 In the 17th-century, the subdistrict of Sawah Besar corresponded to the area where the Ciliwung used to flow.The riparian zone was located southeast of Batavia, outside the city wall, then known collectively as the "ommelanden" (the area surrounding Batavia).To establish a military presence over the new colonial land, the Dutch East India Company built several fortresses to guard the Ciliwung, among them the sconce Jacarta, established in mid-17th-century as the second fortress upstream of Ciliwung after Batavia Castle.