BANDA ACEH , often just shortened to BANDA , is the capital of Aceh, the most staunchly Islamic province of Indonesia. After Independence, the Acehnese, unhappy with the new government's attempts to incorporate them into the North Sumatran province with Medan as the capital, broke away in 1953 and declared themselves part of the Islamic World (Dar Islam). Central government troops quelled the rioting that followed in the cities, though the Acehnese terrorists continued to launch attacks from the countryside. Finally, in 1967, Suharto granted Aceh the status of Daerah Istimewa (Special District). This entitled the Acehnese to a certain amount of autonomy over matters of religion, education and adat (customary law) - which in Aceh is largely a watered-down version of the Islamic law of the Middle East: steal something in the province, for example, and your hand will be broken, rather than amputated.

As with the rest of Aceh, however, those who are willing to obey the dress code will find Banda a laid-back and pleasant city of impressive white mansions. The most breathtaking sight, though, is the seven coal-black domes and three minarets of Mesjid Raya Baiturrahman ; ask the guards for permission to go inside. Banda's other major sight is the dull Aceh Museum (Tues-Thurs, Sat & Sun 8am-6pm, Fri 8-11am & 2.30-6pm; Rp200) on the eastern banks of Sungai Assyiqi, 300m southeast of the mosque along Jalan Sultan Alauddin Mahmudsyah.

Just 13km west of Banda, LAMPU'UK BEACH is a glorious sandy arc that's both a popular day-trip and a pleasant alternative base for travellers, chiefly because of the excellent Aceh Bungalows (under $5) on the beach here. Catch labi-labi (bemo) #4 from Jalan Diponegoro and ask the driver to stop at MNS Balee, a small school and council office that's a fifteen-minute walk from the bungalows.