Minangkabau people, also known as Minang, are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the Minangkabau Highlands of West Sumatra, Indonesia. The Minangkabau's West Sumatera homelands was the seat of the Pagaruyung Kingdom, believed by early historians to have been the cradle of the Malay race, and the location of the Padri War.
West Sumatra is a province of Indonesia. It is on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. West Sumatra borders the Indian Ocean to the west, as well as the provinces of North Sumatra to the north, Riau to the northeast, Jambi to the southeast, and Bengkulu to the south. The province has an area of 42,119.54 km2 (16,262.45 sq mi), with a population of 5,534,472 at the 2020 census. The official estimate at mid 2022 was 5,640,629. The province is subdivided into twelve regencies and seven cities. It has relatively more cities than other provinces outside Java, although several of them are relatively low in population compared with cities elsewhere in Indonesia. Padang is the province's capital and largest city.
Payakumbuh is the second largest city in West Sumatra province, Indonesia, with a population of 116,825 at the 2010 Census and 139,576 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2022 was 143,325 - comprising 72,186 males and 71,139 females. It covers an area of 80.42 km² and is in the Minangkabau Highlands, 120 km by road from the West Sumatran capital city of Padang and 180 km from the Riau capital city of Pekanbaru.
Bukittinggi is the third largest city in West Sumatra, Indonesia, with a population of 111,312 in 2010 and 121,028 in 2020, and an official estimate as at mid 2022 of 122,311 - comprising 61,198 males and 61,113 females. It covers an area of 25.24 km2. It is located in the Minangkabau Highlands, 90 km by road from the West Sumatran capital city of Padang. The whole area directly borders to the Agam Regency, making it an enclave, and is located at 0°18′20″S100°22′9″E, near the volcanoes Mount Singgalang (inactive) and Mount Marapi. At 930 m above sea level, the city has a cool climate with temperatures between 16.1° to 24.9 °C.
Malay houses refer to the vernacular dwellings of the Malays, an ethno-linguistic group inhabiting Sumatra, coastal Borneo and the Malay Peninsula.
Rumah Gadang or Rumah Bagonjong "house for the Minangkabau people" are the traditional homes of the Minangkabau in West Sumatra, Indonesia. The architecture, construction, internal and external decoration, and the functions of the house reflect the culture and values of the Minangkabau. A Rumah Gadang serves as a residence, a hall for family meetings, and for ceremonial activities. In the matrilineal Minangkabau society, the Rumah Gadang is owned by the women of the family who live there; ownership is passed from mother to daughter.
Tanah Datar Regency is a landlocked regency (kabupaten) in West Sumatra province, Indonesia. The regency has an area of 1,336 km2, and had a population of 338,484 at the 2010 Census, which rose to 371,704 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as of mid-2022 was 376,276 - comprising 188,551 males and 187,725 females. The regency seat is the town of Batusangkar. The city of Padang Panjang is also geographically located within the regency but constitutes a municipality of its own.
The architecture of Indonesia reflects the diversity of cultural, historical, and geographic influences that have shaped Indonesia as a whole. Invaders, colonizers, missionaries, merchants, and traders brought cultural changes that had a profound effect on building styles and techniques.
Pagaruyung Palace is the istana of the former Pagaruyung Kingdom, located in Tanjung Emas subdistrict near Batusangkar town, Tanah Datar Regency, West Sumatra, Indonesia. It was built in the traditional Minangkabau Rumah Gadang vernacular architectural style but had several atypical elements including a three-story structure and a larger dimension in comparison to common rumah gadang.
Pariangan is a Minangkabau village located in the regency of Tanah Datar, West Sumatra province, Indonesia. The village is located on the lower slopes of Mount Marapi, a highly active volcano, at a distance of fifteen kilometres from the market town of Batu Sangkar. Despite its size, the village is of great cultural and historical significance to the Minangkabau people.
Jam Gadang is a clock tower, major landmark, and tourist attraction in the city of Bukittinggi, West Sumatra, Indonesia. It is in the centre of the city, near the main market, Pasar Ateh. It has large clocks on each face.
Rumah adat are traditional houses built in any of the vernacular architecture styles of Indonesia, collectively belonging to the Austronesian architecture. The traditional houses and settlements of the several hundreds ethnic groups of Indonesia are extremely varied and all have their own specific history. It is the Indonesian variants of the whole Austronesian architecture found all over places where Austronesian people inhabited from the Pacific to Madagascar each having their own history, culture and style.
Rangkiang is a granary or rice barn of the Minangkabau people used to keep rice. The rangkiang is a distinctive feature of Minangkabau architecture. The structure is traditionally found in the courtyard of a rumah gadang, the traditional house of Minangkabau people.
Koto Baru Grand Mosque is one of the oldest mosques in Indonesia located in Koto Baru Nagari, Sungai Pagu District, South Solok Regency, West Sumatra.
The Tuo Koto Nan Ampek Mosque, also known as Gadang Balai Nan Duo Mosque is one of the oldest mosques in Indonesia located in Koto Nan Ampek Nagari, now administratively included into the area of Balai Nan Duo village, West Payakumbuh District, city of Payakumbuh, West Sumatera. The Minangkabau architecture is thought to have been built in 1840, which was originally covered with fiber roofs before being replaced with zinc. Currently other than being used for Muslim worship activities, this single-level mosque is also used by the surrounding community as a means of religious education.
Nurul Iman Mosque of Koto Gadang or Tapi Koto Gadang Mosque is one of the oldest mosques in Indonesia, located in Koto Gadang Nagari, Agam Regency, West Sumatra. This mosque is the largest mosque in Koto Gadang area.
Rumah ulu is a vernacular house found in the highland of South Sumatra, Indonesia. The house is associated with the Uluan people who reside in the region of the upstream of the Ogan and Musi River.
A balairung is a village hall of the Minangkabau people of West Sumatra, Indonesia. It has a similar architectural form to the rumah gadang, the domestic architecture of the Minangkabau people. Whereas a rumah gadang is a proper building, the balairung is a pavilion-like structure used solely for holding a consensus decision-making process in the Minang society.
Sundanese traditional house refers to the traditional vernacular houses of the Sundanese people, who predominantly inhabited the western parts of Java island, Indonesia. The architecture of a Sundanese house is characterized by its functionality, simplicity, modesty, uniformity with a little detail, its use of natural thatched materials, and the quite faithful adherence to harmony with nature and the environment.
Minangkabau culture is the culture of the Minangkabau ethnic group in Indonesia, part of the Indonesian culture. This culture is one of the two major cultures in the Indonesian archipelago which is very prominent and influential.
