two banyan trees (waringin) are traditionally planted at the centre.
Example
The alun-alun of Yogyakarta remains a functioning public space in front of the Keraton, flanked by the Masjid Agung to the west — its spatial arrangement unchanged from the 18th-century urban plan and still used for the royal Sekaten festival each year.