Etymology
There are several suggestions about the origin of the name "Cirebon". According Sulendraningrat who based on the script Babad Tanah Sunda and Atja on Carita Purwaka Caruban Nagari script, Cirebon at first was a small hamlet built by Ki Gedeng Tapa, which eventually evolved into a bustling port village and named Caruban (Sundanese for: mixture), because the port town was a melting pot settled by immigrants from various ethnic groups, religions, languages, customs, and livelihoods different to reside or trade.
Another popular opinion suggested that the town's name derived from rebon the Sundanese word for small shrimp. Initially most of the people's livelihood was as fishermen, then developed the work of fishing and collecting rebon along the coast as well as making shrimp paste, petis paste, and salt. Rebon is the main ingredients on making shrimp paste. From the term of water used for shrimp paste manufacture (belendrang) that is called cai rebon (Sundanese for: rebon water) which later became Cirebon.
With the support of the bustling harbor and natural resources from the hinterland, Cirebon and then became a big city and become one of the important port on the north coast of Java in both the shipping and trading activities on the islands of the archipelago as well as with the rest of the world. In addition, the Islamic Sultanate of Cirebon grow into the center to spreading Islam in West Java.
Read more about this topic: Sultanate Of Cirebon
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