Black & White Royal Monument

This building is a trace of the first Islamic kingdom in Indonesia, known as Samudra Pasai. The Islamic empire founded by Meurah Silu in 1267 was a combined kingdom of the Pase and Peurlak kingdoms. The Samudra Pasai Kingdom reached its heyday in the 16th century.

Archaeological evidence of the existence of this kingdom is the tomb of the kings of Pasai in the village of Geudong, North Aceh. This tomb complex is located near the ruins of the central building of the Samudera kingdom in Beuringin Village, Samudera District, about 17 kilometers east of the city of Lhokseumawe.

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The Kingdom of Samudera Pasai has a very important role in the spread of Islam in Southeast Asia. They had many ties to various Islamic empires. To remember the heyday of Samudra Pasai in the country, the new and magnificent Samudra Pasai Monument was built.

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From a distance the Samudra Pasai Monument looks majestic with a slick instructor. This monument was built on an area of 7.7 hectares, 300 meters from the tomb complex of Sultan Malikussaleh, the founder of the Islamic Kingdom of Samudra Pasai.

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Samudra Pasai Monument was built in 2012 with Co-administration Funds from the Ministry of Education and Culture, through the Directorate of Cultural Conservation and Museum Preservation, Directorate General of Culture.

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The monument building is designed to have 3 floors. The first floor will function as an exhibition space, the field of culture, the field of tourism, a prayer room, a dance and music practice room, a multipurpose room, a warehouse, a management secretariat, a tour guide secretariat, and a research secretariat.

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The second floor will function as a cafe, restaurant and souvenir gallery, as well as a diorama will be made on the third floor. The attraction of the Samudra Pasai Monument is the 71 meter high tower.

Having a unique design, the Samudra Pasai Monument has been visited since 2019. Although it is not yet fully completed, visitors can enjoy selfies by erecting the monument. Bringing the feel of a royal style, this monument is also often used as a pre-wedding location.

The Samudra Pasai Kingdom was the first Islamic kingdom in Indonesia. The first king was Sultan Malik Al-Saleh. The Samudra Pasai Kingdom had a major influence in the spread of Islam in Indonesia. In its heyday, the Samudera Pasai Kingdom became a trading center. Many merchants from various countries came, such as from India, Siam, Arabia, and China.

The evidence for the existence of the Samudra Pasai kingdom is the news of Marco Polo, Ibn Battuta and the discovery of the tombstone of Sultan Malik As Saleh, the first king of Samudra Pasai. The news about Sultan Malik as-Saleh is explained on the tombstone made of white marble in Arabic letters. However, now visitors can only leak the Samudra Pasai Monument from a distance, you are curious, let's go there.

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This is my entry for the daily #monomad challenge hosted and curated by @monochromes.