Complex sentence: The 16th and 17th centuries saw the arrival of European powers in Indonesia who used stone and masonry for much of their construction, whereas previously in Indonesia timber and its by-products had been almost exclusively used, with the exception of major religious and palace architecture.
Split into simpler sentences: The 16th and 17th centuries saw the arrival of European powers in Indonesia who used stone and masonry for much of their construction. Previously timber and its by-products had been almost exclusively used in Indonesia, with the exception of some major religious and palace architecture.