Three roofs
Dutch, then Japanese, then Minangkabau.
Iwansw — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Merekayangpeduli — CC BY-SA 4.0 · bennylin — CC BY-SA 4.0 · bennylin — CC BY-SA 4.0
The emblem and heart of Bukittinggi, a clock tower on the central square near the upper market, its name meaning big clock in the Minangkabau language. It was built in 1926 under Dutch rule, with large clocks on its four faces, and its mechanism is said to be a twin of the one in London's Big Ben. The story of its roof sums up the country's history: it was first topped by an iron rooster, then the Japanese changed it during their occupation of 1942 to 1945 to a spire in the style of their shrines, and after independence it was reshaped into the upswept roof of Minangkabau houses, the form we see today. The square around it is free and always open, the meeting place of locals and visitors, busiest in the evening and at weekends, surrounded by the market and restaurants serving the famous Minangkabau cuisine, such as rendang, almost all of it halal in this Muslim region. The city lies at about nine hundred metres, so the air is mild, and the square is loveliest in the evening when the clock is lit. From here you can walk to Fort de Kock and the view over the Sianok Canyon.
Dutch, then Japanese, then Minangkabau.
A mechanism like London's clock.
The Minangkabau kitchen's famous dish.
Sabai Nan Aluih park, central Bukittinggi near Pasar Ateh
Fort de Kock and Limpapeh BridgeA fort the Dutch built in 1825 on a high hill in the heart of Bukittinggi during6 minutes walk
Sianok Canyon and the Japanese TunnelsA deep, steep-sided canyon winding along the edge of Bukittinggi, its red and gr7 minutes walk
Japanese Tunnels, BukittinggiA network of defensive tunnels the Japanese army dug under Bukittinggi during it7 minutes walk
Bung Hatta Birth HouseThe house where Mohammad Hatta was born in 1902 and spent his childhood until th8 minutes walkVery much: it is a conservative Muslim city with a mild climate, mostly halal food, and close to beautiful scenery such as the Sianok Canyon and Lake Maninjau.