Sultan's palace feels force of the tremors

The recent powerful earthquake in Indonesia has damaged a centuries-old palace in the heart of Yogyakarta, which is still ruled by descendants of the Indonesian royal family.

Local officials said yesterday that a pavilion used to store the palace's treasures, including a carriage used by the city's first sultan, was destroyed. An ancient set of gamelan musical instruments was also crushed, and walls in 12 other buildings in the complex cracked.

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Yogyakarta is still governed by a sultan, Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, who is descended from an Indonesian prince who designed and built the palace in 1756. The province is a self-governing district directly answerable to the capital, Jakarta.

The current sultan still lives in the palace, which is situated in an old walled city within modern Yogyakarta, a bustling place home to half a million people. Yogyakarta is the only province in Indonesia still governed by a pre-colonial sultan.

A security official at the palace, Harjimay, said it was currently closed to tourists. Usually some parts of it, including a museum, are open to the public.

The earthquake also badly damaged the world-renowned Prambanan Hindu temple complex outside Yogyakarta.