History of Sumatra
HISTORY OF
KINGDOM OF DUTCH JAPANESE
THE ACEH
SRIWIJAYA CONQUEST WWII
SULTANATE
(500BC - (15th - 19th OCCUPATION
(11th - 20th
700AD) century) (1942 - 1945)
century)
Figure 1 Map of Sriwijaya Empire
Architecture of Sumatra
The Hindu-Buddhist architecture of the Indonesian
archipelago was found throughout western Indonesia, Java,
Bali and parts of Eastern Indonesia. It was built from natural
stone or bricks, and it was used for ritual, ceremonial,
governmental or residential purposes. It use features similar
to temples or shrines. It had complicated, soaring, tower-like
Figure 2 Ancient temple built with Hindu- structures and resting on stone-faced basement or plinth. The
Buddhist tradition
roof is always pyramidal and ornamented with the inside of
the building being stone-walled, covered by tiered roof and accessed through a narrow door-
like opening.
Chinese architecture was brought into the Indonesian
archipelago by Chinese traders during the 15th century, some
traders stayed in Indonesia and settled in coastal areas. Rules
and regulations were placed for the Chinese settlers to build
to suit their own architectural traditions and building styles.
Influence of Chinese architectural traditions on Indonesian
architecture is considered to be limited adoption of some
Figure 3 Chinese influenced building in
Bali construction techniques.
Islamic architecture arrived in the Indonesian
archipelago as early as the 8th century in Aceh. The
early stages of Islamic architecture adapted existing
vernacular and Hindu-Buddhist building traditions to
fit with the Islamic faith. Islamic architecture brought
Figure 4 Traditional Mosque
changes to how the division and use of spaces in houses
were defined. Islamic architecture later replaced ancient, vernacular architectural traditions
European architecture first came at the end of
the 15th century where Indonesia became the maritime
trade destination for traders. Europeans establish
control over the land, introducing new kind of building
tradition. During the 16th century, the architecture was
Figure 5 Fatahillah Museum located in Jakarta
influenced by Dutch architecture mainly adapted to protect commercial and military
interest. Between 17th to 18th centuries, more development occurred for expansion of
commercial interest by the Europeans. In 19th century, with incorporation of overseas territories,
more European architecture was brought in to secure colonial rule. After 1870, large-scale city
development of town and country planning occurred. The architecture during this period
showed influence of cultural exchange with local architecture.
Type of Houses of Sumatra
Batak houses
The Batak people are divided into 6 clans and they
build their traditional houses based on the type of
agriculture they pursued. Toba and Karo Batak
cultivates rice so their houses are densely grouped and
permanent. The Angkola, Mandailing and Pakpak
Figure 6 Batak Houses that still remain today
Batak practise different rice cultivation which is why
their houses are widely scattered clusters of semi-permanent dwellings.
Traditional Batak houses have rectangular floor plan, raised post and beam structure,
elevated floor as living space, and covered with large pitched roof thatched with thick layer of
sugar palm fibre with gables. Spaces are divided into three vertically arranged levels, low,
middle and high. Lowest level consist of space between the post and beam structure that
supports the raised floor. Middle level is the living space for the family. The highest level
contains an attic.
Tongkonan Toraja
These people inhabit inaccessible mountain inland areas
of South Sulawesi with architecture close to ancient
Austronesian architecture. The form and features of the
tongkonan has a box structure built on a post and beam
structure. The space between the post and beam is closed
Figure 7 Present day Tongkonan Toraja with
distinct roof feature off with decorated panels, the roof has a saddle-back
shape with the tow ends curving upward supported by a single posts. The tongkonan is always
built in a north-south direction. Nowadays, it is used for family meetings and conducting
ceremonies.
Foreign Influenced houses
This type of houses have typical characteristics of
Austronesian architecture that are hard to
recognize. This type of houses consist of
traditional Austronesian architecture combined
with later Hindu-Buddhist, Islamic, Chinese or
Figure 8 Dutch colonial house with traditional
Indonesian features colonial architecture styles.
Acehnese and Gayo Houses
Traditional houses of the Acehnese people
uses traditional Austronesian architecture
combined with Malay tradition. Consist of a
raised wooden structure with similar
attributes as the Batak houses but with a more
Figure 9 Acehnese House with Malay motifs and decorations
special element, which is its extended roof
ridge and outward-leaning gable end that is decorated with geometric forms. The interior
division of space is similar to that of traditional Malay houses. According to customs, it is
arranged facing each other in a line along a street laid out in an east-west direction so that the
fronts of houses face either north or south.
Minangkabau Big Houses
Found in West Sumatra, are large houses with
saddle-back roof thatched with sugar palm fibre
with varying tiers that curve upward steeply,
ending in a high gable end that represents the horns
Figure 10 The large Minangkabau house that houses
of a water buffalo. The living space is elevated by
large extended families during old times
post and beam, structure, with space beneath the
house closed off by panels. This type of house is used to house related extended families. The
house is separated into different sections, the first one is at centre facing the front serving as an
entrance. The second is the main building that is shaped like a long rectangle, consisting a
central and two wings.
Sumatra History Facts and Timeline. (2016, June 7). Retrieved February 20, 2018,
from http://www.world-guides.com/asia/indonesia/sumatra/sumatra_history.html
Planet, L. (n.d.). Subscribe. Retrieved February 20, 2018, from
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/indonesia/sumatra/history
