Meuseugit Kaya — “the rich mosque” or, more loosely, “the great mosque” — was one of the principal mosques of the capital of Acheh before the Dutch war. In The Achehnese Vol. I, Snouck Hurgronje cites it as a topographical landmark that recurs in the ritual dialogues (rampai) of Achehnese ceremonial receptions.
A Landmark of the Capital
The name Meuseugit Kaya appears in a ritual dialogue between two parties of guests at a wedding or other ceremonial occasion, where the speakers describe the spot on which they stand. “We who are not familiar acquaintances,” says one party, “have no claim to be received within the house.” The reply comes: “Close to the Meuseugit Kaya,” and the parties are then invited to step forward to the sitting-mat. The mention of the mosque thus serves as a way of orienting the listener in the topography of the capital, and the very name implies that the building was a familiar and conspicuous feature of pre-war Banda Acheh.
The Topography of the Old Capital
The Dalam, or residence of the Sultan, formed the nucleus of a number of fine and prosperous gampongs before the war. The centre of these, with its mosque and market-place, was called Banda Acheh — that is, the capital or trading-mart of Acheh — and gave the tone to the whole country in matters of custom, dress, and manners. The most important of these gampongs were Gampong Jawa, Pande, Peunayong, Lam Bhu, Lu’eng Bata, Lam Seupeu’eng, Ateung, Batoh and Meura’sa. The Meuseugit Kaya, though not named in this list, evidently stood in the same quarter, and served — like Meuseugit Raya of the Capital — as a focal point for the religious and civic life of the town.
See Also
Source
The Achehnese, Vol. I, by Dr. C. Snouck Hurgronje, translated by A.W.S. O’Sullivan, indexed by R.J. Wilkinson. Leyden: E.J. Brill, 1906.