The sultanate's founders
Ali Mughayat Syah and al-Qahhar.
Si Gam Acèh — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Si Gam Acèh — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Si Gam — CC BY-SA 4.0 · G.R. Lambert & Co. (Fotostudio). niet bekend / unknown (Fotograaf/photographer). — CC BY-SA 3.0
A royal cemetery of Aceh's early sultans in central Banda Aceh, known as Kandang XII or Baitur Rijal, holding the graves of the founders of the Aceh Darussalam sultanate and their sons, among them Sultan Ali Mughayat Syah, who founded the sultanate in the early sixteenth century, and Sultan Alauddin al-Qahhar, who led campaigns against the Portuguese and corresponded with the Ottoman Empire. The graves are enclosed by a low wall in a quiet garden, their carved stone markers in the famous batu Aceh style, with Arabic inscriptions and fine floral ornament, a style that spread from Aceh across the Malay world. The visit is free; be respectful and quiet, and dress modestly. The complex is close to the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque and Gunongan park, so combine them on a tour of the Aceh sultanate's history, with the nearby tomb of Sultan Iskandar Muda.
Ali Mughayat Syah and al-Qahhar.
Fine Arabic carving.
Under al-Qahhar.
Near the governor's residence, central Banda Aceh
Aceh Museum and the Rumoh AcehOne of the oldest museums in Indonesia, which began as a traditional Acehnese ho3 minutes walk
Gunongan Historical Park and Putroe PhangThe remains of a seventeenth-century royal garden, once known as the pleasure ga6 minutes walk
Aceh Tsunami MuseumA museum commemorating the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami of 26 December 206 minutes walk
Baiturrahman Grand MosqueThe emblem of Aceh, the land Indonesians call the Verandah of Mecca because it w6 minutes walk
Kerkhof PeucutA Dutch military cemetery in central Banda Aceh where some two thousand Dutch so7 minutes walkIn the mid-sixteenth century Sultan Alauddin al-Qahhar sought Ottoman help against the Portuguese, who sent experts and cannon; the link remains a point of pride in Aceh.