The Indonesian island of Sumatra is the sixth largest island in the world. The rich ethnic diversity and historical heritage in Sumatra is reflected in the range of

architectural style An architectural style is a set of characteristics and features that make a building or other structure notable or historically identifiable. It is a sub-class of style in the visual arts generally, and most styles in architecture relate closely ...

s in the island. The vernacular style is the native Sumatran ethnic groups architecture of dwellings, while the Hindu-Buddhist architecture reflected through the cultural historical heritage of candis built in Sumatra. The third wave is

Islamic architecture Islamic architecture comprises the architectural styles of buildings associated with Islam. It encompasses both secular and religious styles from the early history of Islam to the present day. The Islamic world encompasses a wide geographic ...

adopted in mosques and palace in Sumatra, especially in Aceh, North Sumatra, and Malay cultural sphere in the island.

Vernacular architecture

Rumah Gadang Minangkabau PDIKM, Padang Panjang

The traditional

vernacular architecture Vernacular architecture is building done outside any academic tradition, and without professional guidance. This category encompasses a wide range and variety of building types, with differing methods of construction, from around the world, bo ...

including: * Batak architecture * Rumah uma from Mentawai * Uma (Gajo house) from the Gayo district near Aceh *

Omo sebua The Omo sebua is a traditional house style of the Nias people from Nias island, Indonesia. They are built only for the houses of village's chiefs. Situated in the centre of a village, ''omo sebua'' are built on massive ironwood piles and have tower ...

Nias Nias ( id, Pulau Nias, Nias language: ''Tanö Niha'') (sometimes called Little Sumatra in English) is an island located off the western coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. Nias is also the name of the archipelago () of which the island is the centre, ...

* Rumah Gadang of the

Minangkabau Minangkabau may refer to: * Minangkabau culture, culture of the Minangkabau people * Minangkabau Culture Documentation and Information Center * Minangkabau Express, an airport rail link service serving Minangkabau International Airport (''see belo ...

* Rumoh Aceh, the traditional vernacular houses of Aceh * Rumah Melayu, the traditional home of the

ethnic Malays Malays ( ms, Orang Melayu, Jawi: أورڠ ملايو) are an Austronesian ethnic group native to eastern Sumatra, the Malay Peninsula and coastal Borneo, as well as the smaller islands that lie between these locations — areas that are col ...

from the east coast of Sumatra ( Palembang, Jambi,

Bengkulu Bengkulu is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the southwest coast of Sumatra. It was formed on 18 November 1968 by separating out the former Bencoolen Residency area from the province of South Sumatra under Law No. 9 of 1967 and was fi ...

Riau Riau is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the central eastern coast of Sumatra along the Strait of Malacca. The province shares land borders with North Sumatra to the northwest, West Sumatra to the west, and Jambi to the south. Acco ...

Riau archipelago The Riau Archipelago is a ''geographic'' term (as opposed to administrative region) for the core group of islands within the Riau Islands Province in Indonesia, and located south of Singapore and east of Riau on Sumatra. Before the province of R ...

, eastern

North Sumatera North Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Utara) is a province of Indonesia located on the northern part of the island of Sumatra. Its capital and largest city is Medan. North Sumatra is Indonesia's fourth most populous province after West Java, East Java and ...

and

Aceh Tamiang Regency Aceh Tamiang Regency ( id, Kabupaten Aceh Tamiang) is a regency in the east of Aceh province of Indonesia, bordering on North Sumatra Province to the east. It is located on the island of Sumatra. The regency covers an area of 1,957.02 square ...

) * Traditional architecture of Enggano * Nua, the traditional houses of the

Lampung Lampung ( Lampung: ), officially the Province of Lampung ( id, Provinsi Lampung) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the southern tip of the island of Sumatra. It has a short border with the province of Bengkulu to the northwest, and ...

area * Lontiok House, the traditional house of Kampar

Hindu-Buddhist architecture

Several Hindu-Buddhist architecture in the form of candis (temples) dated from 7th to 13th century are found scaterred in Sumatra. These temples are mostly linked to Buddhist maritime empire of Srivijaya. Although not as grand and elaborately designed as Hindu-Buddhist temples of Java, the temples of Sumatra mostly built from red brick material have their own style, these temples among other: *

Muaro Jambi Temple Compounds Muaro Jambi ( id, Candi Muaro Jambi) is a Buddhist temple complex, in Muaro Jambi Regency, Jambi province, Sumatra, Indonesia. It is situated 26 kilometers east from the city of Jambi. The temple complex was built by the Melayu Kingdom, with i ...

, Jambi * Muara Takus temples,

Bahal temple Candi Bahal, also known as Biaro Bahal (''biaro'', derived from '' vihara'', a monastery) or Candi Portibi (Batak ''portibi'', derived from prithivi, "earth") is Vajrayana Buddhist candi complex in Bahal village, Padang Bolak, Portibi, Padang ...

, North Sumatra *Angsoka temple, Palembang *Bumi Ayu temple,

Muara Enim Regency Muara Enim Regency is a regency of South Sumatra Province, Indonesia. The regency seat is the town of Muara Enim. The city of Prabumulih is an administrative body separating the main part of Muara Enim to the south of the city from a smaller part ...

South Sumatra South Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Selatan) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the southeast of the island of Sumatra, The province spans and had a population of 8,467,432 at the 2020 Census. The capital of the province is Palembang. The prov ...

Islamic architecture

Islam reached northern Sumatra first before any other part of the archipelago. The

adopted in Sumatran Sultanates mosques and istanas (palaces). The most notable architecture influences are Persian and Indian Mughal architecture. Examples of Islamic architecture in Sumatra are: *Asserayah Hasyimiyah Palace,

Baiturrahman Grand Mosque Baiturrahman Grand Mosque ( id, Masjid Raya Baiturrahman; Acehnese: ''Meuseujid Raya Baiturrahman'') is a Mosque located in the center of Banda Aceh city, Aceh Province, Indonesia. The Baiturrahman Grand Mosque is a symbol of religion, culture, ...

, Banda Aceh *Medan Grand Mosque,

Medan Medan (; English: ) is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of North Sumatra, as well as a regional hub and financial centre of Sumatra. According to the National Development Planning Agency, Medan is one of the four mai ...

Maimun Palace Maimoon Palace or Maimun Palace ( id, Istana Maimun) is an '' istana'' (royal palace) of the Sultanate of Deli and a well-known landmark in Medan, the capital city of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia. Today, it serves as a museum. The name is the Ara ...

* Muhammadan Mosque,

Padang Padang () is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of West Sumatra. With a Census population of 1,015,000 as of 2022, it is the 16th most populous city in Indonesia and the most populous city on the west coast of Sumatra. Th ...

*Mosque and Palace complex of Penyengat Island,

Riau Islands The Riau Islands ( id, Kepulauan Riau) is a province of Indonesia. It comprises a total of 1,796 islands scattered between Sumatra, Malay Peninsula, and Borneo including the Riau Archipelago. Situated on one of the world's busiest shipping lan ...

*Palembang Grand Mosque, Palembang

Vernacular architecture

Hindu-Buddhist architecture

Islamic architecture

See also