Being a great trading centre in Southeast Asia, especially of pepper, the sultanate of Banten was powerful and prosperous starting in the 16th century, which led to the construction of impressive buildings in its capital town of Banten. However, the capital of the colonial power, the Dutch East Indies, was located just 60 km east in Batavia (currently the city of Jakarta). This led to intense conflicts, and eventually led to the end of the sultanate in the early 19th century, when it was absorbed in the Dutch East Indies. Nowadays, the town of Banten is officially an administrative village under the authority of the larger city of Serang. Banten's port is no more than a local fishing port, with the ports of Merak to the west and Jakarta to the east being much more important.