Overview of Aceh Province Indonesia

The Aceh region, located in the westernmost part of the archipelago of the archipelago, occupies a strategic position as a trade and cultural trade gateway connecting East and West for centuries. Aceh is often referred to as a haven for Chinese, European, Indian and Arab traders, making Aceh the first cultural and religious entry in the archipelago.

In the 7th century Indian merchants introduced Hinduism and Buddhism. But the role of Aceh stands out in line with the entry and development of Islam in this area, which was introduced by Gujarat merchants from the Arab ranks before the 9th century.

According to historical records, Aceh is the first place of entry of Islam in Indonesia and as the site of the first Islamic empire in Indonesia, namely Peureulak and Pasai. The kingdom built by Sultan Ali Mughayatsyah with its capital at Bandar Aceh Darussalam (Banda Aceh now) gradually expanded its territory covering most of the West and East coasts of Sumatra to the Malacca peninsula.

The presence of this region is growing stronger with the formation of the Sultanate of Aceh which unites all the small kingdoms located in the area. Thus the sultanate of Aceh reached its heyday at the beginning of the 17th century, during the reign of Sultan Iskandar Muda.

At that time the influence of religion and Islamic culture was so great in the daily life of the people of Aceh, so this area earned the nickname "Seuramo Mecca" (Serambi Mecca). This situation did not last long, because after the death of Sultan Iskandar Muda the successors were not able to maintain the greatness of the kingdom. So the position of this region as one of the great empires in Southeast Asia weakened. This caused the royal authority to decline and began to enter the influence from outside.

The sultanate of Aceh became the target of the West marked by the signing of the London Treaty and the Sumatra Treaty between England and the Netherlands concerning the arrangement of their interests in Sumatra. The Western attitude to rule Aceh became a reality on March 26, 1873, when the Dutch declared war on the Sultan of Aceh. This so-called 'Sabi War' challenge lasted for 30 years with the swallowing of a sizeable soul forcing the last Acehnese Sultan, Twk. Muhd. David to recognize the Dutch sovereignty in the land of Aceh.

With the recognition of the sovereignty, the Aceh region was officially incorporated administratively into the Dutch East Indies (Nederlansch Oost-Indie) in the form of a province that since 1937 turned into residency until Dutch colonial rule in Indonesia ended. The revolt against the Dutch colonialism still continued to reach the corners of Aceh. Then the war turned against the Japanese who came in 1942. This battle ended with the Japanese surrender to the Allies in 1945.

In the war of independence, the contribution and participation of the people of Aceh in the struggle was so great that the First President of the Republic of Indonesia, Ir. Sukarno gave the nickname "Capital Region" in Aceh.

Since the Indonesian people proclaimed independence on 17 August 1945 as an independent and sovereign nation and state, Aceh is one of the regions or parts of the Republic of Indonesia as a residency of the Province of Sumatra. Along with the establishment of Aceh residency, based on North Sumatra Governor's Decree Number 1 / X dated October 3, 1945 was appointed Teuku Nyak Arief as Resident.

The status of Aceh as a part of the territory of the Republic of Indonesia has been changed several times. At the time of the independence revolution, the Aceh Residency in early 1947 was under the administrative area of ​​North Sumatra. In connection with the Dutch military aggression against the Republic of Indonesia, the Residency of Aceh, Langkat and Tanah Karo was designated a Military Region based in Kutaradja (Banda Aceh now) with Military Governor Teungku Muhammad Daud Beureueh.

Although at that time has been formed Military Region but residency is still maintained. Then on April 5, 1948, Law Number 10 Year 1948 was established which divided Sumatra into 3 Autonomous Provinces, namely: North Sumatra, Central Sumatera and South Sumatera. The province of North Sumatra includes the residency of Aceh, East Sumatra and South Tapanuli, with the leadership of the Governor. S.M. Amen.

In the face of the second military aggression launched by the Dutch to control the Republic of Indonesia, the Government intends to strengthen its defense and security by issuing the Decree of the Emergency Government of the Republic of Indonesia Number 21 / Pem / PDRI dated May 16, 1949 which concentrates Civil and Military power to the Military Governor. At the end of 1949 the Aceh Residency was excluded from the Province of North Sumatra and subsequently at
In the face of the second military aggression launched by the Dutch to control the Republic of Indonesia, the Government intends to strengthen its defense and security by issuing the Decree of the Emergency Government of the Republic of Indonesia Number 21 / Pem / PDRI dated May 16, 1949 which concentrates Civil and Military power to the Military Governor. At the end of 1949 the Aceh Residency was excluded from the Province of North Sumatra and subsequently upgraded to Aceh Province. Teungku Muhammad Daud Beureueh formerly as Aceh Military Governor, Langkat and Tanah Karo was appointed Governor of Aceh Province.

Some time later, under the Government Regulation in lieu of Law No. 5 of 1950 the province of Aceh again became Residency as it was in the beginning of independence. This status change caused political upheaval which caused disruption of security stability, public order and peace. The desire of the leader and people of Aceh to be responded by the Government so as to issue Law Number 24 Year 1956 about the re-establishment of Aceh province covering all areas of Aceh residency.

With the enactment of Law Number 1 Year 1957, the status of Aceh Province became Region I Swatantra Level and on January 27, 1957 A. Hasjmy sworn in as Governor of Aceh Province. But the political turmoil in Aceh has not been completely over. To maintain national stability for the unity and integrity of the nation, through the mission of Prime Minister Hardi known as MISSI HARDI in 1959, there were talks related to political turmoil, government and regional development of Aceh. The results of the mission was followed up with the decision of Prime Minister of the Republic of Indonesia Number 1 / MISSI / 1959. Therefore, since May 26, 1959, the Regions of Swatantra Level I or Province of Aceh shall be granted the status of "Special Region" with the full name of the Special Province of Aceh.

With these predicates, Aceh has broad autonomous rights in the areas of religion, customs and education. this status was confirmed by Law No. 18 of 1965. The various policies in past government administration that focused on a centralized system were seen as a source for the emergence of injustice in the life of the nation and the state, such a condition created an upheaval.

This was responded by the central government with the provision of Special Autonomy with the enactment of Law no. 18 of 2002 and the Special Province of Aceh changed into Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam Province.

Then based on the Regulation of Governor of Aceh Number 46 Year 2009 on Use of Name Name of Aceh and Degree Government Officials in Official Document Scripts in Environment of Aceh Government dated 7 April 2009, affirmed that the mention of Autonomous Region, Local Government, Head of Region / Deputy Head of Region, House of Representatives Regional, Nomenclature and Board Name of the Working Unit of the Government of Aceh (SKPA), Signatory Titrator, Position Stamp and Stamp of Agencies in the Official Document Scripts within the Government of Aceh, changed and uniformed from the nomenclature "Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam" ("NAD") / nomenclature "Aceh". This is done pending the provision in Article 251 of the Aceh Government Law which states that the name of Aceh as a province in the NKRI system, will be determined by the DPRA results of the 2009 General Election.

Geographical Aceh

The province of Aceh lies between 01 degrees 58 '37.2 "- 06 degrees 04' 33.6" North latitude and 94 degrees 57 '57.6 "- 98 degrees 17' 13.2" East Longitude with an average height of 125 meters above the sea level. In 2013 Aceh province consists of 18 districts and 5 cities, 289 districts, 779 mukim and 6,474 villages or villages.

The boundaries of the Province of Aceh, the North and the East are bordered by the Malacca Strait, the South with the Province of North Sumatra and the West with the Indonesian Ocean. The only land connection is with North Sumatera Province, so it has a high dependency with North Sumatera Province.

Area of ​​Aceh Province 5,677,081 ha, with forest as the widest area reaching 2,270,080 ha, followed by plantation area of ​​700,350 ha. While the industrial land has the smallest area of ​​2,096 ha.

The location of nature reserve / natural tourist attraction in Aceh Province is in twelve locations, namely Buru Lingga Isaq Park, Serbajadi Nature Reserve, Taman and Marine Park of Weh Sabang Island, Jantho Nature Reserve, Gunung Leuser National Park, Pulau Banyak Nature Park, Rawa Singkil Wildlife Reserve, Jantho Nature Park, Aceh Besar Nature Park, Pocut Meurah Intan Forest Park, Subulussalam Forest Park and Simeulue Forest Park.

(Source: BPS Aceh - Aceh Dalam Figures 2015)
Sultanate of Aceh

The sultanate of Aceh is a continuation of the sultanate of Samudera Pasai that was destroyed in the 14th century. The sultanate of Aceh is located in the north of Sumatra island with the capital of Kutaraja (Banda Aceh). In its long history (1496-1903), Aceh has carved out its past with such magnificence and magnificence, largely because of its ability to develop patterns and systems of military education, its commitment to oppose the imperialism of Europe, a systematic and orderly system of governance, the center of science assessment, to its ability to establish diplomatic relations with other countries. Sultan of Aceh is the ruler / king of the Sultanate of Aceh, not only the sultan, in Aceh there is also sultanah (female sultan).

Degrees Used in the Kingdom of Aceh

1. Tengku
2. Tuanku
3. Pocut
4. Teuku
5. Laksamana
6. Uleebalang
7. Cut
8. Panglima Sagoe
9. Meurah

Everything about the Kingdom of Aceh within the Palace Darut Donya Cap Sikureung (cap Nine Meuligoe White Elephant Warrior Army Aceh War Aceh War began since the Dutch declared war on Aceh on March 26, 1873 after making several diplomatic threats, but did not succeed in seizing large territory. blazed in 1883, but failed again, and in 1892 and 1893 the Dutch assumed that they had failed to seize Aceh Dr Snouck Hurgronje, an Islamic scholar from the University of Leiden who had won the trust of many Acehnese leaders, suggestions to the Dutch that their attacks were directed against the clergy, not to the sovereign.This suggestion was successful.In 1898, JB van Heutsz was declared the governor of Aceh, and with his lieutenant Hendricus Colijn seizing most of Aceh Sultan M. Dawud finally surrendered to the Dutch in 1903 after his two wives, his son and mother were over ih was first captured by the Dutch. The Aceh Sultanate finally fell completely in 1904.

At that time, almost all of Aceh has been taken by the Dutch. The rise of nationalism While in the reign of the Dutch, the Acehnese began to cooperate with other regions of Indonesia and engaged in various nationalist and political movements. Aceh is increasingly engaged in the Indonesian nationalist movement. When the Volksraad (parliament) was formed, Teuku Nyak Arif was elected the first representative of Aceh. (Nyak Arif was inaugurated as governor of Aceh by the first governor of Sumatra, Moehammad Hasan As Japan began waging war to expel European colonialists from Asia, Acehnese leaders sent envoys to Japanese war leaders to help drive the Dutch out of Aceh Negotiations began in the year 1940. After several landing plans were canceled, on February 9, 1942, the Japanese military forces landed in the Ujong Batee area of ​​Aceh Besar, where they were greeted by Acehnese warriors and the general public.The entry of Japan into Aceh left the Netherlands permanently displaced from the soil of Aceh .

Initially Japan was kind and respectful to the people and Acehnese leaders, and respected the beliefs and customs of Aceh that breathed Islam. People do not hesitate to help and participate in Japanese development programs. But when things improved, the harassment of Acehnese people, especially women, began to be conducted by Japanese army personnel. Acehnese people who are Muslims are being ordered to bow to the sunrise in the morning, a behavior that is very contrary to the Islamic creed. Therefore, the resistance of the people of Aceh to Japan across the Aceh region was broken. the most notable example is the resistance led by Teungku Abdul Jalil, a cleric from the Bayu area, near Lhokseumawe.

The Time of the Republic of Indonesia Since 1976, the liberation organization called Gerakan Aceh Merdeka (GAM) has attempted to separate Aceh from Indonesia through military efforts. On August 15, 2005, GAM and the Indonesian government finally signed a peace agreement ending the conflict between the two parties that had lasted for almost 30 years. On December 26, 2004, a major earthquake caused a tsunami that struck much of Aceh's west coast, including Banda Aceh, and caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of lives. After the 2004 earthquake and tsunami, in 2005, the Government of the Republic of Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement agreed to end the conflict in Aceh. The agreement was signed in Finland, with a major role than former Finnish senior Marti Ahtisaari. Source Everything about the Kingdom of Aceh within the Palace Darut Donya Cap Sikureung (cap Nine Meuligoe White Elephant Warrior Army Aceh War Aceh War began since the Dutch declared war on Aceh on March 26, 1873 after making several diplomatic threats, but did not succeed in seizing large territory. blazed in 1883, but failed again, and in 1892 and 1893 the Dutch assumed that they had failed to seize Aceh Dr Snouck Hurgronje, an Islamic scholar from the University of Leiden who had won the trust of many Acehnese leaders, suggestions to the Dutch that their attacks were directed against the clergy, not to the sovereign.This suggestion was successful.In 1898, JB van Heutsz was declared the governor of Aceh, and with his lieutenant Hendricus Colijn seizing most of Aceh Sultan M. Dawud finally surrendered to the Dutch in 1903 after his two wives, his son and mother were over ih was first captured by the Dutch. The Aceh Sultanate finally fell completely in 1904.

At that time, almost all of Aceh has been taken by the Dutch. The rise of nationalism While in the reign of the Dutch, the Acehnese began to cooperate with other regions of Indonesia and engaged in various nationalist and political movements. Aceh is increasingly engaged in the Indonesian nationalist movement. When the Volksraad (parliament) was formed, Teuku Nyak Arif was elected the first representative of Aceh. (Nyak Arif was inaugurated as governor of Aceh by the first governor of Sumatra, Moehammad Hasan As Japan began waging war to expel European colonialists from Asia, Acehnese leaders sent envoys to Japanese war leaders to help drive the Dutch out of Aceh Negotiations began in the year 1940. After several landing plans were canceled, on February 9, 1942, the Japanese military forces landed in the Ujong Batee area of ​​Aceh Besar, where they were greeted by Acehnese warriors and the general public.The entry of Japan into Aceh left the Netherlands permanently displaced from the soil of Aceh .

Initially Japan was kind and respectful to the people and Acehnese leaders, and respected the beliefs and customs of Aceh that breathed Islam. People do not hesitate to help and participate in Japanese development programs. But when things improved, the harassment of Acehnese people, especially women, began to be conducted by Japanese army personnel. Acehnese people who are Muslims are being ordered to bow to the sunrise in the morning, a behavior that is very contrary to the Islamic creed. Therefore, the resistance of the people of Aceh to Japan across the Aceh region was broken. the most notable example is the resistance led by Teungku Abdul Jalil, a cleric from the Bayu area, near Lhokseumawe.

The Time of the Republic of Indonesia Since 1976, the liberation organization called Gerakan Aceh Merdeka (GAM) has attempted to separate Aceh from Indonesia through military efforts. On August 15, 2005, GAM and the Indonesian government finally signed a peace agreement ending the conflict between the two parties that had lasted for almost 30 years. On December 26, 2004, a major earthquake caused a tsunami that struck much of Aceh's west coast, including Banda Aceh, and caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of lives. After the 2004 earthquake and tsunami, in 2005, the Government of the Republic of Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement agreed to end the conflict in Aceh. The agreement was signed in Finland, with a major role than former Finnish senior Marti Ahtisaari. Source (http://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aceh-History).

The symbol of Aceh

The symbol of Aceh is Pancacita. Pancacita is the five ideals, namely keadilam, heroism, prosperity, harmony, and prosperity. The symbol of Aceh is a rectangular shape that resembles a cap. In the shield there are dacin (scales), rencong, rice, cotton, pepper, factory chimney, mosque domes (between rice and cotton), books and kalam. Justice is developed with dacin. Heroism is symbolized by recong. Prosperity is represented by rice, cotton, pepper, and factory chimneys. Harmony is symbolized by the dome of the mosque. While the welfare symbolized the book and kalam.

Population

The ethnic group of Aceh Province has 13 indigenous tribes, namely:

1. Suku Aceh
2. Suku Tamiang
3. Suku Gayo
4. Suku Alas
5. Suku Kluet
6. Suku Julu
7. Suku Pakpak
8. Suku Aneuk Jamee
9. Suku Sigulai
10. Suku Lekon
11. Suku Devayan
12. Suku Haloban
13. Suku Nias

Map of Aceh

Acehnese are descendants of various tribes, peoples, and nations. The ancestors of Acehnese came from Peninsular Malaysia, Cham, Cochin China, Cambodia. In addition, many foreign descendants in the land of Aceh, Arabs and Indians are known closely after the spread of Islam in the soil of Aceh. The Arabs who came to Aceh came from the province of Hadramaut (Yemen), evidenced by their clans Al Aydrus, Al Habsyi, Al-Attas, Al-Kathiri, Badjubier, Sungkar, Bawazier and others, all of which are clans of the clan of the nation Arab from Yemen. They come as scholars and trade. Today many of them are already married with the natives of Aceh, and remove the name of his margin While the Indian people mostly from Gujarat and Tamil. Can be proved by the appearance of the Acehnese face, as well as the variety of food (curry), as well as the cultural heritage of the Old Hindu (the names of villages taken from the Indian language, eg Indra Puri). Indian descent can be found scattered throughout Aceh.

Because of the geographical location adjacent the Indian descent is quite dominant in Aceh. Chinese merchants also had close relationships with the Acehnese, evidenced by the arrival of Admiral Cheng Ho, who had stopped by and rewarded Aceh with a big bell, now known as the Cakra Donya Clock, tucked away in Banda Aceh. Since then, the trade relations between Aceh and China have been quite intimate, and the Chinese sailors have made Aceh a major transit port before continuing its voyage to Europe.

There were also many Persian (Iranian / Afghan) and Turkish descendants, they had come at the invitation of the Kingdom of Aceh to become clerics, arms dealers, warrior trainers and war soldiers of Aceh kingdom, and now their descendants are mostly scattered in Aceh Besar. Until now the Acehnese are very fond of the names of Persian and Turkish heritage. Even Banda's name, in the name of the city of Banda Aceh is also the legacy of the Persians (Banda / Bandar meaning: Port). In addition there is also a descendant of the Portuguese, in the territory of Kuala Daya, Lam No (west coast of Aceh).

They were descended from Portuguese sailors under the captain of Captain Pinto, who sailed for Malacca (Malaysia), and had stopped and traded in Lam No region, and most of them remained and settled in Lam no. History records this event occurring between the years 1492-1511, at that time Lam No under the rule of small kingdom Lam No, leader of King Meureuhom Daya. Until now still can be seen offspring of those who still have a profile of the European face is still thick. History also noted that world-class great figures such as, Marco Polo, Ibn Battuta, and Kublai Khan, had stopped at the soil of Aceh.

Language

The regional languages ​​in Aceh are:

1. Bahasa Aceh
2. Bahasa Tamiang
3. Bahasa Gayo
4. Bahasa Alas
5. Bahasa Kluet
6. Bahasa Julu
7. Bahasa Pakpak
8. Bahasa Jamee
9. Bahasa Sigulai
10. Bahasa Lekon
11. Bahasa Devayan
12. Bahasa Haloban
13. Bahasa Nias.

Religion

The majority of the population in the province of Aceh embraced Islam. In addition, the province of Aceh has a distinctness compared with other provinces, because in this province Islamic Sharia applied to most of its citizens who embraced Islam.

Education

In terms of education, in fact the province gained special status other than D.I. Yogyakarta. However, the existing developments do not indicate the suitability between the given status and the reality. Education in Aceh can be said to be slumped. One of the causes is prolonged conflict, with thousands of schools and other educational institutions being victimized. At UAN (National Final Examination) 2005 there are thousands of students who do not pass and have to take retest.

Aceh also has a number of State Universities such as:

University of Syiah Kuala
IAIN Ar-Raniry
University of Malikussaleh
Lhokseumawe State Polytechnic