Baiturrahman Grand Mosque

The Baiturrahman Grand Mosque is the most iconic landmark of Banda Aceh, its brilliant white walls and black domes rising above a reflecting pool at the city centre. The original mosque was burned during the Dutch invasion in 1873, and the present structure was rebuilt from 1879 in an eclectic Indo-Saracenic style with pointed arches and multiple minarets. It survived the devastating 2004 tsunami largely intact and sheltered survivors, gaining deep symbolic weight. Its illuminated courtyards draw crowds each evening.