In June 1894, the governor general of the Dutch East Indies, Van der Wijck, signed a treaty with Sasak rebels in eastern Lombok.

[8] Following the cessation of hostilities the Japanese forces occupying Indonesia were withdrawn and Lombok returned temporarily to Dutch control.

During President Suharto's New Order administration (1967–1998), Lombok experienced a degree of stability and development but not to the extent of the boom and wealth in Java and Bali.

In January 2000, riots broke out across Mataram with Christians and ethnic Chinese the main victims, with alleged agents provocateur from outside Lombok.

Small scale international fundraising initiatives were organised through social networks and the web to help source basic resources such as food & clean water,[14] and begin assisting with temporary and permanent shelter.

In a 2010 eruption, ash was reported as rising 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) into the atmosphere from the Barujari cone in Rinjani's caldera lake of Segara Anak.

Lava flowed into the caldera lake, raising its temperature, while ash fall damaged crops on the slopes of Rinjani.

The volcano and its crater lake, Segara Anak (child of the sea), are protected by the Gunung Rinjani National Park established in 1997.

Rice, soybeans, coffee, tobacco, cotton, cinnamon, cacao, cloves, cassava, corn, coconuts, copra, bananas and vanilla are the major crops grown in the fertile soils of the island.

The Head of Built Environment and Security Forest Service Forest West Nusa Tenggara Andi Pramari stated in Mataram on Wednesday, May 6, 2009, that, "If this situation is not addressed it can be expected that within five years it may be difficult for people to obtain water in this part of NTB (West Nusa Tenggara).

[20] In September 2010 in Central Lombok, some villagers reportedly walked for several hours to fetch a single pail of water.

[26] However before the arrival of Islam Lombok experienced a long period of Hindu and Buddhist influence that reached the island through Java.

[27] Christianity is practised by a small minority including some ethnic Chinese and immigrants from Bali and East Nusa Tenggara.

A non-orthodox Islamic group found only on Lombok are the Wektu Telu ("Three times"), who performed three obligatory daily prayers (Salah) instead of five observed by majority of Muslim elsewhere.

They regard both food and prayer as indispensable whenever they seek to communicate with spirits, including the dead and ritualistic traditional practices endure.

[citation needed] The more contemporary marketing campaigns for Lombok/Sumbawa seek to differentiate from Bali and promote the island of Lombok as a standalone destination.

Nusa Tenggara Barat and Lombok may be considered economically depressed by First World standards and a large majority of the population live in poverty.

Initially, low budget bungalows proliferated at places like the Gili islands and Kuta, Lombok on the South Coast.

Spurred by rapid devaluation of the currency and the transition to true democracy caused all of Indonesia to experience a period of domestic unrest.

[citation needed] The Indonesian government has actively promoted both Lombok and neighboring Sumbawa as Indonesia's number two tourist destination after Bali.

In 2009, then President of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the Ministry of Cultural and Tourism and the regional Governor made public statements supporting the development of Lombok as a tourism destination and setting a goal of 1 million visitors annually by the year 2012 for the combined destination of Lombok and Sumbawa.

The principal tourism area extends to Tanjung in the northwest at the foot of Mount Rinjani and includes the Sire and Medana Peninsulas and the highly popular Gili Islands lying immediately offshore.

Although rapidly changing in character, the Gili islands still provide both a lay-back backpacker's retreat and a high-class resort destination.

Increasing amounts of surfers from around the globe come here seeking out perfect surf and the slow and rustic feel of Lombok.

Large polar lows push up through the Indian Ocean directing long range, high period swell from as far south as Heard Island from late March through to September or later.

In 2019, Lombok received a score of 70, the highest among the assessed top 10 halal tourist destinations in Indonesia in study conducted by the Tourism Ministry.

The Indonesian Government was hoping to attract some of the anticipated 230 million Muslim travellers across the world in 2026, with potential spending of up to US$300 billion.

Fast boat services are available from various departure points on Bali and principally serve the Gili Islands, with some significant onward traffic to the Lombok mainland.

Arrival points on Lombok are dependent upon the operator, at either Teluk Nare/Teluk Kodek, Bangsal harbour or the township of Senggigi, all on the northwest coast.

[50][49] In local legend, nyale are believed to be the reincarnation of the beautiful Princess Mandalika, who had jumped into the sea to drown herself off Seger beach, after her father had set up a contest for potential suitors to fight one another to win her hand in marriage.