Grand Mosque

The main mosque of Banda Aceh was first built in 1612. That structure was destroyed by fire from a Dutch siege in 1873. After taking Aceh, to ease the ire of the local population, the Dutch built a new mosque, evoking a Moghul design, since the architect was based in India. The original structure had just a single dome. Later governors expanded it to three domes, then five, and finally the current seven.

The mosque sits in a large grassy enclosure, with a tall free-standing minaret near the eastern entrance. You may enter the grounds if you're properly dressed, but the mosque itself is only open to Muslims.