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| The Mainmun Palace, a legacy of Deli Sultanate in Medan, North Sumatera |
North Sumatera or Sumatera Utara is a fantastic destination. Tourists
are spoiled with the panoramic view of hightlands from Gunung Leuser
National park in Tangkahan toTarutung in the highland of Tapanuli and
across to Lagundi Beach in Nias Island. Apart from nature attractions,
North Sumatera is very rich in culture. The Maimun Palace should be a "must
go" in your itinerary. It is a heritage of Deli Sultanate accentuating
an acculturation of six cultures: Mughal, Middle Eastern, Spanish,
Indian, Dutch and Malay in the architecture of the palace. Nias
Traditional house is worth of visiting reflecting an indigenous cultural
house well-preserved until today.
Here are their location on the map.
Maimun Palace or Maimoon Palace is
a royal palac of Sultanate of Deli in Medan, the capital city of North Sumatra,
Indonesia. It is situated in Jalan Brigjen Katamso and only 200 meters away
from the Grand Mosque of Medan.
The Palace has become a popular tourist
destination in the city, not solely because of its historical heritage statues,
but also because of its unique interior design of the palace, mixing the
elements of Malay cultural heritage, Islam, Spanish, Indian, and Italian style.
The influence of the Dutch architecture is reflected in the door shape, the
window which is wide and high. The Spanish is seen in the door parts, while
Islam shows its influence on the roof arch. In the exterior, the palace which faces
east resembles the palace of Moghul kings.
Maimun palace consists of three main rooms.
Namely, the main building, right wing and left wing. The main building area of
412 square meters, it is often called the hall. That's where the royal throne
is located. Throne is still used in certain events, especially during the
coronation of the king or the royal family worship on holy days of Islam. The
dominance of yellow color in the palace signifies the royal color of the Malay
Kingdom.
The palace occupies an area of 2,772 m2 with the
height of building reaches 14,14 m and
has 40 rooms, 20 rooms in the upper level where the throne lies and 20 rooms in
the lower level. The construction of the palace finished by August 25, 1888 in
the era of Sultan Makmun Al Rasyid Perkasa Alamsyah, the eldest son of Sultan
Mahmud Perkasa Alam, who established the City of Medan.
A visit to North Sumatera is not complete without a drop-by into Toba Lake. It is indeed a natural wonder at 900 m above sea level with an area of 1.145 km square making it the second largest lake in the World after Victoria Lake in Africa. Besides, Toba Lake also holds the record as the deepest lake in the World which reach the depth of 450 m. Uniquely, there lie Samosir Island in the middle of Toba Lake, a volcanic island that keeps historical items of Batak kingdom. In this island, you will find Sigale-gale, a human-like puppet usually played in local rituals to call spirits.
Taman Simalem resort is the spot to enjoy the spectacular view of Toba Lake from the height of 1.500 m. In this park, you can find also golf course, camping ground, flowers and fruits garden, twin waterfalll, cotages and restorant. The best spot to enjoy sun rise is One Tree Hill as the peak of the resort. You can also enjoy the panorama of Toba Lake from this point.
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