Banda Aceh

Banda Aceh
—  City  —
Seal
Nickname(s): Kota Seribu Warung Kopi
Motto: Saboeh Pakat Tabangun Banda
Banda Aceh Location of the city in northern Sumatra
Banda Aceh Location of the city in Indonesia
Coordinates: 5°33′0″N 95°19′0″EID
Country	Indonesia
Province	Aceh
Founded	22 April 1205
Government
• Mayor	Mawardy Nurdin
Area
• City	61.36 km2 (23.69 sq mi)
• Metro	2,935,36 km2 (113,335 sq mi)
Elevation	2 m (7 ft)
Population (2010)
• City	174,433
• Density	3,457/km2 (8,950/sq mi)
• Metro	513,698
• Metro density	3,872/km2 (10,030/sq mi)
Time zone	WIB (UTC+7)
• Summer (DST)	WIB (UTC+7)
Postal code	23000
Area code(s)	+62 651
License plate	BL XXX XX
Website	www.bandaacehkota.go.id

Banda Aceh is the provincial capital and largest city in the province of Aceh, Indonesia, located on the island of Sumatra, with an elevation of 35 meters. The city regency covers an area of 64 square kilometres and according to the 2000 census had a population of 219,070 people. Banda Aceh is located at the northwestern tip of Indonesia at the mouth of the River Krueng Aceh.

The city was originally named Kutaraja, and determined as the provincial capital in 1956. Kuta Raja means "City of the King", in reference to the founding of the Aceh Sultanate from Champa origins. Later its name was changed to Bandar Aceh Darussalam or popularly known as Bandar Aceh, with the first part of the name coming from the Persian bandar (بندر) meaning "port" or "haven". Today the city is spelled Banda Aceh with the lost of "r" in "Bandar". The city is also dubbed to as the "port to Mecca", and Aceh is also referred to as the "porch of Mecca" (Indonesian: Serambi Mekkah), since in the past during the days when the hajj pilgrims travelled by sea, the hajj pilgrim from all over Indonesian archipelago traditionally always make a stop over in the city before continuing their journey to Mecca. It is also known that earliest Southeast Asian Islamic sultanates — such as Samudra Pasai — were first established in Aceh, which means Islam first arrived in Aceh before spreading throughout Southeast Asia.

Banda Aceh was not frequently the subject of international discussion until 26 December 2004, the day the Indian Ocean earthquake struck off the western coast of Sumatra. Banda Aceh was the closest major city to the earthquake's epicenter, and suffered further damage when a tsunami struck shortly afterward. It was the worst hit area out of all the locations hit. 167,000 people died and many more were injured. The tsunami resulted from an earthquake of magnitude 9.3 and struck at about 6:58am. The epicenter was about 155 miles off the coast of Banda Aceh.

The elected mayor and vice-mayor of Banda Aceh are Mawardi Nurdin and Illiza Saaduddin.^{[citation needed]}

Administrative divisions

Banda Aceh is divided into 9 subdistricts (Indonesian: kecamatan):

• Baiturrahman
• Banda Raya
• Jaya Baru

• Kuta Alam
• Kuta Raja
• Lueng Bata

• Meuraksa
• Syiah Kuala
• Ulee Kareng

Transportation

One of the unique features of Banda Aceh are the motorized becaks that are found almost everywhere. Unlike traditional becaks, a motorized becak can take passengers anywhere in the city. The fare for riding a motorised becak is relatively cheap and is usually negotiated beforehand.

Transport such as taxis and minibuses (known as labi-labi) is also common.

Sultan Iskandar Muda International Airport is located in Blang Bintang, 13.5 km from Banda Aceh.

Two main highways run out of Banda Aceh to the south. One runs down the eastern side of the province through main towns such as Bireuen and Lhokseumawe to Medan, the large capital of the province of North Sumatra. The other highway runs down the western side of the province through lesser-populated areas to the towns of Calang, Meulaboh, and Singkil. The main bus station called Terminal Terpadu Batoh is located at Jalan Mr. Teuku Muhammad Hasan.

Banda Aceh has two sea ports, Pelabuhan (port) Ulèë Lheuë and Pelabuhan Malahayati.

• Pelabuhan Ulèë Lheuë was formerly the main sea port in Aceh. It now functions as ferry terminal. It is located in the Meuraksa area.
• Pelabuhan Malahayati, the current main sea port, is located in Krueng Raya, 27 km from Banda Aceh. It now functions as a main freight cargo terminal.

Media

The TVRI Aceh (state-owned), Kutaraja TV and Aceh TV (private) are the three local TV stations in Banda Aceh. The oldest newspaper in Banda Aceh, also around Aceh are Harian Serambi Indonesia, besides several newspapers, such as Harian Aceh, Harian Waspada, Harian ProHaba, and Harian RajaPost.

Sport

Football is the favorite sports, with Giants Football Club from Aceh, Persiraja Banda Aceh.

Climate

Banda Aceh features a tropical rainforest climate under the Köppen climate classification, with near constant average temperatures. The city annual average temperature is 27 degrees Celsius and most days in Banda Aceh hovers around this mark. However, the city features wetter and drier seasons, with June through August being the driest months of the year. Like all cities with a tropical rainforest climate, Banda Aceh does not have a true dry season month; a month where less than 60 mm of precipitation falls on average. The city experiences on average a little less than 2000 mm of precipitation annually.

Climate data for Banda Aceh
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Daily mean °C (°F)	27.01 (80.62)	26.88 (80.38)	27.02 (80.64)	27.30 (81.14)	27.89 (82.2)	27.99 (82.38)	27.76 (81.97)	27.76 (81.97)	27.12 (80.82)	26.72 (80.1)	26.54 (79.77)	26.86 (80.35)	27.238 (81.028)
Precipitation mm (inches)	256 (10.08)	114 (4.49)	117 (4.61)	139 (5.47)	143 (5.63)	84 (3.31)	95 (3.74)	90 (3.54)	161 (6.34)	200 (7.87)	225 (8.86)	321 (12.64)	1,945 (76.57)
Avg. rainy days	8.5	5.9	7.8	8.8	12.4	10.3	9.2	10.6	12.5	15.5	14.3	12.7	128.5
Source:

Landmarks

Baiturrahman Grand Mosque

Grand Mosque of Banda Aceh

The Grand Mosque, located in the heart of Banda Aceh, is one of the most famous landmarks in the city. The original mosque was built around the 12th century during the Sultanate of Iskandar Muda (1607–1636). It was rebuilt in 1875 after it was burnt down in the Aceh war. The architecture and interior design of the mosque is notable for having seven domes and four smaller towers along with a main tower. The mosque can accommodate up to 9,000 people.

Gunongan

Gunongan is a private playground and bathing place, built by Sultan Iskandar Muda, dedicated to his wife Putroe Phang. Gunongan was part of royal garden complex Taman Sari.

Tsunami-related Sites

A number of places near to the centre of Banda Aceh have been established as reminders of, and to provide information about, the impact of the December 2004 tsunami in the city. These include several mass burial centres such as the graves at Ulee Lheue, several places where boats were carried several kilometers inland by the tsunami (PLTD Apung 1, or the "Floating Diesel Plant", and the "Floating Boat on the Roof"), and the Tsunami Museum.

Dutch Kerkhoff Poucut Cemetery

The Kerkhoff Poucut is a Dutch military burial ground located near the centre of Banda Aceh, next to the Tsunami Museum. The cemetery name is a combination of Kerkhof (Dutch for churchyard or graveyard) and poucut or poteu cut (Acehnese for prince). The Kerkhoff Poucut is recorded as the largest Dutch military cemetery outside the Netherlands. There are around 2,200 graves of white Dutch soldiers as well as recruits from Ambon, Manado and Java, as well as several Dutch generals.

Aceh museum

The Aceh Museum is one of the oldest museums in Indonesia. The original museum was established almost 100 years ago. After Independence in 1945 the museum became the property of the regional government. In 1969 the museum was moved from the original site at Blang Padang to the current location in Jl Sultan Alaiddin Mahmudsyah. The museum contains a wide range of artifacts relating to the history and cultural life of Aceh.

Tourism

Besides its landmarks, royal heritage sites, and attractive beaches, Banda Aceh is also famous for its keudè kupi (coffee shop) where specially brewed coffee is served. There are two kind of brewed coffees Ulèë Karéng and Beurawé coffee.

Several festivals are held annually by the City:

• Banda Aceh Festival
• Festival Krueng Aceh Peunayong
• Festival Geulayang Tunang (kite festival)
• Festival Kupi, etc.
• Indonesia City Expo

There are 3 beaches close to Banda Aceh which can visited by car or motor cycle in 15 to 20 minutes:

• Ujông Batèë Beach, a black sand beach with calm waves, suitable for swimming and kids activities
• Lhôk Nga Beach, dangerous for swimming
• Lam Pu'uk Beach, very quiet, the most developed beach, visited by local and foreign tourists, suitable for surfing and watching the sunset; has cliffs and good scenery

Sister Cities

Main article: List of twin towns and sister cities in Indonesia

1. Samarkand, Uzbekistan
2. Apeldoorn, Netherlands
3. Sana'a, Yemen
4. Martapura, South Kalimantan

References

• Dallal, Tamalyn. 40 Days & 1001 Nights: One Woman's Dance Through Life in the Islamic World..., 2007. ISBN 0-9795155-0-5 (book). The first part of the journey through the Islamic world goes through Banda Aceh and describes everyday life of the people in this part of Indonesia.

External links

• Official site
• Aceh.net Visit Aceh: Eco and Islamic Tourism, Cultural Information, Investment and highlights of directory