TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Motorcycle expedition to honor last sultan of Aceh
The expedition will cover 7,000 kilometers across Sumatra.
Change Size
An aerial view of the Kilometer Zero Monument in Sabang, Aceh. (Shutterstock/File)
A
t first glance, the Kemiri Rawamangun public cemetery (TPU) in East Jakarta may look like any other TPU in the capital. However, it actually hosts the grave of Muhammad Daud Syah, the last sultan of the Aceh Darussalam Kingdom, who passed away on Feb. 6, 1939.
Positioned higher than the others, the grave has “Tuanku Sultan Muhammad Daud ibnal Marhum Tuanku Zainal Abidin Alaiddin Syah” carved on its headstone.
Muhammad Daud Syah was known for its tenacity in fighting against the Dutch. He joined the guerilla war before he was caught and exiled to Java. He never recognized the Netherlands' sovereignty over Aceh throughout his life.
Read also: Aceh historical travel book now available
Commemorating Muhammad Daud Syah, the Ride for Heroes (RFH) movement is to set off on a two-wheeled expedition from Jakarta to the Kilometer Zero Monument in Sabang city of Aceh for a distance of 7,000 kilometers.
The RFH Sumatra Series expedition is to start on Dec. 1 and participants are to travel across most of the provinces of Sumatra, including Lampung, Jambi and West Sumatra.
Aiming to explore history and rebuild a sense of patriotism, their journey will be made into a documentary. The riders will be divided into three groups. Those who want to participate can visit the official website.
RFH undertook its first expedition in 2017 when participants explored the southern beaches of Java. They stopped by several places on their trip, among them the PETA (Japanese-led volunteer army for Indonesians) museum in Bogor, West Java, and the Renville Agreement Monument in Banjarnegara, Central Java.
The 2017 expedition documentary can be watched on YouTube. (wir/kes)
