Sumatra Excursions
Bukkitinggi, Sumatra © Judith Duk
Bukittinggi
Meaning 'high place', Bukittinggi is situated on a hill and set
among majestic mountains, green plantations and rice terraces. One
of the friendliest and most easy-going towns in Sumatra, it is home
to the Minangkabau people and the area is seeped in the Minang
culture, which is Muslim and strongly matrilineal. It is the
commercial, educational and administrative centre of the highlands.
One of the features of the town is the characteristic architecture
- wooden houses with curved roofs soaring to a point representative
of buffalo horns and decorated with beautiful wooden carvings. The
Jam Gadang (Great Clock) is a Maningkabau-style clock tower and the
town's landmark, overlooking the bustling market place that is
crammed with fruit, vegetables and clothing stalls, and rickety
horsecarts whose drivers insist on squeezing them through the
colourful chaos.
