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Rumah Gadang, West Sumatra
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Nusa Culture

Rumah Gadang

West SumatraSumatraHeritage

Minangkabau great houses with roofs that sweep up like buffalo horns.

The rumah gadang ('big house') is the traditional home of the Minangkabau. Its roof rises into curved peaks, called gonjong, that recall buffalo horns.

The Minangkabau are one of the world's largest matrilineal societies: the house and land pass through the female line. The reconstructed Pagaruyung Palace near Batusangkar is the grandest example.

Good to know

  • Matrilineal Minangkabau society
  • Horn-shaped gonjong roofs
  • Pagaruyung Palace