Pasar Kambing Mrican, a Traditional Goats Market at the Traffic Lights

The place is situated less than one kilo meter from Peterongan market place, directly situated at the traffic light at the intersection of 'Mrican' Street and south end side of Mataram Street. Yes, this is a goats market, a place where we can found street traders who sell life goats. There is a goat statue that could be found as a sign of  market existence.

There is a row of bamboo shed at one of street pedestrian side where the traders displaying the goats. At the peak selling time the goats just loosely displayed along the both street pedestrian sides around the traffic lights area. Traditionally, the peak selling time is around the Eid al-Adha', an Islamic annual holiday. The need of life goats is also related with another traditional Moslem's need to sacrifice of an animal, particularly goat on the occasion of a child's birth.

When Semarang Citizens mention about goat market, it will always refers to this place as an almost semi permanent market place that sells life goats. Actually, this is one of another unique traditional market places that are still found in Semarang City.

Pasar Johar, a Building With Hundred of Octagonal Skylights

Currently, the building of this traditional central market building looks as a messy old building that surrounding by other new buildings. From day to day Pasar Johar always surrounding by large numbers of peoples who involve in traditional daily trading activities, because Pasar Johar might be the remaining largest traditional market in Semarang City where traditional traders meet with the customers.
When we come to enter the inside of the building, I think we can directly recognize 'the beauty' of the building. Under the huge large flat concrete roof we can find spacious internal spaces that consist of two floors with large atrium in the middle. Since the building is designed and built during Dutch Colonial Era, this building should be one of the largest modern market building in that era. The design was generated in modern approaches.


There are specific details we can find here are the interesting octagonal shaped roof skylights and many of typical structural columns with mushroom shapes that support the large flat concrete roof. If we zoom the building in from "Google Map" we can calculate that there are more than a hundred of octagonal skylights on the roof of Pasar Johar. Skylights that promote tropical daylights come through to the internal space of market and also enable natural air circulations.


Nowadays, Pasar Johar still alive within its functions a smain central traditional market in Semarang where can find most of daily needs such as books, magazine, shoe, textiles, vegetables, fresh meat and others. Today, Pasar Johar still looks busy and always crowded with peoples with their daily traditional trading activities.