SABANG
Mei 12, 2016
Mei 03, 2016
Kerkhoff Poucut
Kerkhoff Poucut is a Dutch military burial ground located in the hub of Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh. The cemetery name is a combination of the Dutch word kerkhof, meaning a churchyard or graveyard, and the Acehnese word poucut or poteu cut, meaning a prince.
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 the ethnic groups of Ambon, Manado and Java, besides four Dutch generals, including Gen. Kohler.
A semicircular gate welcomes everybody visiting Kerkhoff Poucut Cemetery, with a short corridor leading one’s view to old gravestones bearing Dutch names. The white marble walls of the gate are also adorned with the names of Dutch soldiers buried in the graveyard.
Based on the dates on the gravestones, the oldest grave dates back to Dec. 27, 1873, when a Dutch naval officer died from cholera and was buried there. In the middle of the cemetery is the tomb of Meurah Pupok, the only beloved son of Sultan Iskandar Muda.
Meurah Pupok was punished by stoning as ordered by Sultan Iskandar Muda for having committed adultery with the wife of a young officer assigned to train Aceh soldiers. Meurah Pupok was stoned in public as evidence that the Sultan would impose the same penalty on anybody with the same sin. The choice of the Dutch graveyard served as a severe punishment because his son was thus seen as equal to infidel Dutch soldiers.
At present, the cemetery is under the supervision of the PDIA and the Banda Aceh city administration with aid funds from Stichting Peutjut-Fonds, a foundation owned by the families of former Dutch soldiers established on Jan. 29, 1976 after the visit of Dutch military police Col. ( ret. ) J.H.J. Brendgen.
Around 1978, under governor Muzakir Walad, there was pressure to level the burial place and replace it with a more beneficial building like a market or mall. Some people disagreed with the presence of the cemetery of ex-colonizers, mostly being non-Muslims. Furthermore, it is strategically situated and near Baiturrahman Mosque — the pride of the Aceh public.
But fortunately, the governor wouldn’t allow it to happen because the burial place testifies to Aceh’s history, so it should be maintained and preserved to enable future generations to get acquainted with their past through the existing heritage.
So far the cemetery has remained well maintained so that it looks more like a park than a scary graveyard. Almost every day many local people visit this place only for a walk like tourists and even for posing before photographers.
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| Dutch military |
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| Gen. Kohler. |
A semicircular gate welcomes everybody visiting Kerkhoff Poucut Cemetery, with a short corridor leading one’s view to old gravestones bearing Dutch names. The white marble walls of the gate are also adorned with the names of Dutch soldiers buried in the graveyard.
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| Kerkhoof Poucut |
Based on the dates on the gravestones, the oldest grave dates back to Dec. 27, 1873, when a Dutch naval officer died from cholera and was buried there. In the middle of the cemetery is the tomb of Meurah Pupok, the only beloved son of Sultan Iskandar Muda.
 |
| Dutch soldiers |
Around 1978, under governor Muzakir Walad, there was pressure to level the burial place and replace it with a more beneficial building like a market or mall. Some people disagreed with the presence of the cemetery of ex-colonizers, mostly being non-Muslims. Furthermore, it is strategically situated and near Baiturrahman Mosque — the pride of the Aceh public.
But fortunately, the governor wouldn’t allow it to happen because the burial place testifies to Aceh’s history, so it should be maintained and preserved to enable future generations to get acquainted with their past through the existing heritage.
So far the cemetery has remained well maintained so that it looks more like a park than a scary graveyard. Almost every day many local people visit this place only for a walk like tourists and even for posing before photographers.
Mei 02, 2016
Indonesia at KM 0
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| Zero kilometer country Indonesia |
Mei 01, 2016
ATJEH
Aceh (pronounced AH-chay) is one of the provinces of Indonesia and
designated as a Special Territory of Indonesia, located on the northern
tip of the island of Sumatra. Its full name is Nanggröe Aceh Darussalam.
Past spellings include Acheh, Atjeh and Achin.
Of all the regions in Indonesia, Aceh, at the northwestern end of Sumatra, is the first to have come into contact with the world outside. Chinese chronicles of as early as the sixth century A.D. spoke of a kingdom on the northern tip of Sumatra named Po-Li. Several Arabic writings of the early ninth century, and later inscriptions found in India also mentioned the area. In 1292, Marco Polo, the famous Venetian adventurer, on a voyage from China to Persia visited Sumatra and reported that on the northern part of Sumatera there were as many as six trading ports including Ferlec, Samudera and Lambri. The irony is that this area, which had for so many centuries maintained contact with others, is at present one of the least known of Indonesia even among Indonesians.
PLACES OF INTEREST
Around Banda Aceh
Banda Aceh is the capital of Aceh and also the main gateway to the province. The Governor's Residence, was built by the Dutch in 1880 on the spot where the palace of the sultan once stood. This building is known as one of the historical sites with a unique architecture and completed with traditional house equipments.
This place is of course a restricted area and entering it must be with a kind of permission from the security guard.
Baiturrahman Grand Mosque is one of the most out-standing landmarks in the capital city. The old mosque that stood there before it was burnt down at the beginning of the Aceh War, was rebuilt in 1875, taking its present shape after a number of renovations and expansions.
Gunongan and Pinto Khop which are located at a few steps from the Pendopo are also charms of the city. Gunongan was erected around the 16th century during the reign of Sultan Iskandar Muda.
Kerkhof or Churchyard is a much visited site especially by Dutch visitors where the remains of more then 2,000 Dutch soldiers lie buried.
Of all the regions in Indonesia, Aceh, at the northwestern end of Sumatra, is the first to have come into contact with the world outside. Chinese chronicles of as early as the sixth century A.D. spoke of a kingdom on the northern tip of Sumatra named Po-Li. Several Arabic writings of the early ninth century, and later inscriptions found in India also mentioned the area. In 1292, Marco Polo, the famous Venetian adventurer, on a voyage from China to Persia visited Sumatra and reported that on the northern part of Sumatera there were as many as six trading ports including Ferlec, Samudera and Lambri. The irony is that this area, which had for so many centuries maintained contact with others, is at present one of the least known of Indonesia even among Indonesians.
PLACES OF INTEREST
Around Banda Aceh
Banda Aceh is the capital of Aceh and also the main gateway to the province. The Governor's Residence, was built by the Dutch in 1880 on the spot where the palace of the sultan once stood. This building is known as one of the historical sites with a unique architecture and completed with traditional house equipments.
This place is of course a restricted area and entering it must be with a kind of permission from the security guard.
Baiturrahman Grand Mosque is one of the most out-standing landmarks in the capital city. The old mosque that stood there before it was burnt down at the beginning of the Aceh War, was rebuilt in 1875, taking its present shape after a number of renovations and expansions.
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| Baiturrahman Grand Mosque |
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| Gunongan and Pinto Khop |
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| Kerkhof |
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