Medan

Medan is the capital of North Sumatra province in Indonesia, on the Deli River near the Strait of Malacca. Durian, the spiny fruit with a strong smell, is sold in stalls across the city, which is known as one of the best places in Indonesia to eat it.

Medan grew from a small village of the Deli Sultanate after the Dutch planter Jacob Nienhuys began growing tobacco in the area in the 1860s. Deli tobacco, used as the outer wrapper of cigars, sold for high prices in Europe, and plantations of tobacco and later rubber spread across the region. The sultans of Deli moved their court to Medan in the 1880s. The plantations drew labor from China, India and Java, and Chinese merchants built mansions in the city. Medan received its town charter in 1909 and became the capital of the province after independence.

Palm oil and rubber from the plantations of North Sumatra are shipped through the port of Belawan, north of the city. Socfindo, a plantation company based in Medan, grows oil palms and rubber trees. Bika ambon, a spongy cake of tapioca and coconut milk, is baked in shops of the city and taken home as a gift.

Maimun Palace, finished in 1888 and painted in yellow, the royal color of the Malays, mixes Malay, Mughal and Italian styles and is still home to the family of the sultan. The Great Mosque of Medan, built in the early 20th century, has black domes and stained-glass windows. The Tjong A Fie Mansion, a house of Chinese and European styles, is kept as a museum of the merchant and his family. Lake Toba, a huge volcanic lake south of the city, is reached by road from Medan.