Maimun Palace, Royal palace in Medan, Indonesia
Maimun Palace is a royal residence in Medan built in the late 19th century with multiple wings and columned arcades. The yellow facade mixes arch forms from different architectural styles, and balconies with wrought-iron grilles open onto a wide plaza.
Sultan Ma'mun Al Rashid Perkasa Alamsyah of Deli ordered the palace built between 1887 and 1891. The Dutch engineer Theodoor van Erp designed it, and the Dutch engineer A. P. Melchior, later director of B.O.W., is also credited. It is the last surviving Malay palace, spared during the East Sumatra revolution because British troops protected it.
The name Maimun comes from the Arabic word for "blessing". The palace now serves as a museum, and its interior combines Deli Malay heritage with Islamic and Indian architecture and Spanish and Italian furniture and fittings.
The entrance sits on Brigadier General Katamso Street in Medan's old quarter, about ten minutes on foot from the main square. Visitors can enter the main hall and some wings, but certain private rooms of the family remain closed.
A throne room inside keeps the original marble floor and a gilded ceiling with floral motifs. Cannons from the colonial era stand at the entrance gate and were placed during the sultanate's rule.
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