Medan – A Brief History: Sumatra

After Jakarta and Surabaya, Medan is the third biggest city in Indonesia. Medan is unique in many ways and especially for its multi-cultural society living that lives in harmony. The peoples of Medan are mainly made up of Batak, Javanese, Chinese, Indian, Minang and other minor ethnics such as Sunda and Madura.

The city’s history is interesting. Guru Patimpur founded Medan village in around 1590 and gradually became Medan village, or Kampung Medan, and this in turn became present day Medan. The Batak Karo community were the first settlers in Medan. Later the king of Aceh, Sultan Iskander Muda, ruled the region and the resulting kingdom of Deli prospered. From 1658, the Dutch ruled the region and Medan became the capital of the northern province of Sumatra in 1915 and was declared a city in 1918.