A famous novel
Named for Siti Nurbaya's heroine.
Indonesiagood — CC BY 4.0 · Indonesiagood — CC BY 4.0 · Afdhal Sy — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rahmi Kurniati — CC BY-SA 4.0
A modern bridge over the Arau River in south Padang, opened at the start of the millennium, linking the old town with Gunung Padang hill and named after the heroine of Siti Nurbaya, the famous 1922 novel by Marah Rusli, one of the best-known works of Indonesian literature, a tragic love story set in colonial Padang. Siti Nurbaya's legendary grave is said to lie on the hill opposite. Along both banks spreads old Padang: nineteenth-century Dutch and Chinese warehouses and trading houses, an old Chinatown with its temples, and Muaro harbour where colourful fishing boats moor. Some buildings are tired and need restoration, but the area keeps the spirit of the old trading city. The bridge is free and at its best in the evening, when the lights come on and food stalls set up on and around it selling grilled corn, coconut sweets and local dishes. Combine it with the nearby Ganting Grand Mosque, walk the riverbank at sunset, then climb Gunung Padang for an ocean view if you have time.
Named for Siti Nurbaya's heroine.
Dutch warehouses and a Chinatown.
Grilled corn and local food.
Over the Arau River, south of central Padang
The heroine of Marah Rusli's 1922 novel, forced to marry a rich merchant to pay her father's debt and parted from her beloved; she became a symbol against forced marriage in Indonesian literature.
