One of the historical heritages,. Which still can be seen in tact, is the Gunongan with is park. The Gunongan is located in the middle of the city of Banda Aceh, in the sukaramai village, the Baiturrahman sub district. This location can be reached by mini bus through Teuku Umar Street. The Gunongan Park is one F the Aceh Kingdom’s heritages that still exists, while the place (kraton) could not be saved from the Dutch attack.http://www.myeasytask.com/ref/2320

The Gunongan was built during the Sultan Isakandar Muda’s administration that ruled from 1607-1636. Sultan Iskandar Muda succeeded in conquering the Kingdoms of johor and pahang in Malacca Peninsula. The beautiful princess, that he brought from pahang and had nodle characters, made him fall in love with her and then married her, for the sake of his love, Sultan Iskandar Muda fulfilled the princess’ requies to built a beautifull park with a made up mountain (Gunongan) for her to entertain herself so that she would not miss the mountainous atsmosphere in her own country. Instead of a chatting place,the Gunongan also used as place to change the princess’ dress after taking a bath in the Isyiki River, which flow through the middle of the palace.

Brakel (1975) described in bustan, that Gunongan was known as gunungan originated from melayu “Gunung” adding a suffix “an”and giving the meaning of the mountain. Thus the Gunongan was symbol of the mountain, which is part of the park in the Aceh Sultanate place.http://www.acehnewsweb.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=83

Gunongan is part of a larger complex,Desire Park, which is part of the Palece Park. Nowadays,there are only four remaining buildings; Gunongan ,leusong(mortal) located right on the foot of the Gunongan-a little to the south east, stable-a square building in the north at the west east along the Daroy river, and big pinto Khop-a big gate made like a dome which used to face the palace member allowed to pass this gate. The followings are the detail of the Gunongan park.

First, Gunongan is 9,5 meters high,representing a flower made for three levels. The First level is located on the floor and the highest level, which has a pillar with a crown on, is located in the middle of the building. The entire form of the Gunongan is octagonal. The south verandah is a short corridor closed with a gate whose long buffer reaches the inside of the Gunongan.

Second, Penterana Batu berukir, The carved stone throne is a round chair, like a calyx of a flower begin to blossom with a concave hole in the middle. However, the only thing that is located next to the Gunongan beside the river.

Third, Kandang Baginda. His Majestic Stable is location for the funerals of Sultan’s royal families of the Aceh Kingdom, among them the tombs of Sultan Iskandar Tsani (1641-1641) who was the son in law of Sultan Iskandar Muda and the wife of the Sultanah Tajul Alam (1641-1670). http://www.myeasytask.com/ref/2320

Fourth, Medan Khairani. The Khairani field was a vast plain in the west side of the Desire Park that once decorated with sand and gravel,wich was know as the pelinggam Gravel. Most of the field is used for Kerkoff, the Dutch military cemetery and also called pocut. The complex was used for burying the Dutch solder who died in the Aceh war (1873-1902).

Fifth, Balai were buildings that were constructed in large number within the Desire Park. Some of the Balai Kambang used for a rest place, Balai Gading for having parties, Balai Rekaan Cina-a rest building constructed by Chinese construction engineers, Balai Keemasan for a rest place wich was surrounded by sand wall. Unfortunately. None of the buildings mentioned still remain.

Sixth, Pinto Khop (pintu Biram Indrabangsa) is meant pearl sensory gate or the Goodness of kings. In the Bustan as Salatin it’s called Dewala. This gate was know n as pinto Khop, Which was a link between the palace and the desire Park. The Present restructuring of the city of Banda Aceh, the gate is no longer located in the same complex with the Gunongan Park

http://www.acehnewsweb.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=83

Published: February 25, 2009

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia: Nobel laureate Martti Ahtisaari warned that a hard-won peace in Indonesia's westernmost province of Aceh could unravel if upcoming elections are plagued by violence or cheating.http://www.acehnewsweb.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=archive&Itemid=63

He told a conference in the provincial capital on Tuesday that international monitors should help oversee the process.

The region has been relatively calm since the government signed a peace deal with separatists in 2005, ending 29 years of fighting that left 15,000 people dead, but there has been scattered political violence in recent weeks.

I refer to two articles published in The Jakarta Post on Feb. 26: First the editorial, titled "Another Aceh War?" and second, an article titled "Akhtisaari warns over fragile Aceh Peace".

Martti Akhtisaari is the former Finnish president who mediated the agreed Peace Accord between the Indonesian government and the Aceh Freedom Movement (GAM), signed in Helsinki in 2005. Akhtisaari visited Aceh recently.

The two articles describe the current security situation in Aceh, which needs the urgent attention of those officials responsible for this problem. I hope the articles refer to the security situation in some parts of Aceh and not the situation in the whole province. However I agree those security developments should not be neglected or belittled, they should be responded to proportionally.

A new duet: Megawati Soekarnoputri (left), chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), and Jusuf Kalla, chairman of Golkar Party, hold up letters of intent following their meeting in Jakarta on Thursday. JP/R. Berto Wedhatama

Jusuf Kalla and Megawati Soekarnoputri, the heads of the country’s two biggest political parties, met Thursday to explore a possible coalition in the presidential election.http://www.acehnewsweb.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=archive&Itemid=63

No coalition deal was reached at the much-awaited summit, but Vice President and Golkar Party chairman Kalla signed an agreement with former president and Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairwoman Megawati, aimed at building a strong government that would enjoy majority support from the House of Representatives.

Everybody is affected by the present global financial crisis. But not Indonesians Michael Hartono and brother R. Budi Hartono, owners of the country’s second-largest cigarette company, who made it into the annual list of billionaires, as published by Forbes magazine.

The ceremony was shrill and silly, and A.R. Rahman was forced to share his big musical moment with John Legend (who was himself replacing Peter Gabriel), but things worked out: the soundtrack to best picture winner Slumdog Millionaire, as well as best song "Jai Ho," have both registered significant post-Oscar jumps in sales. The soundtrack, which includes both of Millionaire's nominated songs as well as M.I.A.'s already-pretty-popular "Paper Planes," is now the number one selling album on iTunes, outselling both The Jonas Brothers and heavy metal monsters Lamb of God. Nice. Perhaps more intriguingly, the ecstatic, driving "Jai Ho" is now a Top 5 sales hit, climbing to #5 on the iTunes singles chart today. The official Billboard charts have not yet caught up with this week's sales, but it will be intriguing to see how those look next week. Also, for some reason the music industry powers that be decided it would be a good idea if the Pussycat Dolls did a "remix" of "Jai Ho," which one hopes might engender interest in the original amongst otherwise clueless demographics, but one worries might, er, hasten the end of the world. After the jump, the song in its original form (accompanying the dance scene from the film) and the new, Pussycatted version.