Banda Aceh: Difference between revisions

{{short description|City in Indonesia}}

{{EngvarA|date=March 2021}}

| photo1a                = Meuseujid Raya Bayturrahman.JPG

| image_seal                     =  

| subdivision_type1              = [[Provinces of Indonesia|Province]]

| subdivision_name1               = {{flag|Aceh}}

| established_date                = 22 April 1205

| population_footnotes            = <ref>Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021.</ref>

| registration_plate              = BL XXX AX<br>

| blank_info                      = {{increase}} 0.850 ({{fontcolor|#007B00|Very High}})

| translit_lang1_info1            = باندا اچيه

'''Banda Aceh''' is the capital and largest city in the province of [[Aceh]], [[Indonesia]]. It is located on the island of [[Sumatra]] and has an elevation of {{convert|35|m|sp=us|abbr=off}}. The city covers an area of {{convert|61.36|km2|sp=us}} and had a population of 223,446 people at the 2010 Census,<ref>Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011.</ref> rising to 252,899 at the 2020 Census.<ref>Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021.</ref>

Banda Aceh is located on the northwestern tip of Indonesia at the mouth of the [[Aceh River]]. Banda Aceh itself is a [[semi-enclave]] within [[Aceh Besar Regency]], as Banda Aceh is surrounded by Aceh Besar in south, east, and west, while it borders with [[Strait of Malacca]] in the north.

The city was originally established as Bandar Aceh Darussalam Kandang<ref>{{cite book|last1=Harun|first1=Ramli|last2=M.A. Gani|first2=Tjut Rahma|title=Adat Aceh|date=1985|publisher=Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan|location=Jakarta|page=24}}</ref> and served as a capital and hub for the [[Sultanate of Aceh]] upon its foundation in the late 15th century. Later its name was changed to ''Bandar Aceh Darussalam''''',''' and then became popularly known as ''Banda Aceh''. The first part of the name comes from the [[Persian language|Persian]] ''bandar'' (بندر) meaning "port" or "haven". The city is also dubbed the "port to Mecca," or the "porch of [[Mecca]]" (Indonesian: ''Serambi Mekkah'') in reference to the days when [[hajj]] pilgrims travelled by sea from Indonesia and would make a stopover in the city before continuing their journey to [[Mecca]].

Banda Aceh had long been at the center of protracted conflicts between the Acehnese and foreign domination, including war with Portuguese, [[Aceh War|wars with the Dutch]], the Japanese, and [[insurgency in Aceh|the Indonesian government]]. The city rose to international prominence in the aftermath of the [[2004 Indian Ocean earthquake|Indian Ocean earthquake]] in 2004, which struck off the western coast of Sumatra. Banda Aceh was the closest major city to the earthquake's [[epicenter]], which lay {{convert|249|km|sp=us|abbr=off}} off the coast.<ref>John Pike, '[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/indonesia/banda-aceh.htm Banda Aceh'], accessed 23 January 2011.</ref> It suffered great damage in the earthquake and further damage when a [[tsunami]] struck shortly afterwards. Around 60,000 people in the city died as a result and many more were injured.<ref>Jayasuriya, Sisira and Peter McCawley in collaboration with Bhanupong Nidhiprabha, Budy P. Resosudarmo and Dushni Weerakoon, [http://www.adbi.org/book/2010/12/17/4252.asian.tsunami.aid.reconstruction/ ''The Asian Tsunami: Aid and Reconstruction After a Disaster''], Cheltenham UK and Northampton MA USA: Edward Elgar and Asian Development Bank Institute, 2010.</ref><ref>Jayasuriya and McCawley, ''ibid''.</ref>

Banda Aceh, situated at the tip of Sumatra, has long been a strategic, transportation and trading hub in the eastern [[Indian Ocean]]. Its first mention in western accounts comes from 1292 when [[Marco Polo]] and his expedition visited the city, referred to as 'Lambri' from [[Lamuri Kingdom]] which previously existed there and noted as the logical first port of call for travellers from [[Arabian Peninsula|Arabia]] and [[India]] to [[Indonesia]].<ref>{{Cite book|title = The Book of Ser Marco Polo, the Venetian|last = Polo|first = Marco|publisher = Cambridge University Press|year = 2010|isbn = 978-1-108-02207-1|location = Cambridge, UK|pages = 243}}</ref> [[Ibn Battuta]] also reported visiting the city in the mid-14th century when under the control of the trading kingdom of [[Samudera Pasai]], the then-dominant entity in northern Sumatra.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Mapping the Acehnese Past|last = Feener|first = R. Michael|publisher = KITLV Press|year = 2011|isbn = 978-90-6718-365-9|location = Leiden, NL|pages = 43}}</ref> However the Pasai began to collapse under pressure from declining economic conditions and the [[Portuguese Empire|Portuguese]], who occupied much of the area after occupying Malacca in the early 15th century. Sultan [[Ali Mughayat Syah]], ruler of the newly founded [[Sultanate of Aceh]], aggressively expanded in the area in the 1520s and established sultanate was built on the remains of the Pasai and other extinct kingdoms in the area, and made Banda Aceh the capital, naming it for himself as ''Kutaraja ''or 'City of the King'.[[File:AMH-6875-KB View of Achin.jpg|thumb|left|Koetaradja/Banda Aceh old map]]After a long period of rule by the Sultanate, Aceh began to come into conflict with the Dutch and the British in the second half of the 18th century. At the end of the 18th century, the territory of Aceh in the Malay Peninsula, namely [[Kedah]] and [[Pulau Pinang]], were seized by the British. In 1871, the Dutch began to threaten Aceh, and on 26 March 1873, the Dutch formally declared war on Aceh. The Dutch bombarded the capital in that year and sought to capture the Sultan's palace in the city to bring about a capitulation of the Acehnese. Significant support from the British in the region led the modernization and fortification of the city, and while coastal areas were lost the Dutch underestimated the city's defenses. The Dutch expedition commander General [[Johan Harmen Rudolf Köhler|Johan Köhler]] was killed in a skirmish around the city, leading to the failure of the [[First Aceh Expedition|first expedition]]. A second expedition was mounted by the Dutch within months and was successful in overwhelming the city. The Dutch moved into the capital in January 1874 believing the Acehnese to have surrendered; however, the conflict moved into the countryside, and the Acehnese continued to actively oppose Dutch rule.  

After it entered the Government of the Republic of Indonesia on 28 December 1962, the name of the city was changed back to Banda Aceh by the Ministry of Public Administration and Regional Autonomy on 9 May 1963. On 26 December 2004, the city [[2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami|was hit]] by a [[tsunami]] caused by a 9.2-magnitude earthquake in the [[Indian Ocean]]. The disaster killed 167,000 inhabitants and destroyed more than 60% of the city's buildings. Based on the statistical data issued by the City Government of Banda Aceh, Banda Aceh had 248,727 inhabitants in May 2012. {{citation needed|date=February 2015}}

There is a type of police in Indonesia called the religious police; they enforce islamic laws in the Islamic majority province. They are known for being very strict.<ref>https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2014/12/21/the-heavy-hand-of-religious-police-in-aceh</ref>

Banda Aceh is divided into nine [[Districts of Indonesia|districts]] ({{lang-id|kecamatan}}), listed below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 Census<ref>Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011.</ref> and the 2020 Census.<ref>Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021.</ref>

! Area in<br> km²

! Population <br>at 2010<br> Census<ref>Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011.</ref>

! Population <br>at 2020<br> Census<ref>Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021.</ref>

[[File:Meuseujid Raya Baiturrahman, Aceh.jpg|thumb|200px|Baiturrahman Grand Mosque]]

*  The [[Baiturrahman Grand Mosque]] was originally built during the Sultanate of [[Iskandar Muda]] (1607–1636). It was rebuilt in 1875 after it was burnt down in the Aceh war. It has seven domes and four smaller towers along with the main tower. The mosque can accommodate up to 9,000 people.

*  [[Gunongan Historical Park]] 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.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gunongan |url=http://bandaacehtourism.com/index.php/en/banda-aceh-heritage/36-gunongan |publisher=Bandaacehtourism.com |access-date=9 December 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120208162309/http://bandaacehtourism.com/index.php/en/banda-aceh-heritage/36-gunongan |archive-date=8 February 2012 }}</ref>

* A number of places near the center of Banda Aceh have been established as memorials of the [[2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami]] on the city. These include several mass burial centers such as the graves at Ulee Lheue, places where boats were carried several kilometers inland by the tsunami ([[Apung 1|PLTD Apung 1]], or the "Floating Diesel Plant", and the "Floating Boat on the Roof"), and the [[Aceh Tsunami Museum|Tsunami Museum]]. The PLTD Apung 1 had been located near the Ule Lheu beach before being shifted close to the city center by the tsunami. It has become one of the most important landmarks in Banda Aceh.

Two main highways run from 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, Terminal Terpadu Batoh, is located at Jalan [[Teuku Muhammad Hasan|Mr. Teuku Muhammad Hasan]]. Banda Aceh-Sigli Toll Road, part of [[Trans-Sumatra Toll Road]], is currently under construction; it is located at the tip of the toll road and connected with Sultan Iskandar Muda Airport.

Since May 2016, Banda Aceh has had a [[bus rapid transit]] system, called ''Trans Koetaradja''. Initially, Trans Koetaradja ran only a single line Keudah – [[w:id:Kopelma Darussalam|Darussalam]] ([[Vice versa|vv]]) (Corridor I), which operates from 06:30–18:36 on Monday-Saturday and 07:20–17:20 on Sunday and Holidays.<ref>{{cite web|title=Jadwal Trans Koetaradja Koridor I (Keudah – Darussalam) |url=https://dishub.acehprov.go.id/download/jadwal-trans-koetaradja-koridor-i-keudah-darussalam/|publisher=acehprov.go.id |access-date= 2 June 2018}}</ref> Since 2017, it has added 2 additional lines: Corridor II-A with route [[Sultan Iskandar Muda International Airport]] – Pasar Aceh ([[Vice versa|vv]]) and operates from 08:00–18:20 everyday;<ref>{{cite web|title=Jadwal Trans Koetaradja Koridor II-A (Blang Bintang – Pasar Aceh)|url=https://dishub.acehprov.go.id/download/jadwal-trans-koetaradja-koridor-ii-a-blang-bintang-pasar-aceh/|publisher=acehprov.go.id |access-date= 2 June 2018}}</ref> and Corridor II-B with route Pelabuhan [[Ulèë Lheuë]] (Port) – Pasar Aceh ([[Vice versa|vv]]) and operates from 07:00–18:35 everyday.<ref>{{cite web|title=Jadwal Trans Koetaradja Koridor II-B (Pelabuhan Ulee Lheue – Pasar Aceh)|url=https://dishub.acehprov.go.id/download/jadwal-trans-koetaradja-koridor-ii-b-pelabuhan-ulee-lheue-pasar-aceh/|publisher=acehprov.go.id |access-date= 2 June 2018}}</ref> From 2016 till 2018, thanks to subsidies from [[Aceh]] government, it was a free-of-charge transportation for passengers.<ref>{{cite web|title=2018 Trans K Layani 4 Koridor|url=https://aceh.tribunnews.com/amp/2017/12/29/2018-trans-k-layani-4-koridor|publisher=aceh.tribunnews.com |access-date= 6 June 2018}}</ref>

*{{flagicon|YEM}} [[Sana'a]], Yemen{{cn|date=July 2021}}

*{{flagicon|IDN}} [[Martapura, South Kalimantan|Martapura]], Indonesia {{cn|date=July 2021}}