The wave passage
A dark corridor of running water.
Rachmat04 — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Rachmat04 — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Rachmat04 — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Rachmat04 — CC BY-SA 3.0
A museum commemorating the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami of 26 December 2004, which struck Aceh harder than anywhere else, claiming more than a hundred and sixty thousand lives here alone. It was designed by the Indonesian architect Ridwan Kamil, opened in 2009, and is regarded as one of Indonesia's most notable modern buildings. The building itself is part of the experience: you begin in a narrow, dark passage with water running down its walls and the sound of waves echoing, then enter a towering well whose walls bear the names of the victims, with the name of God at its top, then cross a bridge over a pool. The upper floors hold photographs, films and models explaining the disaster and how tsunamis form, with survivors' stories and the rebuilding. The fee is a token few thousand rupiah; it opens daily from nine to four with a midday break, and closes on Fridays. The building also serves as an evacuation shelter should another tsunami strike. The visit is moving and takes an hour or two, and parts may weigh heavily on young children. It is minutes from the Baiturrahman Mosque and Gunongan park.
A dark corridor of running water.
Victims' names, with God's name above.
The building doubles as a refuge.
Jalan Sultan Iskandar Muda, central Banda Aceh
Gunongan Historical Park and Putroe PhangThe remains of a seventeenth-century royal garden, once known as the pleasure ga3 minutes walk
Aceh Museum and the Rumoh AcehOne of the oldest museums in Indonesia, which began as a traditional Acehnese ho8 minutes walk
Baiturrahman Grand MosqueThe emblem of Aceh, the land Indonesians call the Verandah of Mecca because it w8 minutes walk
PLTD Apung 1 (the Tsunami Ship)A huge vessel of some twenty-six hundred tonnes, a floating power-generating bar12 minutes walkThe educational sections are, but some photographs and films are harrowing, so walk ahead of young children and skip what may frighten them.