BANDA ACEH: SIGHTS, RESTAURANTS, MEMORIALS OF THE TSUNAMI

BANDA ACEH

Banda Aceh Grand Mosque

Banda Aceh (nine to 13 hours by bus from Medan on the west side of Sumatra) is the capital of Aceh and the main gateway to the region. It was devastated by the December 2004 tsunami. Most of the city was destroyed, including the Governor's Residence, built by the Dutch. The Baiurrahman Grand Mosque, the most impressive building in the capital, rebuilt in 1875 after being destroyed in the war, was the only landmark building left standing . Banda Aceh was home to 330,000 people before the tsunami. Now it has a population of around 220,000.

Its auspicious position on the tip of the westernmost point of the Indonesian archipelago has made the town of Banda Aceh a recognized transit point as well as a hub for education, commerce, and government. The Aceh Darussalam Kingdom was established by Sultan Johan Syah in 1250AD following the disintegration of old Hindu-Buddha kingdoms like Indra Purba, Indra Purwa, Indra Patra, and Indra Pura. The capital city of the Aceh Darussalam Kingdom was Banda Aceh Darussalam. Following 70 years of battles with the Sultan the Dutch changed the name into Kutaraja. The town was eventually declared Banda Aceh in 1962. As one of the oldest cities that embraces Islam, daily life in Banda Aceh today is still enormously influenced by Islamic lifestyles.

Although around sixty percent of the towns infrastructure was destroyed by the 2004 tsunami and some parts of the city remain permanently submerged, the city is now looking new as considerable developments took place right after the disaster. Infrastructures and activities have resumed as usual, and tourism is becoming increasingly popular as peculiarly fresh attractions spring up to the surface. Ulee Lheue is a shoreline facing Malacca Strait and the Pacific Ocean on the west, and it offers the best sunset views in the country.

In the past Banda Aceh was named Kutaraja and was called Rencong Land,, has 9 district, namely:; 1) Baiturahman; 2) Kuta Alam; 3) Meuraxa; 4) Syiah Kuala; 5) Lueng Bata; 6) Ulee Kareng; 7) Banda Raya; 8) Jaya Baru; 9) Kutaraja; Tourism Office: Jl. Tengku Cik Kuota Karang No. 3, Banda Aceh. Phone. (62-651) 23691, 26206, 21108 Fax. 33723 aceh.net

December 2004 Tsunami in the Banda Aceh Area

Banda Aceh lost around a quarter if its 223,000 people. The main hospital for Aceh, located there, lost 40 percent of its medical staff. Many patients were killed too. The tsunami occurred while the hospital was treating victims from the earthquake. Two islands off the northwestern coast of Aceh broke into four and in the process lost 7,000 of its 11,000 people. The island of Malinggei was completely swept clean of people. After the disaster none of the 500 people that lived there were left. The only large animals were dogs feeding on corpses. Aceh Province as a whole lost about 5 percent of its population of 4 million people. Almost all the deaths were along the coast. A few people living inland were killed by the earthquake.

map of Aceh

The tsunami waves that inundated Banda Aceh were a mixture of saltwater, dirt, sewage, garbage and debris. In some places, in 10 minutes a three-meter-high wall of mud, water and debris swept almost 10 kilometers inland. Densely-backed, inhabited water front areas were swept clean, leaving nothing but a few foundations among puddles and ponds. Many of dead that did not drown were thrown against buildings or cut by flowing pieces of tree, wood and metal.

The Los Angeles Times reported: “What had seemed to be a moderate earthquake shook residents of Banda Aceh, a city of about 150,000 at the northern tip of Sumatra, around 8 a.m. local time. About half an hour later, many of them were outside inspecting their houses for damage when, on what had been a clear, sunny day, the sky filled with water. Survivors remembered a sound like the drumbeat of a driving rain. "Water! Water! Big water!" some screamed, unable to articulate the nature of the phenomenon. This was water like nobody had seen — snarling, tall as a four-story building. [Source: Paul Watson, Barbara Demick and Richard Fausset, Los Angeles Times, January 2, 2005]

"It was like Armageddon," remembered Zukarnaen Buyung, a strapping 30-year-old construction worker. "We didn't know it was a wave. We thought it was some kind of rain. Everything behind us was black. The sky, the water." Buyung ran. Little high ground exists in Banda Aceh, which is built along a palm-studded coastal plain, but Buyung managed to scramble up a bridge, dragging his wife and their 2-year-old daughter. They watched, horrified, as the strangely voracious water swallowed up relatives and neighbors. A brother and a nephew disappeared as Buyung looked down, helpless. "I watched. I couldn't do anything," he recalled, his voice choked with grief.

“The tsunami obliterated a swath of the city stretching three miles from the sea. It lifted 75-foot fishing boats and dumped them in the middle of the city, deposited hundreds of bodies in front of what had been brightly lighted shops on Panglima Polem Street. Single-story wooden houses were dismantled as if they were made of sticks, and trees were pulled out like blades of grass. South along Sumatra's long Indian Ocean coastline, entire villages disappeared without a trace.

Tsunami Cleared the Way for Better Infrastructure in Banda Aceh

In 2012, PBS reported: During the 2004 tsunami whole communities vanished. Ten years later, it is hard to picture that destruction on the streets of the capital city, Banda Aceh. The once shattered downtown is now firmly back in business. The riverside, choked with debris, is a thriving waterfront again. People overall seem happy. The tsunami had carved a new shoreline, disappearing whole blocks of the community of Ulee Lee. But now it is a favorite beach destination for families. Only small hints remain of what happened here.[Source: PBS, November 6, 2014]

The international disaster response was a massive $7 billion in aid and reconstruction. While not entirely corruption-free, the process was overall transparent and responsive to actual need. The biggest challenge was to provide housing for half-a-million newly homeless. But, 10 years on, nearly everyone who needed a permanent home has gotten one.

Aceh’s gratitude to the world is clear. Banda Aceh’s central park has been turned into a monument of thanks, each donor country acknowledged individually. A world-class museum to the tsunami is a huge weekend draw. Most of the visitors are Acehnese, many too young to remember what happened here. The walls describe in detail the global response. And there are displays teaching the science at the root of the disaster. And, nearby, a startling sight, a massive electricity barge that was carried three miles inland by a wave and dropped in the middle of a neighborhood. Authorities decided to leave it in place.

Banda Aceh mayor Illiza Sa’aduddin Djamal, said: The economy has improved. Our poverty level has decreased to a rate that is below the national average. Our infrastructure is better than even before the tsunami. Roads are now reaching remote villages. There are a lot of lessons that Aceh can share about how we got back on our feet and how we were able to cooperate with many institutions.

Grand Mosque of Baiturrahman and Sights in Banda Aceh

tourism map of Aceh

Among the sights in Banda Aceh are: 1) Aceh Tsunami Museum; 2)Grand Mosque of Baiturrahman; 3) The mausoleum of Sultan Iskandar Muda; 4) Krueng City Park; 5) Kerkhoff Dutch Cemetery, which is the largest Dutch Soldier Cemetery after the one in its mother country, Holand) It is where the Dutch soldiers were buried after Aceh War in 1873-1902); 6) Aceh House; 7) Syiah Kuala Cemetery; 8) Baiturrahim Mosque at Ulee Lheue, Visiting the central market of Banda Aceh is interesting. On sale are street food and dishes, fruits, and local vegetables, some souvenirs, clothes and household items. Aceh Adventure is specializing in Aceh city tour and adventure. It can be reached by contacting: +62 813 9957 8873 or E-mail: lisa@aceh-adventure.org

With its bright white walls and majestic black domes, the 130-year old Grand Mosque of Baiturrahman is a magnificent site. It was here that hundreds of people sought refuge during the 2004 tsunami that flattened most of the landscape of the city. The fact that it survived while so many other building were destroyed gives special significance to the Grand Mosque of Baiturrahman in the city of Banda Aceh. It is more than just a masterpiece of Islamic architecture, it the nation, it is seen as direct intervention from the divine that allowed people who sought refuge in to survive.

Royal scriptures day first mosque built at the sight of the Great Mosque was built from wood in 1612 under the reign of Sultan Iskandar Muda. Some say that a mosque was built even earlier in 1292 by Sultan Alaidin Mahmudsyah. During the Aceh war in 1873, the 1612 mosque was burnt to the ground. Realizing the value and its importance to the people of Aceh, in 1879, Dutch Major General Vander rebuilt the mosque as it was once promised by Governor General Van Lansberge in 1877. Two more domes were added by the Dutch in 1936 and another two by the Indonesian government in 1957.

The Grand Mosque of Baiturrahman is located in the center of the city of Banda Aceh. Characterized by a 35-meter tower, 7 grand domes and 7 minarets, the Baiturrahman is probably the prototype for many mosques in Indonesia and Malaysian peninsula, supersede the layered roofed-style mosque that was common before it was buil. The best time to visit this mosque is during friday afternoon prayers whem the entire mosque and yard are filled with people.

The city of Banda Aceh, capital of province of Aceh, is 18,5 kilometers from the site dand takes about 20 minutes by car. The local International airport is about 30 minutes away by car. Many surfers around the world are frequent the nearby of Lhok Nga village during the winter moths. Climate after 10.00 am it gets quite hot but seldom-above 30º C in the shade.

Visit an inhabited house with a deserted fishing boat right upon its roof. No one would want to relocate the vessel as it has its own dramatic story. The story has it that 59 people were saved by the boat during the tsunami. Do not miss the marvelous and well documented Grand Mosque of Baiturrahman that stood still and saved hundreds of people despite its aged structures. There are hundreds of amazing stories to uncover as you cycle around the city that was recently dubbed as one of the cleanest cities in the country.

Aceh Tsunami Museum

The Aceh Tsunami Museum is a museum designed as a symbolic reminder of the 2004 earthquake and tsunami disaster, as well as an educational center and an emergency disaster shelter in case the area is ever hit by a tsunami again. Designed by Indonesian architect Ridwan Kamil and opened in 2009, the museum is a 2,500 square meter, four-story structure with long curving walls covered in geometric reliefs. Inside, visitors enter through a dark, narrow corridor between two high walls of water — meant to recreate the noise and panic of the tsunami itself. The museum walls are adorned with images of people performing the Saman dance, a symbolic gesture dedicated to the strength, discipline and religious beliefs of the Acehnese people. From above, the roof resembles a tsunami. The ground floor is modelled on the kind of traditional raised Acehnese houses that were best equipped to survive the tsunami. [Source: Wikipedia]

The building acknowledges both the victims, whose names are to be inscribed on the wall of one of the museum's internal chambers, and the surviving members of the local community. In addition to its role as a memorial for those who died, the museum also offers a place of refuge from future such events, including an "escape hill" for visitors to run to in the event of another tsunami.

Exhibitions at the museum include an electronic simulation of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, in addition to photographs of victims and exhibits featuring stories from survivors of the disaster. Adequate funding for the ongoing maintenance and use of the Aceh Tsunami Museum has not been forthcoming. The museum is one of a large number of so-called "tsunami assets", the precise legal ownership of which has been in dispute between different levels of Indonesian governments since at least 2009. As of late 2010, the Museum was only open intermittently and was poorly patronised. It is supposed to be open daily: 10:00am to 12:00pm, 3:00pm to 5:00pm but is often closed.

Large Ships Stranded in Banda Aceh by the 2004 Tsunami

Two large ships stranded by 2004 tsunami in Banda Aceh have been preserved as permanent memorials and museums. The PLTD Apung 1 (Floating Generator Ship) in Punge Blang Cut village is a massive 2,600-ton electric power barge that was swept 2 to 3 kilometers inland by the 2004 tsunami. You can walk the grounds, enter the facility, and even climb to the top for views of the city. The Lampulo Fishing Boat, sometimes called Noah’s Ark, is a traditional wooden fishing boat that was lifted by the waves and deposited directly on top of a residential house. It is famous because the boat acted as an impromptu shelter, saving the lives of 59 people. It is located in Lampulo district (just a few miles north of the city center). This ship has been secured and established as an official tourist landmark.

John M. Glionna wrote in the Los Angeles Times in 2009: They are the ships that fell from the sky; two immovable objects, their very presence defying reason.Residents call them acts of God. Most cannot fathom that the two ocean vessels were transported miles inland by floodwaters of the 2004 tsunami that ravaged this small city on Sumatra's northern tip. Miles apart, both have been left intact as memorials to the 170,000 residents of Aceh province who either died or disappeared in the disaster. [Source: John M. Glionna, Los Angeles Times, October 30, 2009]

One is revered as "Noah's Ark," a 100-foot wooden boat that crashed on top of a house, providing a refuge for 59 terrified people who say they would have died without its shelter. The other is stranger still — a colossal vessel weighing 2,600 tons that plopped down two miles inland, like Dorothy's Kansas farmhouse crash-landing in Oz. It's also a graveyard: Neighbors say a dozen bodies from the tsunami may still languish beneath the ship.

One tourist from Jakarta snapped photographs of the iron vessel, called the Apung, which he said was a warning that man cannot always undo what God and nature have accomplished. "Who among us could ever move this big ship?" said Sugiono, who also goes by one name. "God can bring it here from the sea, but we just don't have the ability to bring it back."

The Apung, a power-generating ship owned by the local electrical company, had crashed down atop two houses, killing the inhabitants. Now it's one of Banda Aceh's biggest tourist attractions. Passing souvenir shops, visitors climb a series of metal gangplanks to the top of the craft, covered with red-and-white Indonesian flags and advertisements for shampoo and cigarettes.

Tsunami Survivors Living Near the Large Stranded Ships

John M. Glionna wrote in the Los Angeles Times in 2009: One survivor who runs a market in the shadow of the larger ship lost his 5-year-old daughter in the panic. Bustamam, 45, was at home with family when the earthquake hit. Within moments, he heard the cries from neighbors. "The water is coming! The water is coming!" they shouted. "We were all running in fear when the first wave came," he recalled. "I was holding my 5-year-old as tightly as I could. But my head was hit by a piece of wood. "I don't remember what happened next. But when I came to my senses, my little girl was gone." His wife, Ani Maulani, said she and their other two children were swept to the roof of a house 300 feet away. [Source: John M. Glionna, Los Angeles Times, October 30, 2009] When the tsunami subsided, she took a breath to consider her new surroundings. And there it was, towering 60 feet above the poor, low-lying neighborhood. "At first, I thought it was some big house," she recalled while sitting in her market, resting her bare feet on a case of bottled water. "I didn't think it was a ship. I thought, 'How could it be?' "

One cloudy afternoon, Bustamam boarded the ship. Standing by a blue air duct dotted with graffiti, he pointed to the sea. "Over there," he said of the boat. "That's where it came from." His wife said she has no intention of ever boarding the monster: There are just too many memories. "I know it will give me a heart attack and make me think of my lost daughter," she said. "I'm already sad enough."

Several miles away, Noah's Ark ship in its new landlocked mooring out of a sense of reverence. The wooden boat now resembles a discarded children's toy, cocked at an angle atop a forlorn house. In 2009, workers scraped and painted the ship's exterior, a refurbishment project leading up to the upcoming fifth anniversary ceremony. Next door, sitting on a porch cradling her grandson, Basyariah Nurdin recalled the day the boat dropped down on Banda Aceh. She and her neighbors were running from the flood, taking shelter on the second floor of a house. But soon the waters rose to their necks, she said. Suddenly, they heard a sound "like thunder." Moments later, fearing they were about to drown, they broke through the ceiling in an effort to reach the safety of the roof.

Restaurants and Shopping in Banda Aceh

Nasi Gurih is a must when you stay overnight in Banda Aceh. It is rice steamed in coconut milk. It has exotic flavor and sold in many coffee shops. Traditional markets offer fresh tropical fruit and traditional side dishes and snacks. Dodol (some kind of sweets made of certain flour, sugar, palm sugar and sometimes fruit), chips, cake and bread can be found.

Try to sample Mie Aceh (special noodle from Aceh) and it is best served and sold in : 1) Mie Razali, Jl T Panglima Polem, Peunayong, Banda Aceh; 2) Mie Lala, Jl. Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh. Malay food can be found in Canai Mamak KL Restaurant on Jalan Teuku Umar no. 51, Seutui. Also visit a naturalist café in SHIDQI Café on Jalan Malikul Shaleh, Lamlagang, on the left side of the Red Crescent Hospital. Restaurants: Interesting items and snacks can be found at the back of the mosque as Pasar Aceh (Aceh Market).

Among the the restaurants that serve Indonesian and Western food are: 1) Bene Restaurant, Jalan Bhakti no. 33 A-B. Kampung Laksana, Tel. +62 651 31035; 2) Aceh Barat Restaurant, Jl. Khairil Anwar I no. 16, Kampung Baru, Baiturrahman, Banda Aceh, Tel. +62 651 23250; 3) Istana Restaurant, Jl. Teuku Iskandar no. 64, Lambuk, Syiah Kuala, Tel. +62 651 21512; 4) Kartika Restaurant, Jl. Nyak Adam Kamil IV no. 1, Ateuk Pahlawan, Baiturrahman, Banda Aceh, Tel. +62 651 21749. 5) Pujasera Restaurant, Jl. Jendral Ahmad Yani Laksana, Kuta Alam, Tel. +62 651 23308; 6) Rodya Restaurant Mini, Jl. Teuku Daud Keuramat, Kuta Alam, Tel. +62 651 28408; 7) Tropicana Seafood Restaurant (Chinese Restaurant), Jalan Ahmad Yani no. 90-92, Peunayong; 8) Imperial Kitchen (Chinese Restaurant), Jl. Teuku Umar, Banda Aceh; 9) Country Steakhouse, Jalan Sri Ratu Safiatuddin 46D; and 10) Putra Jaya, Jl. Tgk Haji Abdullah Ujung Rimba No 14 (off Jl. Muhammad near Masjid Baiturrahman).

Shopping in Aceh is as ordinary as you can expect. Products sold revolve around daily fare and agricultural commodities. Visiting the central market of Banda Aceh is interesting. On sale are street food and dishes, fruits, and local vegetables, some souvenirs, clothes and household items Come in the morning when the market is at its busiest time. Souvenirs can be found in several places: 1) Pusaka Souvenir is on Jalan Sri Ratu Safiatuddin no. 78, Peunayong, Banda Aceh. Tel: +62 651 741 1510: 2) Pasar Aceh is right at the back of the Grand Mosque of Baiturrahman. Meet the locals selling and buying in the market; 3) Rencong Aceh is on Jalan Mohd. Jam, no. 1-E Banda Aceh. Phone the owner at +62 852 6010 1687; 4) Nyak Ni Usaha Souvenir is on Jalan Singgah Mata 10 Blower, Banda Aceh. +62 651 48474; 5) Lhoong Raya Souvenir is on Jalan Malikul Shaleh no. 56 Neusu. Phone them at +62 651 21357.

Accommodation in Banda Aceh

Some of the hotels in Banda Aceh are listed below:

1) Hermes Palace Hotel Banda Aceh Jln.T.Panglima Nyak Makam, Banda Aceh, Tel. +62 651 755 5888, fax: : +62 651 755 6999

2) Hotel Grand Nanggroe, Jl. T. Imum Lueng Bata, Kel. Cot Mesjid, Kec Lueng Bata. Banda Aceh, Tel. +62 651 35788, fax: : +62 651 35778

3) Hotel Lading Banda Aceh J1. Cut Meutia No.19 Kota Banda Aceh, Tel. +62 651 638321 / 635123, fax: : +62 651 635123 Other webpage: http://ladinghotelaceh.blogspot.com/

4) Hotel Oasis Banda Aceh, Jl. Tengku Lueng Bata No.115 Kota Banda Aceh, Tel. +62 651 636999, fax: : +62 651 635333

5) Hotel Sultan Banda Aceh, Jl. Sultan Hotel No.1, Peunayong, Tel. +62 651 22469, fax: : +62 651 31770

6) Hotel Madinah Banda Aceh Jln. T Daud Beureueh, Banda Aceh, Tel. +62 651 21415 / 21416

7) Hotel 61 Jln. T. Panglima Polem No. 28 Banda Aceh Phone (+62) 651 — 638866 Fax (+62) 651 — 638855

8) Hotel Medan, Jl. Jend. A. Yani No. 15 Phone(0651) 33851, 21501 Fax (0651) 32256

Getting Around and Getting to Banda Aceh

Taxis are available in Banda Aceh., other public transportation are Labi-labi (local public transport by using minibus/van). You can also hire car with a driver or a motoped rider to take you around town. It is also possible to get around by foot or hire a bicycle, motorcycle, or rental car that you can operate yourself.

Sultan Iskandar Muda Airport (BTJ) is the major airport in Banda Aceh. The airport serves several airlines: 1) Garuda Indonesia; a) Jakarta (CGK) — Medan (MES) — Banda Aceh (BTJ); b) Jakarta (CGK) — Medan (MES); c) Medan (MES) — Banda Aceh (BTJ); 2) Lion Air; a) Jakarta (CGK) — Banda Aceh (BTJ); b) Jakarta (CGK) — Medan (MES) — Banda Aceh (BTJ); c) Jakarta (CGK) — Medan (MES); 3) Sriwijaya Air; Jakarta (CGK) — Medan (MES); 4) Air Asia; Jakarta (CGK) — Medan (MES); 5) Firefly; George Town (PEN) — Banda Aceh (BTJ); 6) Malaysia Airlines; George Town (PEN) — Banda Aceh (BTJ);

As you arrive in Banda Aceh, walk out the airport and you will find choices of transportation. Taxis are available and have different providers, like:; 1. PT Asa Taxi — Tel: +62 651 7408686; 2. Cempala Taxi — Tel: +62 651 43354; 3. Mulya Taxi — Tel: +62 651 635441; 4. Pidi Taxi — Tel: +62 651 31330; Labi-labi is a local name for public minibus or ‘angkot’ in other parts of the country. This is the most economical means of transportation available to the public and travelers.

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources: Indonesia Tourism website ( indonesia.travel ), Indonesia government websites, UNESCO, Wikipedia, Lonely Planet guides, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, National Geographic, The New Yorker, Bloomberg, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Japan News, Yomiuri Shimbun, Compton's Encyclopedia and various books and other publications.

Last updated in June 2026