Domed wells
Strange stone structures.
Si Gam — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Si Gam — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ayie7791 — CC BY-SA 4.0
An ancient stone fortress on the coast of Aceh Besar east of Banda Aceh, its beginnings attributed to the Hindu Lamuri kingdom that ruled northern Aceh before Islam; it remained in use after the region became Muslim, and Aceh's sultans fortified it to defend the coast against the Portuguese in the sixteenth century. What survives today are thick stone walls and raised platforms, and strange domed stone structures that sheltered fresh-water wells inside the fort, with a view over the sea and the entrance to Aceh bay. The site is tidy and grassed, and it is among the oldest surviving architectural remains in Aceh. The visit is free, and the site is open in daytime, needing half an hour to an hour. The fort lies on the same coastal road as Inong Balee, the fortress of Admiral Malahayati, so combine them in half a day, with one of the quiet beaches of the east coast.
Strange stone structures.
On the coast.
A fort across the ages.
Ladong, Mesjid Raya district, Aceh Besar, about 20 km east of Banda Aceh
An old kingdom in northern Aceh that preceded the Aceh sultanate, mentioned by Arab travellers as Lamri or al-Ramni; Islam later reached it, and the Aceh sultanate inherited its lands and forts.