Rumoh Aceh

Nur Muhammad Julian Triasa

SMAKBo Indonesia

An individual or community’s confidence and their surrounding nature have a significant influence against the architecture of the buildings or home that they made. this can be seen from architecture of “Rumoh Aceh”, in Daerah Istimewa Aceh province, Indonesia. Rumoh Aceh, is a stage house with a high pole for about 2,5 – 3 meters, consists of three or five rooms, with one main room that also called by “rambat”. Rumoh with three rooms have a sixteen poles, while Rumoh with five rooms have a twenty-four poles. A modification from three to five rooms or reverse, can be done easily, just add or remove some part in right or left side of the Rumoh. This part can called by “sramoe likot” or back stoep and “sramoe bertangga” or ladder stoep, it`s the entry to the Rumoh that always are in the east.

The main door of Rumoh Aceh always have a lower height from adults-man. usually, the height of this door is just 120 – 150 cm, so every people that enter to Rumoh Aceh must bow down. But when we already inside, we`ll feel space is very roomy as in no furniture. All people sitting on “ngom” mats ( made from “ilalang” kind that grow in swamp ) that coated by pandanous mats.

Rumoh Aceh isn`t just an ordinary residential, but also an expression of trust in god and adaptation to nature. Therefore, through Rumoh Aceh, we can see culture, ways of life and the point that believed by the people of Aceh. Rumoh Aceh that forms a raised platform, poles that made from special wood, walls made from board and roof made from sago palm is adaptation of Aceh’s people against their environment. Utilization of nature can also be seen when they want to combine the parts of Rumoh, They don`t use any nails but they use pegs or ropes of rattan. Altough, just made from wood, with roof from sago palm`s leafs and unnails hehehehe^^, but Rumoh Aceh can stood still for about 200 years.

The influence of Aceh`s public confidence against home buildings architecture can be seen on home orientation that always that always lengthwise from east to west, that the front part is always facing east and backside that sacred always facing west, west direction is reflecting an effort of Aceh`s people to build imaginary line with Ka`bah that located in Mekkah. Beside that, the influence of faith can also be seen from the use of buffer poles that are always in even amount but the number of rooms are always odd.
The existence of Rumoh Aceh is also to show the social status of the owner. The more they have a garnish on their Rumoh, the more they rich. For the family that don`t have much wealth, then it`s enough with less of garnish or even with out garnish.

The Modern Appearence of Rumoh Aceh

The Old Appearence of Rumoh Aceh