Traveling to Siak Town

Yesterday I went to Siak Town in Riau Province. The travel was soooo exhausting you know, sit for hours in the car. I went there with my family, there are my mom, my dad, my little brother and me myself. We leave the Payakumbuh Town at 3 PM on Saturday, then return back at night and arrived home safely at 3.30 AM on Monday. What a short time with a long route.. and it was soooo exhausting!! But after all, it was good. Yeah. Hehe.

Siak Town is located in the east region of Riau Province. It is about 220 km from my town, Payakumbuh, West Sumatra. There is something like a very large green preview around the way to Siak Town from Pekanbaru City because on the right and left side of the way, there is almost filled with palm trees everywhere. The way to the town from Pekanbaru is a very long straightway I ever had. The view is very different from my hometown in West Sumatra, where there are many hills and mountains over the way, but this one is almost filled with flat land with palm and another thin tree and it is very broad.

Siak Town is exactly near Malaysia and Singapore, called the “Growth Triangle”. There was famously known as the Siak Sri Indrapura Kingdom, with a Palace located in the center of the town, named Siak Palace (In Indonesian called Istana Siak). The history of this Palace is about the Kingdom of Sultan Syarif Kasim who was the most famous king of the kingdom, and there was Sultan Syarif Kasim II, the son of Sultan Syarif Kasim who became the last king before the kingdom joins the Republic of Indonesia in 1945.

Siak Palace

I arrived at the palace on Sunday mid-morning. Exactly, the palace isn’t too big, but the architecture is quite beautiful. In the previous I think, the architecture is about Malayan, but actually, it’s more look like an Arabian or Persian architecture. Now, the palace is transformed to become a Museum, and you can see the historical relics and any historical photographs of the Siak Sri Indrapura Kingdom that are well preserved.

Besides that, in Siak Town you may see the Siak Bridge when you enter the town. The bridge is extended on the Siak River, known as the deepest river in Indonesia. It’s beautiful too. The architect is nearly like a Musi Bridge in Palembang, but the length is shorter I think.

Siak Bridge

Siak Bridge

Another beautiful building there is Siak Mosque. Its located near the bridge and Siak River. The hall of the mosque is very clean, large, and cool. The carpet is very soft and there were many big fan hinge on the wall. We did shalat there and it was very peaceful. But, I’m quite sad because the jama’ah of the mosque is measly, even there is maybe no one except us the travelers. Adzan is not always heard there, and I didn’t see any local prayers. Soo Saaadd!!! How can this big mosque doesn’t has it? Is that because the location of the mosque is far from the community houses? Oh my God.. It seems to me that the mosque only becomes an ornament of the town. How sad. (_ _”) Masya Allah. I hope my opinion is wrong.

Siak Mosque

These three buildings become the icons of Siak Town. But, there were still a lot of luxurious buildings with a Malayan architecture standing around the way of the Town. But, these luxurious buildings look uninhabited. I think this building is an asset of any rich people of Riau palm oil entrepreneurs. The town look arranged very good, but it’s only much of road and the houses is still a little. The community of the town itself is far from the gate of the town. But I think, this Siak Town could be a big town in the future, maybe it could become a rich people community, especially the community of Riau palm entrepreneurs.

After all.., that’s a story of Siak Town I visited. It was nice to go there, and maybe you should come there too.. 😀