Aceh City Map Poster

About Aceh

Aceh was first known as Aceh Darussalam (Aceh the Abode of Peace) and then later as the Daerah Istimewa Aceh (Special Region of Aceh). The region has historically been a part of larger regional entities. The area that is now Northern Sumatra featured prominently in Srivijaya, then was successively controlled by the Sultanate of Deli, Johor-Riau Empire, Sultanate of Langkat and Padri War before being incorporated into Dutch East Indies. It was initially called "Acehen" by Europeans; with its capital located in Kutaraja, today's Banda Aceh which is situated on an island off the coast but at that time it stretched to include both sides including mainland coasts such as today's city Batusangkar where Tengku Abdul Gafur Museum can be found.