Pamatan

Pamatan is the name of a lost city on Lombok Island in Indonesia and the capital of the principal kingdom on Lombok. The city was destroyed by the 1257 Samalas eruption; while the king and at least part of his family survived, many inhabitants were killed. The location of the city is unclear but probably was on the eastern coast of Lombok.

The history of Pamatan and the 1257 eruption of Samalas is recorded in the Babad Lombok, a compilation of historical writings and possibly oral tradition written in the Old Javanese language on palm leaves. According to the Babad Lombok, Pamatan was founded at the foot of Samalas-Rinjani after a previous (probably legendary) city had been abandoned. It is likely that the city was located on the sea, most likely on the eastern side of Lombok; possible locations are at Aikmel and Sembalun. The Babad Lombok says that the city had a population of about 10,000 people and featured city walls, town halls, houses, and boulevards. Its inhabitants were wealthy and active in agriculture, fishing, and trade. The city was the capital of a kingdom; at the time, Lombok had multiple kingdoms, of which Pamatan was the most important.