Lying on the western side of the northern Alun-alun is the Great Mosque. The building was designed by the court architect Wiryokusumo on order of Sultan Hamengku Buwono I and completed on 29th May 1773. Two plaques, inscribed in Arabic and Javanese, are displayed on the walls of the Mosque and mark the date of it’s completion.
Built in 1758 as a recreation area for Yogyakarta’s royal family, the ‘Water Castle’ Tamansari lies a little to the south west of the Kraton. Although mostly in ruins, brought about by time, neglect and an earthquake in 1867, Tamansari is still an interesting place to see. Visitor can walk through a maze of underground passageways leading down to dark and mysterious rooms, long since deserted. Two large bathing pools apparently used by princesses from the palace, are still visible but no longer in use. Tamansari once had to long to tunnels, one of which was connected to the Kraton , the other surfacing some distance outside the city, some say as far away as Parangtririts. This second one was built as an escape route in the event of danger. Today many batik artist live long Tamansari’s narrow pathways.
