The city of Balikpapan is actually just a municipality, however the city of Balikpapan is more crowded. Balikpapan city facilities and infrastructure are more complete, such as airports, ports and hotels of international standard. So that people outside East Kalimantan know more about Balikpapan than Samarinda. This city was indeed recognized long before Samarinda developed as it is now.
Balikpapan is a city of petroleum companies, a source of foreign exchange for East Kalimantan, or a city of Pertamina since 1889. At that time the government was led by the 17th Sultan of Kutai Kartanegara, Sulan Am Sulaiman.
According to folklore that is still alive in the community, it is said that in 1783 in the land of Pasir, an orderly royal government system was already underway. The people ‘live well. The power of the king covered a vast area to the south. The area is in the form of a beautiful bay and contains large quantities of agricultural produce. The people who live along the bay, live as farmers and fishermen. They live in a peaceful and prosperous atmosphere. The Sultan who ruled at that time was. Aji Muhammad. A name that symbolizes the greatness and purity of the owner’s soul.
Aji Muhammad has a daughter named Aji Tatin. As an adult, Aji Tatin married a nobleman of Raja Kutai. For his future, Aji Tatin demanded an inheritance from his father. Aji Muhammad also gave up the bay area, at that time it was not yet a city and did not have a name. .
One day, Aji Tatin’s confidants were collecting tribute from the people in the form of planks by boat. When they were rowing the boat using a ladder (galah) called a tokong, suddenly a violent hurricane came.
Aji Tatin boat capsized in a storm. The oarsmen tried to bring their boat closer to shore, but were helpless under the storm and fierce waves. Not long after, the boat crashed into a coral island. The rowers’ tokong (galah) broke and the boat laden with planks sank. .
Its leader, Panglima Sendong, and his men died; That is the origin of the name Balikpapan which is taken from. the event of a boat filled with planks best in the storm. The coral island that caused the disaster eventually grew bigger and became an island overgrown with trees. The island has been called Tukung Island until now.
