Beleka village is the oldest and the biggest wicker handicraft and souvenir centre in Lombok Island. Almost 90% of the villagers are work in this creative sector. They not only do their own works, but also do the half-processed works from other handicraft centre villages, such as Penujak village which is a centre for pottery handicraft.

Long before Lombok Island is known as tourism destination, handicraft has become a culture and tradition in Beleka Lombok. Due to the villager’s exertion, since 25 years ago, these Lombok souvenir have been known and marketed locally and internationally.

In Beleka village, you can take around to see the making process by the craftsman; from preparation till it becomes a highly qualified product. Besides, you can also try your hand skill in wickering by trying to make handicraft products as what the craftsman does.

If you decide to shop, you can visit the art shops and show room belongs to H.Syukron, which located in front of SDN Beleka I. There, you will find almost all handicraft which produced by Beleka’s craftsmen, which are collected and will be marketed. You just need to choose the handicraft which fits you that you can bring home as a gift for your friends or relatives.

The handicrafts and Lombok souvenirs produced by the villagers are so vary. From household stuffs, wall decoration, to room decoration which most of them are made from ketak (a kind of grass which grows in swamp area) and rattan. Those stuffs are offered in various price range, depends on the size, and difficulty level in the making process. Household stuffs such as flower vase and fruit plate is offered for IDR 15,000-30,000/pc

One product that becomes mainstay of Beleka village is cupu. This product has history and cultural relation and believed to be the origin of the wicker handicraft development in Beleka village.

In Sasak language, cupu means round/circle. Cupu is a round-shaped place that is usually used to put tobacco at Bedulang ceremony. Sasak people give the name of things based on the physical form. From this cupu, then developed into hundreds even thousand of models. So, don’t be surprised if the handicrafts made by beleka villagers are mostly round-shaped.

Besides cupu, you can also find another Lombok souvenir such as gandek, a Lombok special bag. This bag is made form bamboo weaving with wooden carving in top and lower part. Just like any other modern bag, gandek is used to keep personal stuffs. Sasak men usually use it when they go for working or simply when they go out. In Beleka village, you can find wood handicrafts, dagger, and pemaje (Lombok sharpener knife) and coconut shell handicraft.

Beleka village is located about 57 km from Mataram city. It can be reached in an hour by personal car or motorbike. From Mataram city, you can take route Cakranegara-Kediri-Praya-Batunyala-Mujur-Ganti. Only 1,5 km from Ganti village, you will get to Beleka village. Since this is a native area, please follow some Lombok travel guide below.

Also mentioned: speech lombok islan for tourism used present tense.