Aceh is located at the tip of Sumatra Island, the westernmost province in Indonesia with the capital city of Aceh Province, Banda Aceh City. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean in the West, the Bay of Bengal in the north, the Malacca Strait on the east side.
Aceh is known as one of the points where the spread of Islam began in Indonesia and played an important role in the spread of Islam in Southeast Asia. In the early 17th century, the Sultanate of Aceh was the strongest and most advanced nation in the Malacca Strait in its time. Until now the people of Aceh still adhere to Islamic law, evidenced by the implementation of government and social order in accordance with Islamic sharia.
Aceh had become the center of attention of the world during the disaster of the Indian Ocean tsunami on December 26, 2004 where hundreds of thousands of people were killed in the disaster. The Aceh Tsunami Museum is a memorial monument built by renowned Indonesian Architecture, Ridwan Kamil. The museum is a center for education, exhibitions, disaster mitigation, and emergency shelter when a tsunami occurs again
Tourist Attractions and Culture:
Aceh has a UNESCO Geopark site for Sumatra’s Tropical Rainforest Heritage, known as Gunung Leuser National Park (GLNP), established along the Bukit Barisan line from Kutacane in Southeast Aceh to Ulu Masen in Aceh Jaya.
Gayo Aceh Arabica coffee is the best premium organic coffee in the world, recognized by the Specialty Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE)
Aceh Saman Dance is recognized by UNESCO as a Non-Objective Cultural Heritage in 2011 https://ich.unesco.org/en/USL/saman-dance-00509
Aceh includes the leading Halal Tourism Destinations in Indonesia. Halal tourism prioritizes facilities that are appropriate and respect Islamic rules in aspects of food, accommodation, facilities, and behavior and adab. With the concept of halal tourism, every Aceh tourism product and service is designed to meet the needs of tourists, especially Muslim tourists, starting from halal restaurants (without pork and alcohol), lodging, worship facilities for Muslims, and so on.
Tips:
As the Acehnese are religious communities, visiting tourists are expected to respect spiritual life, customs in the local area by wearing polite clothes and covering their shoulders and feet. As a halal tourism object, Destinations in Aceh have historical tourism objects, a cultural heritage of the Islamic Empire in Aceh and a wealth of natural tourism, which can be enjoyed by travellers from all circles who want a new spiritual experience and atmosphere.