BANDA ACEH

Banda Aceh is a city in the province of Aceh, Indonesia, located on the island of Sumatra. The city is surrounded by beautiful white sand beaches at the mouth of the River Krueng Aceh.

Location of the city 

    

HISTORICAL SITES

• The Great Mosque

This is the most famous mosque in Indonesia; Mesjid Raya Baiturrahman. It has a very interesting historical story how it was built. This is also what people know as a landmark of Banda Aceh as a capital city in Aceh province with majority Islam religious people. It is used by Aceh people for praying and celebrate some Islamic or culture tradition as Aceh is upholding the Syaria Law. Since it was built again by dutch after defeated Aceh in a big battle in 1873, The Grat Mosque of Baiturrahman has been renovated and decorated many times. Until today, it is still found the influence of west Architecture design from the past.

In the year of the terrifying disaster 2004, when Tsunami hit the mosque, but it saved many lives of Acehnese. Lots of survivors of Tsunami fled here to escape the wave. Even it got hit by the earthquake and Tsunami, this sacred holly mosque still stands amazingly beautiful and has become a symbol of a strong belief of the miracle of Islam for the Acehnese.

• PHINTO KHOP

   

Built from the Sultan Iskandar Muda emperor, Pinto Khop is a connecting door between the Palace and Park of Putroe Phang. Pinto khop is a dome-shaped gate. The door is a place to rest Princess Phang, after tired from swimming. it's not far from Gunongan, this was where the Empress had her hair washed by the lady's maids. There are also a swimming pool which  used to be a pool for the empress to have a flower bath. On the ground also built by the Sultan were a library and a place where the empress and the Sultan spent time reading a book after swimming, hair wash and flower bath.

• Gunongan

 

Gunongan is a symbol of love and power of Sultan Iskandar Muda to his beautiful queen, Princess Phang (Putroe Phang) derived from Pahang, Malaysia. Once, Putroe Phang often felt lonely in the palace when the Sultan was busy for being a head of government. She always remembered her hometown in Pahang. Understood the anxiety of the queen, to please the empress, the Sultan built a small mountain (Gunongan) as a miniature hills that surround the palace of Putroe Phang in Pahang. After Gunongan completed, how happy the empress. Her days were spent playing with her maids in Gunongan, as she could climb it. Gunongan is located at Jalan Teuku Umar across the burial sites of Dutch soldiers (Kerkoff). The building was founded in the reign of Sultan Iskandar Muda (1607-1636) in the 17th century. Gunongan building is not too large, hexagonal, shaped like a flower and a three crown-shaped ornaments that stand upright. On the walls there is a low-sized entrances are always locked. From the hall door there was a ladder leading up to three levels Gunongan.

• Peutjoet Kerkoff gate

   

  

Kerkoff derived from Dutch meaning the grave, while Peutjoet or origin of the word of Pocut (favorite daughter) Sultan Iskandar Muda who was convicted by her own father (Sultan Iskandar Muda) for committing a fatal error and is buried in the middle of this graveyard.

At the gate of the tomb wall relief is written the names of Dutch soldiers who died in a battle with the people of Aceh (each relief there are 30 names). The combat zone, as in Sigli, Moekim, Tjot Basetoel, Lambari en Teunom, Cage, Toeanko, Lambesoi, Koewala, Tjot Rang - Pajaoe, Lepong Ara, the Coral - Dango, and Samalanga), and the year of the death of the soldier (1873-1910). Around 2200 Dutch troops, including four generals since 1883 until 1940 were buried here. Among the Dutch soldiers are a few names of Marsose soldiers from Ambon, Manado and Java. The soldiers who came from Java Marsose marked with the identity of the IF (inlander fuselier) behind his name, soldiers from Ambon marked AMB, soldiers from Manado with MND signs, and Dutch soldiers with EF / F. Art.

 

• Tomb of Sultan Iskandar Muda

Sultan Iskandar Muda was an important figure in the history of Aceh. Aceh had experienced the glory days, when the Sultan ruled the kingdom of Aceh Darussalam in 1607-1636. He was able to put the Islamic kingdom of Aceh in the ranks of fifth among the largest empire in the world of Islam in the 16th century. At that Banda Aceh which is the center of the Kingdom of Aceh, a bustling commercial port area as it related to international trade, especially the archipelago of Indonesia where the Straits of Malacca was the shipping traffic of foreign commercial ships to transport crops from Asia to Europe.

Tsunami Landmarks

Banda Aceh has been frequently the subject of international discussion from December 26, 2004, the day the massive earthquake and tsunami disaster of Indian Ocean struck off the western coast of Sumatra. Banda Aceh was destroyed and suffered from damage afterward. Most places in Banda Aceh have been reconstructed and rehabilitated, to develop location about the impact of the December 2004 tsunami in the city.

They include some mass burial centers, such as in ulee lheue, several places of boats which were swept away several kilometers inland by the big wave of the tsunami. This is what is called PLTD Apung, (Floating Diesel Plant Boat), and the Floating Boat on the Roof in Lampulo, and the Tsunami museum.

• A Floating boat on a house 

This site is maintained by the City of Banda Aceh to commemorate the Tsunami that struck the city of Banda Aceh. A ship swept away from the sea by the waves struck and stranded on a house in the residential population in the area of ​​Kuta Alam sub-district Lampulo Village.

Floating boat on a house in Lampulo

• PLTD Apung

Due to a lot of electricity transmission towers from North Sumatra to Aceh felled by rebel parties in the conflict then the problem of shortage of electricity in Banda Aceh to be very crucial to put the vessel PLN Electricity Generator to supply electricity in Banda Aceh by sea. On Sunday morning of December 26, 2004, Tsunami waves slammed the boat as far as approximately 3km from the coast. Due to many attractions such as the tsunami that devastated public housing has been rebuilt, then the big ship in the middle of the village is very helpful to get an idea of ​​how powerful the tsunami.

PLTD Apung

• Mass graves Ulee Lheu

This tourist site is located at Jalan Sultan Iskandar Muda and before the tsunami was Meuraxa General Hospital, but when the tsunami struck Banda Aceh was severely damaged hospital and grounds used as a mass funeral for victims of the tsunami, while for its own Meuraxa Hospital relocated to the village of Banda Raya district in Mibo Banda Aceh

• Tsunami Museum 

The Aceh Tsunami Museum in Banda Aceh is a museum which was built as a symbol for reminding of the earthquake and tsunami disaster in 2004. This building is used as well as an educational center and an emergency disaster shelter if the area is ever hit by a tsunami again.

The museum has Exhibition areas for photography and culture perfomance, an electronic simulation of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, a place of refuge from future such events, including an “escape hill and a restaurant.