Lombok’s history shows no surviving records or archaeological evidence before the 17th century which makes it a topic of mystery. The earliest migration to Lombok is thought to have been from North India or Burma, present-day Myanmar, by the Sasak farmers. The island of Lombok comprised collection of clans, each having its own prince and in a constant fight with one another. This continued until the mid-1700s when the neighboring Balinese took over and ruled the island for almost two hundred years till the 19th century. In 1894, the Balinese were driven out by the Sasaks with the help of Dutch rulers in Indonesia. The Dutch took over the island thereafter but it proved to be of little to no use to them in terms of trade or commercial importance.

In the early 1940s, the Japanese took control over the island at a remarkable speed uprooting the Dutch foothold. The Japanese regime saw forced labor and deprivation. The Japanese attempt to politicize the masses led to the struggle of Independence in Lombok. The Dutch returned to Indonesia but were finally driven out in 1949 by the nationalist movement. Lombok became a province of West Nusa Tenggara while Mataram became the regional capital.

Lombok’s culture is dominated primarily by the Muslims yet the Western Lombok is home to a sizeable population of Balinese Hindu and thronging Chinese community. The rural East Lombok, with several dry towns and villages, have the strongest foothold of the Muslim faith. Despite the fact that no alcohol is served on the Eastern side of Lombok, the locals are very friendly and hospitable to people of all faiths and religions.  The North Lombok, on the other hand, is a colorful mix of conformist Islam and animist beliefs where locals still practice age-old Wektu Telu rituals. A small portion of the population comprises the Sumbawanese, Javanese, Tionghoa-Peranakan, and Arab Indonesians. The multiplicity of Lombok’s culture can be seen in its major festivals like Nyomgkolan Nyogkolan or the wedding party, Gendang Beleq, a traditional dance form, Malean Sampi or the cow race, Presean or the extreme fight using rattan stick, and the Bau Nyale Festival, a Sasak traditional festival of catching sea worms. The festivals and traditional practices have kept this multitude of customs alive and thriving.

Tourism industry saw a splurge in the year 1980. Unfortunately, just as it was about to make its mark, the Asian financial crisis of 1997 hit the economy. Despite the slow and steady recovery from the tragic crisis of 1997, things were far from getting better for Lombok with the tourism industry on the wane and a few days of rioting and curfew in Mataram in the year 2000. The bombing in Bali in the year 2002 also put a major dent on the tourism industry in Lombok. However, things are getting much better now with the development of infrastructure, major tourist surge on the South coast and the building of a new international airport.