Upon entering the maqam of Sunan Gunung Jati in Cirebon, one dives into a sensory deluge. Shrine keepers wave you over, clasping your hand and your back with a hearty selamat datang; coins tossed by pilgrims seeking relief from financial hardship rattle against walls and floors; a sea of voices invokes God’s Names and recites Qur’an, some coming from large tour groups in unison and others from those in the solitude of worship; the redolence of burning incense fills the air, and pilgrims adorn their finest ‘itr for a Friday post-prayer visitation. Before visiting the shrine, one of the attendants of the shrine and its visitors, a descendant of the wali, offers me a cup of water drawn from the well of the maqam.
“Now that you’ve quenched your body’s thirst, go and quench your spirit’s thirst.”
A visitation to the tombs of the Wali Songo, the “Nine Saints of Java,” is one of the most popular and well-established ziyaras in Indonesia. Spread out along the coast of the Java Sea, the ziyara offers pilgrims an opportunity to visit the cities, villages, and the countryside of eastern, central, and western Java while exploring rich history and traditions along the way. The stories and lives of the Wali Songo are deeply embedded in Javanese history, and they represent an important chapter in Indonesia’s Islamic history.
Indigenous Horizons: The Wali Songo and the Islamization of Java
The history of Islamization in Indonesia is long and complex, but has its roots, beginning in the 7th century, in the presence of traders from the Middle East. Over the ensuing centuries, Muslim traders from the Middle East to the Indian subcontinent visited and settled in Java, indicating the early diverse and cosmopolitan roots of Javanese Islam. Java was long under the rule of the Hindu-Buddhist Majapahit Empire, but in the wake of its steady decline beginning in the 14th century, a cultural and political vacuum emerged which allowed for Islam to take a greater foothold in Java.
The 15th and 16th centuries saw another concerted period of Islamization. During this time, the Wali Songo (the “Nine Saints” or the “Nine Holy Teachers”) emerged as a powerful force for da’wah and the spread of Islamic teachings and practice. The Wali Songo were prominent teachers dedicated to the spread of Islamic belief and practice not only in Java, but throughout the Indonesian archipelago and beyond. Most of the Wali Songo were connected by family lineage and, while they were neither the first Muslims of Java nor the only preachers active during this time, they developed a particular reputation for the strength and vigour in which they worked to spread Islamic teachings in a land that was in social, cultural, and political flux.
Each of the Wali Songo contended, in their own way, with the task of spreading Islamic teachings in Java’s richly diverse religious and cultural milieu. Many were concerned with the task of enculturation—that is, employing the ideas, languages, and traditions of Java’s diverse communities to offer an indigenous expression of Islam that was simultaneously accessible and spiritually nourishing.
The canonical list of the Wali Songo includes: Sunan Ampel, Sunan Malik Ibrahim, Sunan Giri, Sunan Bonang, Sunan Drajat, Sunan Muria, Sunan Kudus, Sunan Kalijaga, and Sunan Gunung Jati. This list only became canonical over a period of centuries and through the development of local ziyara traditions. There are many awliya in Java who were contemporaries to the Wali Songo and were equally as important for the spread of Islam in Java but were not encoded into the canon (such as the figure of Siti Jenar, who was criticised for being too “unorthodox” for his theories of enculturation between Islam and local religious traditions). Each wali of the Wali Songo is known as a sunan, a Javanese reverential address reserved for persons of great achievement. While there are many awliya buried across Indonesia, only a select few, such as the Wali Songo, have earned the title of sunan.
As with many revered figures, there is a necessary process of discerning historical events from hagiographical import. Many stories and legends emerged about the Wali Songo in the following centuries. They came to serve as a collective symbol of the natural and native flourishing of an indigenous Islamic tradition in Java. For many Javanese, they are symbolic spiritual ancestors—models of enduring faith and steadfast devotion which can serve as inspiration for the contemporary believer in the face of challenges such as secularism, technological alienation and isolation, and challenges to communal identity and cohesion.
Below is a description of each of the Wali Songo, along with more information about making a ziyara to their shrines.
Sunan Ampel
The shrine of Sunan Ampel (d. 1481), also known as Raden Rahmat, in the East Javan city of Surabaya is usually the first stop for pilgrims seeking to visit all nine Wali Songo. While there are no restrictions on visiting the Wali Songo in a specific order, many begin with Sunan Ampel due to his status as the unofficial leader of the Wali Songo, given his early an successful da’wah efforts. Sunan Ampel was born in Champa in present day Vietnam to Sunan Malik Ibrahim (more information below). He is famous for promoting societal revivification through the philosophy “Moh Limo” – avoiding the “five vices” of drunkenness, promiscuity, gambling, opium and general addictive behaviour, and stealing. People still look to Moh Limo as ethical guidelines for a well-lived life. He was also famous for accepting a wide range of students from all social classes.
Adjacent to Sunan Ampel’s shrine is the mosque built by Sunan Ampel. As one of the oldest mosques in East Java, the architecture displays a fusion of Javanese and Arabic elements. The Javanese influences, drawn from Hindu and Buddhist temple architectural principles, are apparent in the three-layered roof (tajuk, the embodiment of Mount Meru of Javanese cosmology) and the five gapuros (entrance gates) to the mosque. Such infusions of Hindu, Buddhist, and other traditions are proud hallmarks of a Javanese Islam that did not reject earlier heritages, but rather subsumed them into new imaginal horizons. By using language, symbols, and ideas already familiar in the region, Muslims were able to speak about Islamic teachings in ways that were familiar and accessible to local communities.
Most of the shrines of the Wali Songo are tended by caretakers who are also, in many instances, descendants of the wali. The shrine keepers at each maqam can be invaluable resources in learning about the lives of the wali, connecting with local communities, such as dhikr gatherings, accessing special parts of the shrine complex for khalwa, or visits to shuyukh.
As with all the shrines of the Wali Songo, there are various markets encircling the shrine complex where pilgrims can purchase flowers, tasbihs, perfumes, religious books, and clothing.
Sunan Ibrahim Malik
Sunan Malik Ibrahim (d. 1419) was the father of Sunan Ampel and the son of Sheikh Jamaludin Jumadil Kubro from Samarkand (more information below), and was thus known, in local texts, as Makhdum Ibrahim as-Samarqandi. Per tomb inscriptions, Malik Ibrahim was purportedly a member of the Kubrawi Sufi order, studying under Mir Sayid Ali Hamadani, who was also influential for the spread of Islam in Kashmir. Malik Ibrahim went on to Champa (modern-day Vietnam) for over a decade to preach before returning to Java. Such lineages and itineraries are a testament to the vast intellectual and exchange networks in the premodern Islamic world.
Upon his return, the Majapahit ruler granted Malik Ibrahim land in the outskirts of Gresik, near Surabaya, where he founded an Islamic boarding school. A legend associated with Malik Ibrahim is that one day, while travelling, he came across a young woman about to be sacrificed to end a long-standing drought. After stopping a group of men from sacrificing the woman, Ibrahim prayed for rain. When his prayers were answered, the group converted to Islam. Sunan Malik Ibrahim had a strong devotion to the Qur’an and always placed it on a special pillow out of reverence. This led to him receiving the nickname Kakek Bantal, literally, the “pillow grandfather”.
In the open-air main tomb complex, Sunan Malik Ibrahim is buried alongside his wife and daughter. There are several other prominent figures buried around the tomb of Ibrahim Malik. At the end of the corridor of the shrine complex there is a cupola which contains the tomb of Maulana Ishak, the biological brother of Maulana Malik Ibrahim, and the father of another of the Wali Songo, Sunan Giri. Next to it is the grave of Sheikh Maulana Makhrubi, though his family relationship is unclear.
Sunan Giri
Born Raden Paku (d. 1506), Sunan Giri was the nephew of Sunan Malik Ibrahim. As a young man, he studied in Sunan Ampel’s madrasa, revealing the close links among all the Wali Songo. He was the son of Maulana Malik Ishaq (Sunan Malik Ibrahim’s brother) and princess Dewi Sekar Dadu. A traditional story says that his mother, a Hindu princess, was forced to abandon him in a crisis by setting him adrift on the ocean in a small boat—a story reminiscent of the story of Moses—before he was rescued by passing sailors. This story is found in Sejarah Banten, a Javanese chronicle.
Sunan was known as both a political and religious leader, signaling the close connection between positions of earthly and spiritual authority. The Majapahit king granted Sunan Giri the authority to expand his political leadership, which led to the development of an influential Islamic school known as Giri Kedaton. Sunan Giri later went on to conduct missionary work on the Indonesian islands of Lombok, Sulawesi, and Maluku. He is often credited with creating popular Javanese traditional games such as Cublak Suweng.
Sunan Bonang (and Syekh Asmoroqondi and Sunan Sendang)
Sunan Bonang (d. 1525) was the son of Sunan Ampel. Sunan Bonang was known as a prolific writer and poet. He wrote many didactic poems which offered easy comprehension of Islamic doctrines and beliefs. These pieces were foundational for the spread of Islamic belief in Java and they became cornerstones of Javanese literature. He was also known for composing gamelan songs which spread Islamic teachings.
Sunan Bonang was the teacher of Raden Patah (d. 1518), the first sultan of Demak, and was responsible for converting another prominent member of the Wali Songo, Sunan Kalijaga. Sunan Bonang did not marry and left no descendants, instead dedicating his life to spreading Islam in Java.
Sunan Bonang is famous even today as someone who sought to defend Islamic orthodoxy against purported heresies and innovations. He had a longstanding dispute with another Javanese wali, Siti Jenar (who is sometimes counted as an additional, ‘unofficial’, member of the Wali Songo), in which Sunan Bonang is portrayed as defending orthodox Islamic faith against Siti Jenar’s “syncretic” innovations. Such a debate is at the heart of the different ways Javanese Islam is conceptualised even today.
Sunan Bonang was also famous for developing a particular style of tasbih made from banana seeds (musa glauca) that grew in the area. It is said that Sunan Bonang saw the seed as a symbol of purity, and that performing dhikr with the seeds bestowed protection on the believer. There are several tasbih sellers near Sunan Bonang’s tomb who still sell these special tasbihs.
Sunan Bonang’s tomb is next to the Great Mosque of Tuban, which dates to the 15th century and which was recently renovated. It was established by the first local regent to embrace Islam and it is a popular location for Friday prayers.
One of the pleasures of visiting the Wali Songo is having the opportunity to visit other awliya along the way (and, unfortunately, not all can be highlighted in this article). There are several to visit while you visit the nine main maqams.
Syekh Asmoroqondi was the father of Sunan Ampel and the grandfather of Sunan Bonang and Drajat. Per his name, he came from Samarkand, settling in the Tuban region and spearheading the Islamization efforts that his children and grandchildren would bring to fruition. It is common for pilgrims to visit Syekh Asmoroqondi before visiting Sunan Bonang, out of respect for the father. The most popular time for ziyara is Friday night, where many visitors will stay in khalwa until Saturday morning. While Syekh Asmoroqondi is not listed among the nine canonical Wali Songo, he is greatly respected and many pilgrims still visit his tomb during their ziyaras.
Nearby is also the tomb of Sunan Sendang Duwur (d. 1585), also known as Raden Noer Rohmat. It is situated up in the hills overlooking the plains of Tuban. Sunan Sendang was also foundational to the spread of Islam in Java. His father, Abdul Kohar, came from Baghdad – another testament to the extensive trade networks that brought traders from around the world to Indonesia. The tomb is famous for its rich architecture, which displays clear and architecturally-refined Hindu-Buddhist motifs, another testament to the ways religious and cultural elements were naturally incorporated into 16th-century Javanese Islamic expressions.
Sunan Drajat
Next was a visit to Sunan Drajat (d. 1522), the brother of Sunan Bonang and another son of Sunan Ampel. Like his brother, he was a renowned composer of gamelan, an indigenous Javanese musical form. He was known for his great intelligence, and his father sent him to study in Aceh (the most prominent regional intellectual hub of the time), and in Mecca. Sunan Drajat is particularly noted for his service to the poor and for his social vision. He developed an extensive social welfare system that sought to provide for the needy in the areas where he preached.
There are often springs located at or near the shrines of the Wali Songo (and at many Sufi shrines around the world), and the waters here are believed to cure illness, a special baraka resulting from proximity to the wali’s shrine.
Sunan Muria (and Raden Ayu Dewi Nawangsih)
Sunan Muria (d. 1551) was the son of Sunan Kalijaga. He is buried on the slope of Mt. Muria outside of Semarang. Visitors walk up a steep stairway lined with shops, tea stalls, and restaurants to reach the tomb. There are various points to rest during the sometimes-challenging climb. For those who can’t walk easily, motorcycles are available at the main entrance to drive people up the mountainside directly to the tomb.
Like many of the other Wali Songo, he was a renowned composer of gamelan and wayang, a tradition of Javanese shadow puppetry. What distinguished Sunan Muria was his role in spreading Islamic teachings deep in rural communities. He is reputed for being a wandering teacher who spent most of his time in the countryside, teaching fishermen, farmers, and herdsmen. This gives rise to his popularity today as a wali who is approachable and understanding.
What struck me most about the shrines of the Wali Songo was that they were always full of pilgrims. At each shrine, there were groups large and small—some were tour groups of local Sufi turuq (orders), others were families or groups of friends—a testament to the role of these shrines as places for not only prayer and contemplation, but also for communities to gather and connect in a spiritually edifying location.
Another important shrine is located a few kilometers from Sunan Muria is a shrine dedicated to two lovers—Raden Ayu Dewi Nawangsih, the daughter of Sunan Muria, and Sunan Muria’s student, Raden Bagus Rinangku. The legend goes that Raden Bagus was one of Sunan Muria’s best students. However, when he saw Raden Ayu, he was enchanted and could no longer focus. Unfortunately, Raden Ayu was already promised to someone else, Kiai Cibolek. Despite this, Raden Ayu and Raden Bagus met and loved each other in secret. The legends are varied, but a prominent version suggests that one day, Sunan Muria and Raden Bagus fell into a disagreement over missing rice stores. Furious, Sunan Muria accused Raden Bagus of being a thief and tried to scare him away with a bow and arrow. Sunan Muria unintentionally released his bow, striking and killing Raden Bagus. Raden Ayu immediately turned the bow and arrow upon herself, choosing to die with her lover. They are now buried side by side and are visited by those seeking love or an ease of marital and domestic trials and tribulations.
Sunan Kudus
Sunan Kudus (d. 1550) was a nephew of Sunan Bonang, a grandson of Sunan Ampel, and a great-grandson of Syekh Ibrahim Asmoroqondi. He is famed for developing the wayang golek (traditional Sundanese puppet arts from West Java), which is still a treasured Javanese traditional art form. He also established the mosque of Kudus, which is famous for incorporating doors from the Majapahit Palace, which symbolised the transition to the age of Islam in Java.
Like Sunan Bonang, Sunan Kudus was a proponent of a shari’a-oriented Sufism. Whereas figures like Sunan Kalijaga and Siti Jenar were concerned with the inculturation of Islam through local traditions, language, and symbols, Sunans Kudus and Bonang thought inculturation was secondary to spreading sound Islamic teachings.
Sunan Kalijaga (and Syekh Jumadil Kubro)
Born Raden Mas Sa’id, little is known about Sunan Kalijaga’s life, but legends abound. Born into the Majahapit royal family, he was trained in gamelan, silat (martial arts), and tajwid. Caught trying to steal his grandfather’s wealth to feed those suffering from famine, he was exiled and took to highway robbery. One day, he robbed a man who turned out to be Sunan Bonang. Amazed by the Sunan’s power, Kalijaga sought forgiveness.
Sunan Bonang gave Sunan Kalijaga his staff, instructing him to meditate until he returned. Three years later, Sunan Bonang returned to find Sunan Kalijaga still there, covered in moss and roots and with the staff upright – symbolising Sunan Kalijaga’s synthesis of indigenous traditions with the steadfast teachings of Islam. Sunan Kalijaga was thus most renowned for using traditional Javanese arts, most prominently wayang and gamelan, to spread Islam. Sunan Kalijaga is seen as one of the Wali Songo who most seamlessly synthesised indigenous Javanese traditions with Islamic teachings.
Another important wali in the area is Syekh Jumadil Kubro, the father of Ibrahim Asmoroqondi and the grandfather of Sunan Ampel. Syekh Jumdil Kubro thus represents a first wave of preachers who came to Java to spread Islam. It is a practice to visit Syekh Jumadil Kubro before visiting the three Wali Songo in the Semarang area.
Sunan Gunung Jati (and Syekh Nurjat Datul Kahfi)
Sunan Gunung Jati (d. 1568), born Syarif Hidayatullah, founded the Sultanate of Banten. Like the other Wali Songo, much of his life is shrouded in legend and stories that have developed over the centuries. However, he is well-known as someone who battled and emerged victorious against Portuguese forces in Java. He was the only Wali Songo to carry the political title of sultan during his life.
The ritual of jum’atan, performing prayers and performing dhikr from Friday afternoon until midnight, is a popular practice at the shrine of Sunan Gunung Jati. The shrine is a popular site of visitation for those facing financial hardships. In offering money at the shrine and to the many beggars in the shrine complex, pilgrims hope that their financial fortunes may be reversed.
Across the street from the shrine of Sunan Gunung Jati is the shrine of Syek Nurjat Datul Kahfi, who was the sheikh of Sunan Gunung Jati.
Logistics of Ziyara
There are several ways to make the ziyara, depending on your comfort levels, your thirst for adventure, and your budgetary restrictions. For those looking for a stress-free ziyara with little to no logistical coordination, there are dozens of local companies—many based in Surabaya and Jakarta—that will arrange all visitation, travel, and accommodation details, whether for individuals, small groups such as families, or groups of murids. You may also have the option of joining a larger tour group, depending on availability, which offers opportunities to connect with local pilgrims.
For those looking for a bit more independence and freedom, renting a car (and, optionally, a driver) allows one to spend as much time as they would like at each shrine while also visiting others in each area. For those with strict budgets, Java has extensive and well-managed train and bus networks that link the three hubs of Surabaya, Semarang, and Cirebon. A visitor can combine public transport with local ride-share apps such as Grab or Gojek to reach the maqams.
There are also more adventurous precedents for the ziyara. Some pilgrims have hitchhiked from shrine to shrine, staying in mosques and maqams as they travelled. Others have walked the entire route, starting with a visit to Sunan Ampel in Surabaya and ending with Sunan Gunung Jati in Cirebon. Such options, while uncommon, offer pilgrims that chance to cultivate the qualities of patience, trust in God’s providence, and paying forward the same kindness they received on the road to others once they return home.
Ziyara: A Window to the World, A Mirror of the Soul
The important role of the Wali Songo in the spread of Islam in Java, and in the development of a uniquely enculturated Javanese expression of Islam, is undeniable. They represent the forerunners of a Javanese expression of Islam that is both globally-oriented—connected by trade and travel to the many centres of Islamic knowledge production — yet locally-rooted, ever-mindful of embracing and integrating pre-Islamic traditions and practices in new Islamic imaginal horizons. Their stories serve as source of inspiration and edification for Muslims struggling to remain steadfast in their faith today, and their shrines are popular, accessible sites of prayer, worship, gathering, and contemplation.
As with the life of any revered figures, the lives of the Wali Songo have become shrouded in legends and myths. Often, the lives of saints become aggrandised because of our own hopes in seeking models and stories for inspiration, spiritual heroes for ennoblement and edification. Such stories and models can become, for the seeker, mirrors in which to check and polish the reflections of our own hearts and souls. That the Wali Songo live between history and myth shouldn’t detract from the value of a ziyara to their shrines. Rather, it should allow any pilgrim to connect intimately with those figures who strove, as we all do, for a life of emulating, embodying, and reflecting the Divine Names and Prophetic qualities to the best of our abilities.
The shrines of the Wali Songo remain popular sites for people who seek healing, inspiration, and connection with those perceived to be among the blessed friends of God. Ziyara offers the pilgrim an opportunity—of space, time, and intention—for prayer, reflection, and contemplation while also exploring and connecting with rich traditions, communities, and histories across the island of Java.
SPIRITUAL TRAVEL
