Medan Must GO
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Maimoon Palace
Medan offers plenty of sight and experiences for the visitor. One of the city’s best
known landmarks is Maimoon Palace, the former residence of the Sultan of Deli.
It was built in 1888 by Sultan Makmun Al-Rasyid. Remains of the sultanate, mostly
relics bearing the marks of the Malay nature of the area, can still be found in the
vicinity of the palace.
Grand Mosque
Not far from the palace is the Grand Mosque, one of the most striking anywhere
in Indonesia, built in 1906. The mosque’s grounds contains a graveyard where
a number of sultans of Deli and members of the nobilty are buried.
Bukit Barisan War Museum
The Bukit Barisan War Museum on Jalan H. Zainal Arifin has collection of
weapons and equipment used by the Indonesian freedom fighters during
the war of independence in the late 1940s.
Museum of North Sumatra
The Museum of North Sumatera at 51 Jl. H. M. Joni (open Tue to Sun,
8.30 - 12.00, and 1.30 - 5.00), was established 20 years agoto present and
preserve the natural and cultural history of North Sumatera’s ethnic groups.
Like most provincial museums in Indonesia, this is large, informative, well
laid out and inexplicably deserted. The concrete reliefs on the museum’s
facade depict a couple dressed in traditional costume from each of the
area’s ethnic groups. Inside is the history of Sumatera from pre-history to
the present day. Highlights include a couple of Arabic gravestones from 8
AD and a number of ancient stone Buddhist sculptures found buried under
Medan’s Chinatown district.
Crocodile Park
In Jl. Simalingkar B, is the Taman Margasatwa Zoo, which has collection of
animals both indigenous and foreign to Indonesia. The Crocodile Park is
located in the village Asam Kumbang. Here, hundreds of crocodiles are
hatched and raised in pools. Perfomances of men fighting the animals are
regularly staged.
Belawan Ocean Harbour
Belawan’s ocean harbour is located a little outside this North Sumatran port
town, which is known for its fresh and dried fish and other products of the sea,
and for its typical local seafood.
Waterworks Tirtanadi Museum
This a one-room waterworks museum, next to the old water tower on
Sisingamangaraja street. Old photos and old Dutch equipment are on
display.Open from Monday - Friday.
Rahmat International Wildlife Museum & Gallery
This is a well-kept private museum of its own kind. It displays 400 suffed
animals, most of them shot by the owner. It is interesting if you like dead
animals, it was established in 1999 and open from Tuesday - Sunday.
The entrance is not free.
Sri Marriamman Temple
The Hindu Sri Marriamman Temple, built in 1884 and devoted to the goddess Kali.
This typically colourful and elaborate temple is Medan’s oldest and most venerated
Hindu shrine. Remember to remove your shoes before entering, and keep quiet
inside thetemple grounds. The Sri Marriamman Temple marks the beginning of
the Indian Quarter, the Kampung Keling, the largest of its kind in Indonesia.
Vihara Gunung Timur (Temple of the Eastern Mountain)
This largest Chinese Temple in Sumatera, the Taoist Vihara Gunung Timur
(Temple of the Eastern Mountain), which, with its multitude of dragons, wizards,
warriors and lotus petals, is tucked away on tiny Jalan Hang Tuah, 500 meters
south of the Hindu Temple.
Posted
on
Thursday, September 20th, 2007 at 10:07 am under
