Berbah: Geology and Historical Attractions

The Berbah subdistrict brings together geological heritage and diverse traces of religious and military history. Lava Bantal Berbah is known for basaltic pillow lava; Goa Sentono and Candi Abang represent very different architectural approaches, while Goa Jepang is shaped by its former military function. Masjid Sulthoni Wotgaleh rounds out the selection as a mosque considered the oldest in Yogyakarta. Berbah can therefore be explored according to your interests: natural history, form and religious design, or historical use offer different perspectives on these sites.

Natural history: Lava Bantal Berbah

Lava Bantal Berbah is a geological heritage site featuring basaltic pillow lava, dated to 56 million years ago. The name brings together two specific aspects: pillow lava describes the geological form, while basaltic identifies the rock. Here, the focus is on the characteristics of a rock formation, rather than an architectural period or religious use. Visitors choosing destinations by theme will find that Lava Bantal offers a clear introduction to Berbah’s natural history.

The inauguration of Lava Bantal Berbah as a tourist attraction is also part of its history: it took place in 2016. This date refers to the inauguration, while the figure of 56 million years refers to the age of the pillow lava. These represent two different time scales—the geological period and a more recent step in the attraction’s tourism history.

Caves and temples in Jogotirto

Goa Sentono, a cave carved into the rock with three niches, is located in Desa Jogotirto. The niches feature Hindu-influenced reliefs and symbols. Both the form of the site—a cave worked out of the rock—and the design of its three interior spaces are important to its interpretation. This gives Goa Sentono a different character from a temple building: the focus here is on niches and imagery within a rock chamber.

Candi Abang is also located in Desa Jogotirto. The temple is pyramid-shaped and built of red brick; it is dated approximately to the 9th or 10th century, during the Kingdom of Mataram Kuno. The date range remains open rather than specifying a single year of construction. In contrast to Goa Sentono, Candi Abang is defined not by rock niches but by its pyramidal shape and brick material. Visitors interested in historic architecture can distinguish the two sites by their different forms and materials before considering how each is dated.

Military and religious history

Goa Jepang in Desa Jogotirto was a Japanese defensive facility. It was used for observation and shelling, as well as for logistical purposes, including accommodation and ammunition storage; it also contained troop bunkers. The facility therefore cannot be described by a single architectural form: its functions ranged from military observation and shelling to logistics and accommodation. This makes it different from sites viewed for their religiously influenced reliefs or temple architecture. Asking what the facility was used for helps bring its various functions together.

Masjid Sulthoni Wotgaleh in Desa Sendangtirto is considered the oldest mosque in Yogyakarta. This classification differs from the approximate century assigned to Candi Abang: for the temple, it is a matter of dating, while for the mosque, it is its status as the oldest in Yogyakarta. Both add to the picture of historic sites, but refer to different things: the temple’s construction period and the mosque’s rank.

To choose which sites to visit, you can first decide on the focus that interests you most: geological formations, religious design, temple architecture, or military history. This makes it easy to organize the sites around the topic you would like to explore. If you are planning specific visits, check the current access arrangements for each site in advance.

Discover more destinations: Ngemplak, Sedayu, Mlati, Gamping, Pakem, Pleret, Tanjungsari, Sewon.

For the broader travel guide: Yogyakarta.