Ulee Lheue Mass Grave

The Ulee Lheue Mass Grave is a large tsunami memorial burial site located in Ulee Lheue village, Meuraxa District, Banda Aceh, Aceh, Indonesia. It is the final resting place for more than 14,000 victims of the 26 December 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. The open grassy field is marked by simple memorial stones and inscriptions, serving as a solemn place of remembrance and pilgrimage near the coast where the disaster struck.

Visitors can expect a vast, open grassy field with minimal structures, marked by low memorial stones, plaques and Islamic inscriptions indicating the mass burial area. The site is quiet and solemn, located near the coastline in Ulee Lheue. There are paved paths around the perimeter, small prayer areas and information boards. Visitors typically walk around the perimeter, read inscriptions, pay respects and view the expanse of the burial ground.

The site was created after the 26 December 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, which devastated coastal Banda Aceh. Due to the large number of casualties, victims recovered in the Ulee Lheue area were buried together in this mass grave. It is one of the largest tsunami mass graves in Banda Aceh, containing more than 14,000 victims, and serves as a primary memorial to the disaster.

The grave reflects Acehnese Islamic burial traditions and serves as a communal memorial and place of prayer (ziarah) for families and the community. It is a site of collective remembrance, visited to pay respects and offer prayers for the victims, and is an important part of Banda Aceh's tsunami remembrance heritage.