MAIMOON PALACE IN THE MIDST OF SOCIAL REVOLUTION: ITS ROLE IN MAINTAINING MALAY IDENTITY IN POST-INDEPENDENCE MEDAN

Rudiansyah Tanjung, Achiriah Achiriah

Abstract


The 1946 Social Revolution in East Sumatra brought major changes to the power structure of the Malay Sultanates, including the Deli Sultanate. Although many palaces were destroyed, Maimun Palace remained as a symbol of glory and Malay cultural identity in Medan. This study aims to describe the condition of Maimun Palace after the social revolution and analyze its role in maintaining Malay identity in the post-independence era. The method used is a qualitative historical approach, with the stages of heuristics, source verification, interpretation, and historiography. Data were obtained through semi-structured interviews, field observations, and archival documentation and supporting literature. The results of the study indicate that Maimun Palace has a strategic role as a center for preserving Malay culture, both through architecture that reflects the acculturation of Malay, Islamic, Indian, and European cultures, as well as through social and tourism activities that strengthen Malay identity in Medan. Despite facing the challenges of urbanization and a lack of government attention, Maimun Palace remains a symbol of cultural permanence and pride of the Malay community amidst the currents of modernization and multiculturalism in Medan.

Keywords


Maimun Palace, 1946 Social Revolution, Malay Identity, Cultural Preservation, Medan.

Full Text:

PDF

References


Andalucia, A., Ginting, N., Aulia, D., & H., D. (2023). Spirit of Place toward Tourist Attraction at Maimun Palace. Civil Engineering and Architecture. https://doi.org/10.13189/cea.2023.110631

Ariwibowo, G., & Fibiona, I. (2025). Sustainable Urban Cultural Heritage Policy in the City of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Journal of Heritage Management, 10, 67–85. https://doi.org/10.1177/24559296241302986

Brosché, J., Legnér, M., Kreutz, J., & Ijla, A. (2017). Heritage under attack: Motives for targeting cultural property during armed conflict. International Journal of Heritage Studies, 23, 248–260. https://doi.org/10.1080/13527258.2016.1261918

Ginting, N., & Rahman, N. (2016). Maimoon Palace Heritage District in Medan, Indonesia: What We Preserve and Why We Preserve? Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 222, 332–341. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.05.177

Ginting, N., & Rahman, N. (2016). Preserve Urban Heritage District Based on Place Identity. Asian Journal of Environment-Behaviour Studies, 1, 67–77. https://doi.org/10.21834/aje-bs.v1i1.145

Helal, G., Ozuem, W., & Lancaster, G. (2018). Social media brand perceptions of millennials. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijrdm-03-2018-0066

Hilbert, M. (2020). Digital technology and social change: The digital transformation of society from a historical perspective. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 22, 189–194. https://doi.org/10.31887/dcns.2020.22.2/mhilbert

Lumban-Tobing, L. (2020). Identifikasi Gaya Pilar dan Pelengkung Istana Maimun. BAS, 22, 32. https://doi.org/10.24832/bas.v22i1.396

Mailani, E., Saragih, D., Mardayanti, F., Sitorus, S., Capah, A., & T., K. (2024). Eksplorasi Etnomatematika pada Bangunan Cagar Budaya Ukiran Relief Istana Maimun di Kota Medan. Indo-MathEdu Intellectuals Journal. https://doi.org/10.54373/imeij.v5i5.1933

Maharani, A., & Kamajaya, P. (2020). “Aur Market Place” - Activator and Interaction Space to Support and Living Up Tourism of Kelurahan Aur. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 452. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/452/1/012157

Medan, I., Dewi, H., Departemen, S., Lanskap, A., Pertanian, F., & Departemen, P. (2019). Kajian Lanskap Budaya Melayu untuk Meningkatkan Identitas Kota Medan. Jurnal Lanskap Indonesia. https://doi.org/10.29244/jli.2018.10.2.71-80

Nasution, A., Febriani, A., Syafitri, N., & Ananda, P. (2023). Arsitektur Bangunan Istana Maimun: Telaah Sejarah dan Ornamen. Jurnal Kajian Penelitian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan. https://doi.org/10.59031/jkppk.v1i1.55

Nasution, M., Purwoko, A., Kuswanda, W., Sulistiyono, N., Abdullah, M., Gandaseca, S., Ahmad, B., Ahmad, Y., Nisfiary, R., Adinda, R., & Daulay, U. (2025). Development Priority Policies for Impact Control and the Recovery of Natural Tourism in the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic in North Sumatra Province, Indonesia. Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17083497

P., Rambe, T., & Khairani, L. (2021). Mapping Tourism Potential Based on Urban Heritage Tourism in Medan City. CSR International Journal. https://doi.org/10.35307/csrij.v1i1.16

Saputra, R. (2024). Governance Frameworks and Cultural Preservation in Indonesia: Balancing Policy and Heritage. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/2145

Simamora, I., Mz, A., Lubis, I., Jannah, N., Taufiqurrahman, A., William, J., IskandarPs., V., Estate, M., Percut, K., & Tuan, S. (2023). Strategi Istana Maimun Sebagai Ikon Pariwisata Kota Medan. NAWASENA: Jurnal Ilmiah Pariwisata. https://doi.org/10.56910/nawasena.v2i3.1261

Smith, E., Ristiawan, R., & Sudarmadi, T. (2023). Protection and Repatriation of Cultural Heritage – Country Report: Indonesia. Santander Art and Culture Law Review. https://doi.org/10.4467/2450050xsnr.22.025.17038

Sitorus, R., & Fitri, I. (2020). Significance Assessment of the Historic Maimoon Palace Area. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 452. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/452/1/012044

Tanjung, Y., Hardiyansyah, M., & Nababan, S. (2022). Malay Deli in North Sumatra: History and Today’s Existence. Journal of Education, Society & Multiculturalism, 3, 115–131. https://doi.org/10.2478/jesm-2022-0007

Tianda, N., Wulandari, D., Turnip, L., Rizky, S., Kharismayanda, M., & Mailani, E. (2024). Eksplorasi Etnomatematika pada Arsitektur Melayu: Studi Geometri di Istana Maimun. Sinar Dunia: Jurnal Riset Sosial Humaniora dan Ilmu Pendidikan. https://doi.org/10.58192/sidu.v3i4.2715




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.30829/jai.v14i2.26822

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2025 Rudiansyah Tanjung, Achiriah Achiriah

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://jurnal.uinsu.ac.id/index.php/analytica/ 
 
Publisher:
Program Pascasarjana
Universitas Islam Negeri Sumatera Utara