The charm of natural tourism in Aceh Province is indeed very attractive for tourists from abroad or local tourists. The province of aceh is known as the City of Veranda of Mecca, because it was known for Islam in the past and the abundance of Islamic education in this area. In addition, this area is part of the early Islamic kingdom in the archipelago which is historically known as the Samudera Pasai Kingdom.
Actually, Aceh has a lot of tourism potential that the Aceh Provincial government continues to develop. There is a famous expression of Aceh’s promotion, where this slogan was popularized by the random government, namely “The Light of Aceh”. After the Tsunami that hit the Aceh region, the government continued to build to rebuild the Acehnese economy which had collapsed after the Tsunami.
Aceh’s tourism potential is actually very large, so the government sees it as a promising opportunity. In this post, the author wants to describe the famous and best tourist attractions in Aceh.
Some of the frequently visited tourist attractions are as follows:
- Baiturrahman Grand Mosque
If there is a place that you must visit when you visit Banda Aceh, it is the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque. This is a historical site that has existed since the glorious era of the Aceh Sultanate and has survived to this day. This mosque has been through various things, from the tragedy of burning by the Dutch colonial in 1873 to the tsunami hit in late 2004.
Baiturrahman Grand Mosque, Banda Aceh is one of the favorite religious tourism destinations for tourists in Banda Aceh City. This historic mosque is not only an icon of the Veranda of Mecca, but also a symbol of the struggle and spread of Islam in Indonesia to the Southeast Asian peninsula.
The Baiturrahman Grand Mosque was first built in the era of the Sultanate of Aceh. The roof of this mosque was made according to the characteristics of mosques in Indonesia at that time, the pyramid roof has four layers. The overall architecture of the mosque is a combination of the styles of a number of countries. The main gate which resembles a classic Dutch house style is right in front of the main door which is bordered by a porch in the architectural style of mosques in Spain. The door that becomes the bulkhead to the main room of the mosque is in the style of ancient Indian architecture.
Entering the main room of the mosque, you will see a wide expanse of space with white marble floors from Italy. The main room is also filled with white pillars with a few decorative accents at the bottom. This white color makes the main room seem more spacious. The interior of the main dome, which is right in the middle of the main room, is equipped with a chandelier that contains 17 lighting points. Decorative chandeliers are also visible in the mihrab of the mosque, right at the center point of the front of the room.
The function of the mosque is currently growing along with the implementation of Islamic law in Nangroe Aceh Darussalam. Not only as a place of worship and religious education, now the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque is also used as a medium for developing social potential.
- Aceh Tsunami Museum
The Aceh Tsunami Museum is one of the tourist attractions in Aceh that must be visited by tourists while spending time in the province of Aceh. This museum is a monument to commemorate the earthquake and tsunami that hit Aceh in 2004. Where many casualties at that time. The building, which is located in the city of Banda Aceh, stores various objects that illustrate how terrible the disaster was, as well as being a center for education and evacuation if the tsunami disaster occurs again.
This museum is here to add a variety of choices of tourist attractions in Aceh that already exist before. The tsunami museum is located on Jalan Sultan Iskandar Muda near Simpang Jam and across from Blang Padang Square, Banda Aceh city and was inaugurated in February 2008. The purpose of building this museum is to commemorate the earthquake that caused the 2004 tsunami, besides that it is also a center for education and as an evacuation center if a tsunami disaster strikes again.
This museum building was designed by an architecture lecturer at ITB Bandung, M. Ridwan Kamil. The design, entitled Rumoh Aceh as Escape Hill, takes the basic idea of rumoh Aceh, which is a traditional Acehnese house in the form of a house on stilts. This museum was built with funds of around Rp. 70 billion and has 2 floors. The 1st floor is an open area that can be seen from the outside and its function is as a place to commemorate the tsunami event.
On the 1st floor, there are several rooms that contain traces of the 2004 tsunami. These include the tsunami, pre-tsunami, tsunami and post-tsunami exhibition rooms. In addition, several images of tsunami events, tsunami trace artifacts, and dioramas are also on this floor. One of them is a diorama of a fishing boat that was hit by a tsunami and a diorama of a PLTD Apung ship that was stranded in Punge Blang Cut. While on the 2nd floor the museum contains learning media in the form of a library, teaching aids room, 4D (four-dimensional) room, and a souvenir shop. Every day this museum is always crowded with tourists, both local and foreign. The Tsunami Museum is open every day (except Friday) at 09.00-12.00 and 14.00-16.00 WIB. The Aceh Tsunami Museum currently applies an entrance ticket.
When entering the museum, the explorers will find a narrow alley with a waterfall that makes a roaring sound on both sides as if to remind the enormity of the tsunami waves. The museum also displays an electronic simulation of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, photographs of victims and stories of survivors, a temporary exhibition space. +The location of the museum is very easy to reach both using public and private transportation. If searchers want to visit this museum, they must first find Blang Padang Square which is located in the Kerkhof Peucut burial complex because the location of this museum is right across from it.
- Lampulo Aceh Tsunami Ship Monument
If you visit Banda Aceh, which is known as the land of Rencong (a nickname for historians), don’t forget to visit the Gampong Lampulo Tourism Village, Kuta Alam District, Banda Aceh. This village is one of the tourist attractions in Banda Aceh which is interesting to visit because there is a ship that stands above the houses of residents.
This ship was not placed that way on purpose, but this is evidence of the ferocity of the Tsunami which destroyed all houses and infrastructure, including in Banda Aceh City, as well as the stranded ship which was carried by strong waves to the surface and stuck on the roof of one of the residents’ houses. A large ship can get stuck on a resident’s house. Now the house and the ship have become a well-guarded historical tourist attraction. In fact, there is complete information on the front that can be read by tourists who come. The object is known as a ship or boat on Lampulo’s house, located on Jalan Tanjung, Gampong Lampulo, Kuta Alam District, Banda Aceh City.
To get there, from downtown Banda Aceh it takes about 20 minutes if you use a motorbike. A large boat appears above the house, visitors can also see the room in the house, although the condition is not intact because it has been hit by the Tsunami. There are also the names of the Lampulo residents who died in the natural disaster, which are printed on a wall in the house.
Then there was also built a bridge-like road with a height of approximately five meters, the aim is that visitors can see the ship from a closer distance.
The wooden ship with a length of 25 meters and a width of 5.5 meters and a weight of 20 tons has now been painted with a combination of blue, red, white and black on several sides. To note, the ship landed on the family home of the Misbah and Abbasiyah couples. Before the big disaster struck, the wooden ship was on the Krueng Aceh river at the ship’s docking area.
Visitors who come to the place, do not need to worry about the facilities. Because there is a prayer room, parking lot and toilets as well as souvenir sellers. The visit schedule is open from 08.00 WIB to 12.00 WIB for the morning session. While the afternoon from 14.00 to 18.00 WIB. Especially on Friday morning sessions are open from 08.00 to 11.00 WIB.
- Kilometer Zero Indonesia Monument
The Zero Kilometer Monument of the Republic of Indonesia or commonly called the Zero Kilometer Monument is a unique geographical marker in Indonesia. This is related to its role as a symbol of the glue of the archipelago from Sabang in Aceh to Merauke in Papua. This monument is not only a marker of the farthest end of the western part of Indonesia, but also a historical tourist attraction for domestic and foreign tourists.
In the past, the history of the 0 Kilometer Sabang Monument was an area that was not maintained. The place is filled with monkeys. These animals always welcome tourists who come, asking visitors for food, so that visitors to the Zero Kilometer Monument provide snacks for them, this makes the Tugu area look dirty, Seeing the condition of the historical tourist site Tugu 0 Kilometer Sabang which is poorly maintained, the government carried out a renovation movement on the building. The renovation process was carried out for quite a long time because the tour manager was also repairing the damage around the monument.
Completed the renovation of the 0 Kilometer Monument building, it was inaugurated on September 9, 1997 by President Try Sutrisno. Mr. Try Sutrisno inaugurated the opening of the 0 Kilometer Monument by signing a round pillar. The location of the pillar is on the first floor of the monument building. To get to this monument you have to buy a ticket for the Banda Aceh – Sabang crossing with a fast boat sold in three classes, Business Rp 65,000, Executive Rp 75,000, and VIP Rp 95,000. (prices may change according to economic conditions). Business class passengers sit on the deck, which is not air-conditioned. Meanwhile, Executive and VIP class passengers are both placed in air-conditioned rooms, but in different rooms. VIP class seats are more comfortable and with more legroom. Passengers can climb onto the ship’s deck to take in the sights.
The location of this monument is located in the Sabang Tourism Forest area, precisely in Iboih Ujong Ba’u Village, Sukakarya District, Sabang. It is located in the west of Sabang City, approximately 29 kilometers or takes about 40 minutes driving. The charm of the historical beauty of Tugu 0 Kilometer Sabang is located in the monument building which is so beautiful and sturdy. The charm of the beauty of the monument seems to be able to attract tourists to walk into the old building.
This monument is a whitewashed building with a height of about 43.6 meters above sea level. The monument is painted white and the top of the circle narrows like a drill bit. The top of this monument is a statue of a Garuda bird holding the number zero, accompanied by a black marble inscription that shows its geographical position. Rencong which is a typical Aceh weapon is also found on the monument as a symbol of the struggle of the Acehnese people in liberating Indonesia.
On the first floor of the monument there is a round pillar and there is an inauguration inscription of the monument which was signed by the Vice President, Try Sutrisno, on September 9, 1997. On this floor there is also a rectangular concrete where two inscriptions are attached, namely the first inscription signed by the Minister of Research and Technology BJ. Habibie September 24, 1997. The inscription reads that the determination of Indonesia’s geographical position is measured by BPP Technology experts using Global Positioning System (GPS) technology.
