Riau: Bangkinang

The main road to Bukittinggi takes through the swamplands covering the lowland of Riau. The land has been cleared and cultivated. Where the peat is thick, pineapple and coconuts grow. Further to the west, the peat gets thinner, making the land suitable for rice cultivation.

Just before reaching Bangkinang town, some 2 kilometers off the main road, is the old Jamik Mosque of Air Tiris. The mosque is more than 100 years old, built in 1901 without using iron nails. Corrugated metal sheets have replaced the original shingled roof. Outside the mosque lies a mysterious stone submerged in a well. The stone resembles the head of a buffalo and is believed to move under its own power. According to an old story, once seven buffaloes were slaughtered. One of the buffalo heads mysteriously disappeared and it is said it turned into the stone.