Imogiri Royal Cemetery

Sultan Agung of Mataram built the burial complex at Imogiri in the 1630s on a hill south of what is now Yogyakarta, and it has been the royal cemetery for the Mataram line and its successor courts of Yogyakarta and Surakarta ever since - so the two rival palaces bury their sultans on the same hill, in separate walled compounds. A stairway of four hundred and nine steps climbs to the gate. Entry to the inner burial areas is governed by court protocol: visitors must change into Javanese court dress, which is hired at the site, remove shoes and jewellery, and enter in a prescribed manner; the inner areas open only on certain days of the Javanese week. The complex is an active pilgrimage site and the courts still hold ceremonies here.

What you actually see

• 409 steps - the stairway climbing to the cemetery gate.
• Two rival courts on one hill - Yogyakarta and Surakarta burying separately.
• Court dress protocol - Javanese dress hired and worn to enter the inner tombs.
• Sultan Agung's foundation - the 1630s complex the Mataram line built.

When to go

May to September; inner areas open only on certain days. Half a day.

Honest expectations

The inner tombs open on limited days and are closed otherwise - check before going. Court dress is compulsory and hired on site. Photography inside is not permitted. The steps are steep.

Nearby

Yogyakarta is north; the Parangtritis coast is south.