40 Countries Confirm Participation in Jam Gadang Centenary Seminar

Bukittinggi (ANTARA) - As many as 40 countries have confirmed they will participate in the international seminar as part of commemorating the 100th anniversary of Jam Gadang in Bukittinggi, West Sumatra, in June 2026. “Already 40 countries have registered to participate in the seminar and literacy event in the series of commemorations for the 100th anniversary of Jam Gadang,” said Mayor of Bukittinggi Ramlan Nurmatias in Bukittinggi on Monday. This was stated by Ramlan Nurmatias in connection with a series of activities to be held by the Bukittinggi City Government to enliven the 100th anniversary of Jam Gadang (1926-2026) in June 2026. The international seminar and literacy event will explore the history of Jam Gadang, which was built during the Dutch East Indies administration. Enriching and deepening knowledge of this history is very important to provide knowledge that may previously have been unknown to many people. In the plan, the international seminar and literacy event will feature Indonesia’s Minister of Culture Fadli Zon along with the Dutch Ambassador to Indonesia. Moreover, the Bukittinggi City Government plans to invite architects to examine in greater depth the 27-metre tall Jam Gadang building with its roof featuring the distinctive Minangkabau pattern. On that occasion, the 21st and 23rd Mayor of Bukittinggi also mentioned two special features of Jam Gadang. First, the Roman numeral four on the clock differs from other clocks. While generally IV is used for four, the four on Jam Gadang is displayed differently as IIII. The second special feature is that the clock’s mechanism exists only in two places in the world. “The first in Bukittinggi and the second in Big Ben, England,” he said.