Medan is the capital of North Sumatra Province Country Indonesia, a trading center and important harbour. Once part of the Deli Sultanate, the Mesjid Besar (Grand Mosque) and the Palace of the Sultan of Deli have been restored their past grandeur.

Medan's harbor, Belawan, is the sea link to Penang, Malaysia. Regular flights to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Amsterdam, Vienna, and Jakarta are available, as well as destinations in Sumatra.

There are several tourist attractions on Samosir island and its surrounding area which can be visited from Tele and Tomok, tourist attraction gateways.

Tele is a gateway for tourist attractions in the highlands. From this highland we can see Samosir island in the centre of Lake Toba, as well as the Pusuk Buhit and Toba area.

Pandang Tower was built with four levels so that tourists could have a better view of the area. There is a parking area, a restaurant, a tourist information office, and toilets.

If tourists want to get to the Pusuk Buhit area from Tele they should go down along the steeply curved road (24 km).

Pusuk Buhit is a high mountain at the shore of Lake Toba in the Northern part of Tele. Many people believe that Pusuk Buhit is the place where the first Bataks came from. They think it was the place where "Mula Jadinabolon" (The Almighty Creator) came down and then spread humanity out into all directions from there.

There are various tourism attractions which are related to this story such as: rice cultivation at the foot of Pusuk Buhit, Sianjur Mula-mula village, Batu Parhusipan, Batu Pargasipan, Batu Nanggar, Batu Hobon, Aek Sipitu Dai, Aek Boras and Mual Siboru Pareme.

Pangururan is an economical and governmental centre on Samosir. From the town of Pangururan we can visit tourist attractions in the Samosir area such as Pangururan hot springs (3 km), Simanindo (22 km), Sakkal cave (26 km), and Siallagan (35 km).

Simanindo has tourist attractions like Huta Gok Asi where performances of the Naposo dance (a marriage dance) can be seen everyday. There is also the Huta Bolon Museum.

The village of Huta Bolon is also known for its dance performances like Mangalahat Horbo, Sigale-gale and Tunggal Panaluan which are performed at 11:30 pm everyday. There is Tao Lake which is 2 km from the beach to Lake Toba.

In this island we will find hotels and restaurants which are frequented by tourists everyday. We can also enjoy the song birds that are perched on branches and going back and forth among the trees.

Going up from Simanindo village and going along Lake Toba we will get to the village of Siallagan. In this place there is a tourist attraction called the village of King Siallagan which is surrounded by stone walls.

To get to this place we have to enter a small gate and in the centre of the village there are rows of traditional Batak houses with remnants of King Siallagan's heritage like sitting chairs and stone tables.

According to the people around the village it was a place for King Siallagan to lead the meetings and a location for carrying out the death sentence for criminals in the past centuries.

Tourists can get to these attractions and to souvenir and craft shops by using public boat transportation.

Tuktuk Siadong, which about 5 km from Siallagan, is a peninsula which sticks out far into Lake Toba. Because of its strategis location with its slightly sloping beach.

Tuktuk Siadong developed as a tourist centre. It has hotels, bars, restaurants, etc. Many tourists visit this place and do many different activities such as walking along the shore, bathing, and sun bathing.

Tourist can get to Tuk-tuk by water transportation from Ajibata / Parapat which takes around 35 minutes.

Tourist can get to most of the tourist attractions above through the main gateway of Tomok. Tourist boats and ferries always stop at Tomok's pier.

Tomok is famous for King's Sidabutar stone tomb. We can also watch performances of the Sigale-gale dance (a dance which uses a wooden statue that is made to follow the movements of the music). We can get more information on this tourist attraction at the Tourism Information Office

30 km to the south of Tomok we will get to get a tourist attraction called "Lagundi". Lagundi is a beautiful sand beach at the edge of Lake Toba. Due to its good location and scenery, this place has been upgraded to a camping ground with well-equipped facilities

There are church tourist attractions in Sigumpar. These are churches founded by missionary Dr.I.L.Nommensen. His family's grave site is also there.

Nommensen was a German missionary who spread Christianity among the Bataks starting from Sait Ni Huta Tarutung

Balige is located at the edge of Lake Toba and as a centre of government and economic activity in the Toba area.

There are tourist attractions like Balige beach, Lumban Silintong, a cultural centre, the revolutionary hero monument of Mayjend D.I. Panjaitan, a monument of King Sisingamangaraja XII, Pagar Batu swimming pool and Gurgur rest house.

If you go from Balige you can reach Muara by land or by boat. If you go by pubic transportation you will pass through the Huta Ginjang highland.

From Huta Ginjang you can see the marvellous panorama of Toba resort. Lake Toba, Samosir island, Muara beach, Sibandang island and Bakkara. Besides, from this place we can visit Sibandang island where there are many mango trees growing.

Still at the edge of Lake Toba (10 km from Muara ) we can visit tourist attractions in the Bakkara area. These include Aek Sipangolu which is believed to be able to help people recover from many kinds of illnesses.

This was also the location of King Sisingamangaraja XI and X palace, Sulu-sulu spear Hariara cane, King Sisinggamangaraja 's stone chair, Siungkap-ungkapon stone, rice cultivation and Bakkara beach

Tarutung is a tourist transit for people who travel through Medan, Parapat, Balige Tarutung, Sibolga, and Padang. This capital of North Tapanuli Regency is located in the Silindung valley with two broad areas of rice cultivation and two big rivers: the Sigeaon and Situmandi rivers.

There are many tourist attractions around the city of Tarutung. These are the big love cross in Siatas Barita, Dame church (the first church in Batak land), Nommensen's monument, Sipaholon hot spring, Hutabarat hot spring, Parbubu soda water, an arts building, missionary Lyman and Munson graves at Lobu Pining in Adian Koting regency (20 km to Sibolga), a traditional woven cloth centre with Batak motifs and colours which is located on Lumban Siagian and Hutagalung, and King Sisingamangaraja XlI's monument.

Tourists can go shopping for pineapples in Huta gurgur in Sihobuk, rice cakes in Simorangkir and also various kinds of cloth with Tarutung motifs.

Siatas Barita is a hill at the edge of Tarutung (Rura Silindung).There is a big cross built as a memorial to missionary Dr .I.L. Nommensen where he first entered Rura Silindung. From this place we can see the marvellous panorama of Rura Silindung.

Munson and Lyman were the first missionaries who wanted to spread Christianity in North Tapanuli before I.L Nommesen came.

However, before starting their mission they were caught and killed by King Panggalamei at Lobu pining in the sub-district of Adian Koting

This was the last utterance of King Sisingamangaraja XII before a bullet pierced his body after waging guerilla warfare for 30 years (1877 - 1907) with the Dutch.

He was shot with a gun (which at the time was popularly known as "Bedil Selatan" by Hamisi (who was not a Moslem or a Christian) from Tabelo - Halmahera. He was known as the Tiger of Aceh who was under the command of Captain H. Christoffel.

Nobody likes colonialism. People have always felt that way in the past. They still feel the same today and will still feel that way in the future. When modern colonialism spread over North Sumatra, the people in the Batak region people spontaneously reacted to right for their rights. This happened even though the idea of Unity and integrity was not vet recognized and officially written by the people.

The Expansion of Colonialism In North Sumatra

Until the mid nineteenth century, North Sumatra were considered to be isolated. In other words, they did not have any contacts with the outside world. However, after some scientific research this assumption has been proved wrong.

Historically, the people here have had continuous contacts with others. They were believed to adhere to their own culture. Moreover, as proof we can refer to the Christian Nestorian Denomination which was founded in the XII century in Fansur (or now named Barus). This indicates that they made contacts with others and these had caused several changes in society.

One of the main changes that had come about as a result of the contact was the relationship with Portugal, Spain, The UK, The Netherlands and France. Many people sensed the high competition among the visitors who wanted to establish colonies in that place.

It was also felt by the Sisingamangaraja Dynasty which had been on the throne for 12 generations This dynasty existed in the middle of XII century. King Sisingamangaraja was enthroned in 1875 in Bakara when he was at the age of 17.

The competition between the Dutch and the English became more distinct. They each wanted to control the marketing of goods. This eventually forced them to sign the London Agreement (1824) that allowed the Dutch more space to act freely in Indonesia. For commercial and economic reasons, the Dutch became more ambitious to conquer the archipelago, especially, after there was a war in Java (1825 - 1830).

The Dutch wanted to subjugate mainly Aceh and North Sumatra. This was evident by the Aceh and Batak wars which were, in fact, connected to each other.

Politically, the Aceh and Batak wars were coordinated as seen from the Dutch side. Two years after the Aceh war broke out, the regional authority of King Sisingamangaraja XII in Silindung was taken away little by little by the Dutch (1871).

The King led the war against the Dutch rule. The war had a great impact on the people (1875). The Dutch became more determined in trying to subjugate North Sumatra and they improved their military operations in the area. Their ambition increased after knowing that this area had enormous oil resources in Langkat which could be exploited for its commercial value.

The Dutch knew about King Sisingamangaraja and other leaders such as King Tuan Rondahaim Saragih, King Sibayak from Karo and other fighters from Aceh. They knew that they would try to prevent them from carrying out their operations.

The position of The Dutch in North Sumatra became jeopardized, particularly, after Datu Sunggal fought the Deli Sultan (1872) who was protected by the Dutch. There were 500 Malays and 1000 Bataks who joined the battle led by Datu Sunggal that forced the Dutch to call for help from Captain Koops from Riau.

Being aware of the obvious ambition of the Dutch to expand their authority in the Batak region, King Sisingamangaraja XII called for meetings of all the kings and local leaders in the region (Balige).

He officially proclaimed "Pulas" to the Dutch. It took some time and had to go through traditional laws and regulations before King Sisingamangaraja came up with a decision.

The meetings were not so smooth because some conflicts arose amongst the kings. The meetings were conducted once in four days in January 1878.

The next battles led by the King broke out in Bahal Batu (1878), Balige (1883), Pints and Samosir (1883), Sipoholon (1887), Simanullang Toruan (1889), Uluan (1907), Sipangan Lolon Girsang (1907). However, because they had modern technology, the Dutch could win the war.

This forced King Sisingamangaraja to flee to Sionomhudon (North Sumatra). In his cornered situation he kept saying: "It's not for the sake of my grandparents, nor for the sake of my parents or myself but it's only for the sake of Ompung Mula Jadi Nabolon (God)".

With this holy spirit King Sisingamangaraja XII mobilized all kinds of power and support against the Dutch rule from the people in North Sumatra as well as from the people in the vicinities. He tried to maintain his authority and keep his people free.

People might wonder how King Sisingamangaraja could survive for almost 30 years. One of his secrets was the unity principle of his leadership which was popularly called Dalihan Natolu).

Various rewards were offered by the Dutch to influence the King to surrender to them. However, the offers were turned down. It was because of his strong belief in the Mula Jadi Nabolon (God) and "the fighting spirit of the black eyed people". As a result, he could maintain good cooperation with other local leaders and the people in the surrounding areas.

What they fought for, in fact, was the sovereignty and freedom of the Indonesian people in general. Even, well equipped with their modern technology the Dutch attacks were not successful. It made them gather all their operational power to overthrow King Sisingamangaraja XII.

Sisingamangaraja XII and The Zending

Some schools of thought have emerged about King Sisingamangaraja XII and the Zending. Historians from the Netherlands and Indonesia. They have written that Sisingamangaraja was against the mission so the aggressions he made were not only to oppose the Dutch colonialism but also the Zending which was wide-spread in Silindung and Toba. It is written in the Encyclopedia Van Netherlandch Indie that, "The king continuously fought and showed rebellious manners to the Dutch rule and the Zending."

F.W Stapel had a different view concerning the previous statement. He said that the king was not against the Dutch but against the Christian mission. However, other research has proved that the other story about North Sumatra is correct based on one important document which was written by the first British Zending (N.M Ward) visiting this region.

It was said that the two missionaries (Ward and Burton) visited Silindung in 1824 and were welcomed by the local people. There were about 5000-6000 people who received them there.

After their visit in Silindung, they wanted to meet King Sisingamangaraja X in Toba. Unfortunately, Burton had dysentery after eating 'Saksang' (pork cooked in blood). The dysentery got worse and forced him to return to Sibolga at once.

Not long after they returned to Sibolga, Burton received a letter from King Sisingamangaraja X informing him about the harvest failure in Toba. He thought it was because of Burton's canceled visit to Toba. The King invited the two Zendings to come immediately. However, Burton and Ward could not answer the King's invitation because they had to go back to Bengkulu.

In 1825 Catholic priests (Padris) came to Toba and killed King Sisingamangaraja X near Siborong-borong. It was later known as Padri's War.

After the Padri War broke out in South and North Tapanuli (1825-1829), the people became suspicious of foreign visitors who came to their areas. This is how Munson and Lyman got killed in Lobu Pining (1834) before they reached Rura Silindung.

However, Nommensen (a German missionary) who had worked in Silindung was able to cultivate a good relationship with King Sisingamangaraja XII. This relationship was very obvious. It was especially noticeable when the King invited the missionaries to see him before he died.

In 1872 Sisingamangaraja XII ordered his messenger to meet Nommensen to ask for some remedy for his serious illness.

With the help of Ama Ni Panusur (a local man from Silindung), King Sisingamangaraja XII and Nommensen could meet. The first meeting took place successfully for a half hour in Huta Dame. The second meeting was in Nommensen' s house and it lasted longer than the first one and the King stayed for some time in Nommensen's house.

After Sisingamangaraja XlI's installation at Bakara (1875) he visited Nommensen in Pearaja and had a meeting with him. During the talk the king promised Nommensen that he would not hinder the missionary from teaching Christianity in his area of authority. Though, the Batak war had occurred, (1871) their relationship continued. The relationship started getting stronger before the war in Balige 1878.

Bakara was burnt down by the Dutch (1883) and Sisingamangaraja got wounded and shot by the Dutch in Balige. In 1884 he fled to Lintong with his family and then to Sionomhudon where he died later.

After the flight, their relationship became weaker. However, they both tried to have direct contacts by appointing Sintua Silalan Siahaan, a former commander of Sisingamangaraja XII, as an intermediary.

It was said that Sisingamangaraja XlI's followers burned the church in Lintong Nihuta, however, in fact, it was Zending Kessel's fault who brought in Dutch soldiers from Sipoholon, as written by priest Pilgram when he was on duty in Balige.

King Siallagan's tomb is famous as a symbol of a great gateway. Tomok is famous for its tourist market and for the stone chairs of King Siallagan. Each of these tourist attractions has a historical and cultural story behind them.

These attractions are about 3 km from Tomok by boat or land using public transportation. According to the story of the guides who give information about these tourist attractions the stone chairs were left by King Siallagan, who was the first man who discovered Siallagan, took control over it and opened it to outsiders.

The stone chairs were put in the middle of a park. The houses in the village were surrounded by stone walls about 1.5 metres high. Visitors must enter the village through a small gate which has a stone statue standing nearby which represents King Siallagan taking control over his people and especially bringing justice to the criminals in that village.

According to the local people if someone got caught committing crimes such as stealing, cheating, torturing and murdering he would be taken to the king and the tribal leaders.

The king would look into the matter and decide what the punishment should be. One form of capital punishment was to place the criminal in stocks or to have him be headed. A death sentence had a very strict rule.

First, they determined the execution date. The criminal, then, was put in stocks in a cage under the king's house as a prisoner. On the day decided, under the watch of the local leaders, the prisoner was taken out from the stocks and brought to the place of execution.

He was given an opportunity to say his last words or ask for the food that he liked most (usually some particular Batak food such as 'Naniura' (sour raw fish), Natinombur (grilled fish with lots of spices), Lomok-lomok (young pig cooked in blood), or Nani Arsik (boiled fish with spices).

At the execution place there were some stone chairs and a large stone table where the prisoner was placed.

Before the execution, the executioner would test the prisoner by cutting his body a little bit to see if he had magic power. If he bled, it meant that he had no magic power and the execution could take place immediately. If he did not, it meant that he had magic power.

This meant that the executioner would have to say special spells to remove it. Then the executioner would scrape the cutter on the ground. Usually after this was done the magic power of the prisoner would be gone. The execution could continue with only one chop.

After that, the body was thrown away in a ravine near Lake Toba. That is the unique story about King Siallagan's Stone chair which has become a popular tourist attraction.

During the English rule in Negerindseh Oast Indie (NOI) from 1811-1824, the English Baptist church sent several evangelists to NOI in 1820. They were Burton, Ward, and Evans.

These three evangelists first went to Batavia on Java and then continued their journey to Padang and Sibolga by sea. When they arrived in Sibolga they separated to different areas to preach the gospel. Evans went to South Tapanuli; Burton and Ward went to Silindung. They spread the gospel in these areas with the hope that many people would believe in Jesus Christ and be happy.

In 1824, Burton and Ward arrived in Silindung. They talked about the Old Testament, rebirth and the judgement day. Among the listeners, there was a King who said, "We have our own customs and religion that are able to manage our lives. It is good enough and we have no need to be changed but if there are ways to make us rich please tell us and we will try them out". The Silindung people rejected the good news brought by Burton and Ward.

Tomok is a famous location listed in many tourist guidebooks in Asia and Europe. After tourists arrive at the gateway of Polonia airport in Medan or Belawan harbour, they can continue on up to Lake Toba and Tomok on Samosir island.

It is a famous tourist attraction with King Sidabutar's sold tombs. Tomok was the seat of King Sidabutar's power. These tombs were made from carving stone for hundreds of years. They are visited by many tourists every day.

According to the tourism guide, the land around Tomok was taken under control by King Sidabutar, his officials and heirs many years ago. Because he was a wise king he was able to motivate his people to work daily and to uphold the natural sacred values of the three principles (Dalihan Natolu) as a general cultural philosophy of the Batak people.

When King Ompu Soribuntu died, all his people were present to give and take the culture based on the three principles. Then the king was not buried in the ground but in the tomb carved out of the stone in the centre of the village of Tomok.

It was a habit for Batak people at that time that if a King died and was buried that after seven days his descendants would plant trees called Hariara on his grave site. It was to be as a remembrance to his descendants. If the Hariara trees grew well, it meant that his descendants would live peacefully and have many descendants. After seven days the King's descendants planted the Hariara trees and they grew big. But after two years the trees fell down because they had become old.

Then for many years this area controlled by King Ompu Ni Ujung Barita Sidabutar who was also a wise king and able to continue the traditions and culture of Dalihan Natolu ( the three principles) which had been established by King Ompu Soribuntu Sidabutar. When King Ompu Ni Ujung Barita became old, he decided to find a partner. He became engaged to a beautiful and gentle lady named Anting Malela Boru Sinaga. The engagement went properly.

As a sign for an engaged woman in Batak culture, everywhere she went she had to carry a white cup without handles over her head. Then everyone who looked at her would know that she was engaged. It was also meant to discourage other men from approaching her because Anting Malela was really beautiful. She was the most beautiful woman in Tomok at that time.

Time passed by, the wedding day had been determined. All people in this village knew about it. But unfortunately, Anting Malela broke the promise without any reason and did not want to get married with King Ompu Ni Ujung Barita. His feeling were hurt and he felt ashamed in front of his people.

The king became angry. He tried to make Anting Malela disappear her from this earth. Then he decided that it was no use for him to try to marry her. The King wanted to kill her by using black magic called 'Dorma Sijunde'. Then if the black magic was successful it attacked the victim. She would not die but would become crazy and would be insulted and expelled by society everyday.

Anting Malela got the 'Darma Sijunde' and she became crazy. Though she had a nice figure and was beautiful she was always insulted and avoided by everyone. For several years Anting Malela became crazier and then one day she disappeared. Nobody knew where she had gone. Some people said that she had gone to the middle of the wild forest.

The King lived alone without a wife and when he died he was buried on the right side of King Ompu Soribuntu. Then after seven days the Hariara trees were planted on his tomb and they grew rapidly and thickly. We can still see these trees. The King's tomb was carved in a such away that you can see the front part of the face of King Ompu Soribuntu Sidabutar wearing head gear like a turban which was a sign of Batak peoples' beliefs.

The same thing had been done to King Ompu Sonbuntu Sidabutar' s tomb. Behind the tomb was Anting Malela sculpture was carved sitting and carrying a cup (without handles) over her head to remind people not to behave like she had.

Then Tomok' s kingdom was continued by King Ompu Solompoan Sidabutar. He could lead his people all his life peacefully based on the three principles.

After the missionaries from Europe had come to Samosir island, they spread Christianity among the Bataks. King Ompu Solompoan Sidabutar was the first man to become a Christian in Tomok and helped to spread Christianity.

When the King died he was buried on the right side of king Ompu Ni Ujung Barita Sidabutar's tomb. He was not buried in the stone tomb but in the ground. The sign of a cross was placed over his grave. If we visit King Sidabutar's tombs, we will see several tombs including some smaller ones. All these tombs were King Sidabutar's which have been collected so many years ago through cultural ceremonies

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