In Jakarta, an archaeologist races against time to preserve the city’s 400-year-old fortified walls

via Channel NewsAsia, 01 August 2020: A story about archaeologist Candrian Attahiyat and his efforts to preserve Jakarta’s 400-year-old city wall.

When archaeologist Candrian Attahiyat heard that the Jakarta city government was planning to widen the flood-prone Ciliwung River last year, he was immediately alarmed.

Part of the river cuts through Jakarta’s heritage area and the normalisation project would see the capital’s main waterway broadened by up to 15m, threatening the few remaining sections of the 400-year-old perimeter walls built by the Dutch East India Company.

Only less than 500m of the 4.6km fortified walls still stand today.

Source: In Jakarta, an archaeologist races against time to preserve the city’s 400-year-old fortified walls