Kudus Regency

Kudus (ꦏꦸꦢꦸꦱ꧀ Pegon: قدوس) is a regency (kabupaten) in Central Java province in Indonesia. Its capital is the town of Kudus. It covers 425.15 km2 and is thus the smallest regency on Java Island in area, and it had a population of 777,437 at the 2010 Census and 849,184 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 874,632, comprising 436,247 males and 438,385 females. It is located northeast of Semarang, the capital of Central Java.

Regency Area Boundaries
The administrative boundaries of Kudus Regency include:
 * North  = Jepara Regency
 * South = Grobogan Regency and Demak Regency
 * West  = Demak Regency
 * East  = Pati Regency

Most of the Kudus Regency area is lowland. In part of the northern region stands a mountain, namely Mount Muria, with the peaks Saptorenggo Peak (1,602 m above sea level), Rahtawu Peak (1,522 m above sea level), and Argojembangan Peak (1,410 m above sea level). The largest river is Kali Serang which flows to the west, bordering Kudus Regency with Demak Regency. Kudus is divided by the Gelis River in the middle so there are the terms Kudus West and Kudus East. Kudus Regency is the district with the smallest area in Central Java, but is the richest district in Central Java with per capita income reaching more than IDR 123 million.

History


The town of Kudus was something of an important Islamic holy city in the sixteenth century. It is the only place in Java that has permanently acquired an Arabic name ('al-Quds', Jerusalem). Sunan Kudus, one of the nine Wali Sanga, was said to have been the fifth imam (head) of the mosque of Demak and a major leader of the 1527 campaign against 'Majapahit', before moving to Kudus.

The Mosque of Kudus (Masjid Menara) which dates from this period, remains a local landmark to this day. It is notable for both its perseverance of pre-Islamic architectural forms such as Old Javanese split doorways and Hindu-Buddhist influenced Majapahit-style brickwork, and for its name al-Manar or al-Aqsa. The date AH 956 (AD 1549) is inscribed over the mihrab (niche indicating the direction of Mecca).

Administrative districts
The Regency comprises nine districts (kecamatan), tabulated below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 Census and the 2020 Census, together with the official estimates as at mid 2023. The table also includes the number of administrative villages in each district (totaling 123 rural desa and 9 urban kelurahan - the latter all in Kudus town District), and its post code.

Note: (a) comprises 9 urban kelurahan (Kajeksan, Kerjasan, Mlati Kidul, Mlati Norowito, Panjunan, Purwosari, Sunggingan, Wergu Kulon and Wergu Wetan) and 16 rural desa. (b) Undaan District consists of a large southwards salient away from the rest of the Regency.

Contemporary Kudus
Although most residents of Kudus are Javanese, there is an Indonesian Chinese minority in the city center, as well as an Arab neighborhood, Kudus Kulon, to the west of the city center.

The city is considered the "birthplace" of the kretek clove cigarette, which is by far the most widely smoked form of tobacco in the country, and remains a major center for their manufacture. Haji Jamahri, a resident of the city, invented them in the 1880s. A festival named Dandangan is held for about one whole month before Ramadhan, Muslim's fasting month in Kudus Kulon.

Anti-nuclear movement
On June 12, 2007, about 5,000 people gathered peacefully to protest against Jakarta's plan to build 4 nuclear reactors in the region. The movement included local residents, activists, artists, students and public officials, parliament members, military commandants and police chiefs. This movement has been part of a series of responses emerging from all sides of the Indonesian society against the use of nuclear technology for energy production.

Notable people

 * Hariyanto Arbi, badminton player
 * Hermawan Susanto, badminton player
 * Liem Swie King, badminton player
 * Eddy Hartono, badminton player