Pariaman (Jawi script: ), is a coastal city in West Sumatra, Indonesia. Pariaman covers an area of , with a coastline. It had a population of 79,043 at the 2010 Census[Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011.] and 94,224 at the 2020 census;[Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021.] the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 97,206 - comprising 49,131 males and 48,075 females.[Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2024, Kota Pariaman Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.1377)] "Pariaman" means "safe area".
History
According to the limited early sources available, by the sixteenth century Pariaman was an important port city serving the Minangkabau settlements in the interior highlands of central west Sumatra. Traders from western
India and later from
Europe visited the port, trading in pepper, gold, and other products of the interior. In the early seventeenth century the port came under control of the Sultanate of
Aceh, to the north; an Acehnese governor was stationed in the town. The port formally came under Dutch control in 1663 by treaty with Aceh. In 1671 the Dutch built a lodge here and later, around 1684, a fort. Continuing clashes with local rulers and competition with other European trading companies resulted in the port being abandoned by the Dutch in 1770. By the early twentieth century the port was less prominent on the coast, as Padang, just to the south, was the focus of Dutch activities in western Sumatra and had a railroad link to the interior.
[Tsuyoshi Kato (1980). Rantau Pariaman: the world of Minangkabau coastal merchants in the nineteenth century. Journal of Asian Studies 39(4):729-752][Dobbin, Christine (1977). Economic change in Minangkabau as a factor in the rise of the Padri movement, 1784-1830. Indonesia 23(1):1-38.]
After Indonesian independence, Pariaman was a naval headquarters for a province called Central Sumatra. Originally part of Padang Pariaman Regency, it was separated administratively from the regency and became an autonomous city on 10 April 2002 under Law No. 12 of that year.
Administrative districts
The city is administratively divided into four districts (
kecamatan), listed below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 Census
[Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011.] and 2020 Census,
[Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021.] together with the official estimates as at mid 2023.
[Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2024, Kota Pariaman Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.1377)] The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres and the numbers of administrative villages in each district (comprising 55 rural
desa and 16 urban
kelurahan - the latter all in Pariaman Tengah District).
The city is surrounded by the rural regency ( kabupaten) of Padang Pariaman in the north, east, and south, while it borders with Mentawai Strait in the west, making Pariaman a semi-enclave within Padang Pariaman Regency.
Economy
The contemporary economy is primarily agricultural with 79% of land in farming. Minangkabau International Airport, West Sumatra's major airport, is located near the city.
Culture
Although the population of Pariaman is predominantly
Sunni, a famous and popular festival of
Shia origin named
Tabuik (from
Arabic "tabut" meaning coffin), is held annually in the city every 10
Muharram, the Day of Ashura. This practice was brought to the city in 1818, when ex-British soldiers from
India settled in Pariaman. They had been disbanded when the
British Empire handed the area back to the
Dutch Empire as part of the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814.
The Tabuik festival commemorates the martyrdom of the grandsons of Muhammad, Hasan ibn Ali and Hussein ibn Ali. The Buraq, a purported winged horse that took Muhammad on his night-long journey to heavens, i.e., the Mi'raj, plays a role in the Tabuik. It presumably represents the white horse of the Imam Hussein at the Battle of Karbala, but is portrayed with a woman's head, wings, a broad tail and carrying a coffin.
In the festival, two such effigies or "Tabuik", one for Hasan and one for Hussein, are carried through the city. Named Tabuik Pasa and Tabuik Subarang, they are swayed accompanied by tanbur music and tassa drums. In the afternoon, both Tabuik are moved to the coast and before sunset they are immersed into the sea.
See also
External links
