Spices of Ternate and Tidore
Twin volcanic islands in the Moluccas, once the world's chief source of cloves and ruled by rival sultanates.
Traded and grown here
Best time: June to October.
Ternate and Tidore lie off the coast of Halmahera. Cloves grew wild and were later planted here, and the two sultanates competed for control of the clove trade, with Portuguese, Spanish and Dutch traders joining the rivalry.
Spices and trade
Clove trees thrive on the volcanic slopes. Cloves are the dried flower buds, picked by hand and dried in the sun. Clove is used in Indonesian kretek cigarettes as well as in food and medicine.
The place and its people
The Sultanate of Ternate and the Sultanate of Tidore still exist as cultural institutions. Old forts such as Fort Oranje in Ternate and Fort Tolukko stand over the sea.
Visiting
Flights link Ternate with Manado and other cities, and ferries cross to Tidore. The forts, palace museums and clove groves are the main sights.
A trail idea for Ternate and Tidore
- Sultan's palace, Ternate See the royal museum.
- Fort Oranje Visit the Dutch fort.
- A clove grove See cloves picked and dried.
- Tidore ferry Cross to the sister island.
Written by the EveryMasala desk with AI assistance. Background: "Ternate" on Wikipedia. Opening hours, markets and tours change; check locally before travelling. If something is wrong, tell us.
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