Sabang and the Traces of the Nusantara Hajj: Colonialism, Quarantine, and Islamic Mobility

Sabang dan Jejak Haji Nusantara: Kolonialisme, Karantina, dan Mobilitas Islam

Abstract

This study examines the history of the hajj pilgrimage through Sabang from the late nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century, with particular focus on the establishment of the quarantine facilities on Pulau Rubiah. Opened by the Dutch as a vrije haven in 1881, Sabang initially served as an international coaling station but later emerged as an important hub for pilgrims departing from Aceh and northern Sumatra. Employing the historical method, this research traces colonial archives, travel reports, medical records, and secondary literature, following the stages of heuristics, source criticism, interpretation, and historiography. The findings demonstrate that the hajj through Sabang was not solely a religious journey but was deeply intertwined with colonial politics and global health concerns. The Rubiah quarantine station was constructed to prevent the spread of diseases such as cholera, yet it simultaneously functioned as a political instrument to monitor pilgrims suspected of carrying pan-Islamist ideas from Mecca. The experience of quarantine on Rubiah was interpreted differently: for the colonial authorities it represented a biopolitical mechanism of control, whereas for the pilgrims it was understood as an additional spiritual trial within the hajj journey. Thus, the history of the hajj in Sabang reveals the intersection of faith, colonialism, and maritime globalization within a uniquely situated space.