Banda Ache is one of the oldest city in Nusantara with an impressive history that makes the Acehnese very proud of being an Acehnese Throughout history, the Aceh had been an imperial power and had fought very hard to resist imperialistic control imposed on them.The kingdom had suffered tremendous setbacks through wars and fightings, and recently the most destructive force of the Tsunami had struck Aceh causing almost a quarter of a million loss of life in Aceh.
Three years after Tsunami, Banda Aceh has been build again on the rubble of collapsed houses , buildings and other infrastructures.The roads are busy and the markets are doing brisk businesses. Daily life appears as if no Tsunami had ever hit Aceh.Masjid Raya Baitul Rahman is active and alive with activities ranging religious classes to officiating marriages. Indeed there was a film crew at work on commercials at the court. The god fearing Acehnese has taken the tragedy that hit them as god an omen that they must be more pious in their devotion to Allah and believe that a bigger tragedy may befall on them.
Masjid Raya Baitul Rahman is an icon in Acehnese life. Baitul Rahman stands for Acehnese resolute spirit. Whilst all other structure were swept away by tidal force, Baitul Rahman remain unscathed. It stands like a rock- strong, beautiful and placid amidst all chaos. According to the Acehnese, when Tsunami swept Banda Aceh destructing everything in its path, the raging wave just stopped at Baitul Rahman. Both in form and in spirit, Baitul Rahman is an inspiration. It is the most beautiful architectural form ever constructed, the most historical mosque of the Nusantara , providing guidance to generations of Acehnese.Its inside evokes spiritual callings and grip one with calmness and reverence to God. The mosque is active with religious and scholarly activities. In the tradition Masjidul Haram koranic classes and religious discourse are eagerly taught in every nook and corners of the mosque.Students are eager to learn and teachers are impatient to teach and they go on all days .The Acehnese found solace in this mosque that restore their mental resolute to fight on.The Acehness are therefore not bragging when they referred Aceh as Serembi Mekah.
Despite their strength, I do believe the tragedy may be too much for some people who suffered great losses. It was subuh and I was at Baitul Rahman when I met this man strolling aimlessly. I striked a conversation and he started narrating his heart wrenching experience on the day Tsunami hit. He was swept by the tidal current for a few kilometers.When he gained consciousness, he was buried under a heap of tree trunks and rubbish, but managed to free himself despite his injury. He was saved by a rescue team but all his close relatives were lost. The trauma of near death and losses are haunting him haunting him causing insomnia. There is no professional help for him and he nursed his pain alone. Many others must have traumatic experience and suffering in silence like him. The good thing for him is that he found some peace penning beautiful poems and prose, holding himself responsible for the fate that befall on his family members and accepting that whatever happened is the result of poetic justice at work, something of a therapy he administer on himself.
The mausoleum of Sultan Iskandar Muda stood conspicuously among the monuments of Aceh to attest to the greatness of the Aceh Kingdom he ruled. Under him Aceh was a regional superpower controlling provinces beyond current day Aceh in Peninsular Malaysia and Jawa. He initiated numerous attacks on Portugese Malacca, and on several occasions were close to sucess. He attacked Old Johore, punishing the Sultan for assisting the Dutch in takeover attempt on Portugese Malacca, and bringing the Johore Court to Aceh. He, like his predecessor, carried out the tradition of Islamic scholarship in Aceh, turning Aceh into a fertile ground for Islamic scholars. Islamic intellectuals like Hamzah Fansuri and Naruddin al Raniri found Aceh court accommodating to their intellectual mind ,making Aceh a centre for Islamic studies. Great Malay literary works were also produced in the Aceh by Malay writers Tun Sri Lanang who wrote Sejarah Melayu. Aceh Sultanate not only encouraged flourishness of culture and arts, but had done something ahead of its times in international relations by sending a diplomatic mission to Turkey enlisting assistance from the Ottomon Kingdom in its attempt to fight the imperialist west in Nusantara.Taking into account its overall achievement, Aceh had indeed made a significant contribution and impact to the politics and socio-cultural life in the Malay World, and Sultan Iskandar Muda had played a big role in this.
Despite the choatic traffics,life moves on at slow pace at Banda Aceh.The people seem to take life at their leisurely pace and that's the way they take the fate that had befallen on them. The people are friendly, aproachable and willing to engage in leisurely conversation with strangers.Despite their hostility towards Jakarta, Aceh people sees themselve as hospitable, welcoming not only the Javanese and other Sumatrans, but also from more distant shores like Turkey, India, Arab penisular and Europeans, who came since the turn of the century and had themselves becoming Acehnese.Natural calamities and prolong wars with the Dutch and Indonesia have made the people of Aceh into a resolute race who look forward to better Aceh t with the imminent political change that give them some little space for self rule.
Three years after Tsunami, Banda Aceh has been build again on the rubble of collapsed houses , buildings and other infrastructures.The roads are busy and the markets are doing brisk businesses. Daily life appears as if no Tsunami had ever hit Aceh.Masjid Raya Baitul Rahman is active and alive with activities ranging religious classes to officiating marriages. Indeed there was a film crew at work on commercials at the court. The god fearing Acehnese has taken the tragedy that hit them as god an omen that they must be more pious in their devotion to Allah and believe that a bigger tragedy may befall on them.
Masjid Raya Baitul Rahman is an icon in Acehnese life. Baitul Rahman stands for Acehnese resolute spirit. Whilst all other structure were swept away by tidal force, Baitul Rahman remain unscathed. It stands like a rock- strong, beautiful and placid amidst all chaos. According to the Acehnese, when Tsunami swept Banda Aceh destructing everything in its path, the raging wave just stopped at Baitul Rahman. Both in form and in spirit, Baitul Rahman is an inspiration. It is the most beautiful architectural form ever constructed, the most historical mosque of the Nusantara , providing guidance to generations of Acehnese.Its inside evokes spiritual callings and grip one with calmness and reverence to God. The mosque is active with religious and scholarly activities. In the tradition Masjidul Haram koranic classes and religious discourse are eagerly taught in every nook and corners of the mosque.Students are eager to learn and teachers are impatient to teach and they go on all days .The Acehnese found solace in this mosque that restore their mental resolute to fight on.The Acehness are therefore not bragging when they referred Aceh as Serembi Mekah.
Despite their strength, I do believe the tragedy may be too much for some people who suffered great losses. It was subuh and I was at Baitul Rahman when I met this man strolling aimlessly. I striked a conversation and he started narrating his heart wrenching experience on the day Tsunami hit. He was swept by the tidal current for a few kilometers.When he gained consciousness, he was buried under a heap of tree trunks and rubbish, but managed to free himself despite his injury. He was saved by a rescue team but all his close relatives were lost. The trauma of near death and losses are haunting him haunting him causing insomnia. There is no professional help for him and he nursed his pain alone. Many others must have traumatic experience and suffering in silence like him. The good thing for him is that he found some peace penning beautiful poems and prose, holding himself responsible for the fate that befall on his family members and accepting that whatever happened is the result of poetic justice at work, something of a therapy he administer on himself.
The mausoleum of Sultan Iskandar Muda stood conspicuously among the monuments of Aceh to attest to the greatness of the Aceh Kingdom he ruled. Under him Aceh was a regional superpower controlling provinces beyond current day Aceh in Peninsular Malaysia and Jawa. He initiated numerous attacks on Portugese Malacca, and on several occasions were close to sucess. He attacked Old Johore, punishing the Sultan for assisting the Dutch in takeover attempt on Portugese Malacca, and bringing the Johore Court to Aceh. He, like his predecessor, carried out the tradition of Islamic scholarship in Aceh, turning Aceh into a fertile ground for Islamic scholars. Islamic intellectuals like Hamzah Fansuri and Naruddin al Raniri found Aceh court accommodating to their intellectual mind ,making Aceh a centre for Islamic studies. Great Malay literary works were also produced in the Aceh by Malay writers Tun Sri Lanang who wrote Sejarah Melayu. Aceh Sultanate not only encouraged flourishness of culture and arts, but had done something ahead of its times in international relations by sending a diplomatic mission to Turkey enlisting assistance from the Ottomon Kingdom in its attempt to fight the imperialist west in Nusantara.Taking into account its overall achievement, Aceh had indeed made a significant contribution and impact to the politics and socio-cultural life in the Malay World, and Sultan Iskandar Muda had played a big role in this.
Despite the choatic traffics,life moves on at slow pace at Banda Aceh.The people seem to take life at their leisurely pace and that's the way they take the fate that had befallen on them. The people are friendly, aproachable and willing to engage in leisurely conversation with strangers.Despite their hostility towards Jakarta, Aceh people sees themselve as hospitable, welcoming not only the Javanese and other Sumatrans, but also from more distant shores like Turkey, India, Arab penisular and Europeans, who came since the turn of the century and had themselves becoming Acehnese.Natural calamities and prolong wars with the Dutch and Indonesia have made the people of Aceh into a resolute race who look forward to better Aceh t with the imminent political change that give them some little space for self rule.
