People tell me to visit Jogja instead of Jakarta. What's your take on this?
Well Jakarta is the place that is good for business, it is also good for living as the facilities is very good, including easy to get access of public transportation and to get good food as well.
For Muslim traveler like you, it is a heaven as unlike Kuala Lumpur that only inhabited with 40 % Muslim, Jakarta is dominated by Muslim. Even Bali restaurant is unlikely to survive here despite around 10 % Balinese is Muslim, but people here wants to eat Halal food only and dont want to gamble when it comes to chosing place to eat. I have seen Bali restaurant set up here in a strategic business distric and then close within 6 months here.
But for tourist, Jakarta is actually not a recommended place. I would say people from Turkiye and Europe or USA should seek places like Jogjakarta and others which can show different type of place. Jakarta is more on modern city which people from Europe will not see it something extraordinary.
Rarely I see tourist in Jakarta, I would rather see expat who mostly live in South Jakarta with his families and work in Sudirman and Kuningan. This is more place for setting up business and for work. Lately I see Middle Easterners live here, including near my neigborhood as I see them in my neigborhood mosque, more likely business people who live with their families and bring his wife and kids.
Jogjakarta is a good place indeed, it is a combination of city and rural areas. Actually Jogjakarta is a province, so it has city and rural areas as well.
Jogjakarta is in Central Java and many places in Central Java that can be visited as well if you are in Jogjakarta. I my self like a place with many green, beach, and mountain when it comes to taking a holiday.
Mostly people visit ancient building like Borobudur temple or many temples in Jogjakarta. Unlike Hindu/Budhis Temple in India, Borobudurs and many temples located in green place and excluded from city lives
Borobudur in Magelang is not far from this place for example
Jogjakarta offers many green scenery, this is only one of them