Rumoh Aceh (Acehnese: "Aceh house") is a type of traditional vernacular house found in the Aceh Province in Indonesia. It is basically a wooden pile dwelling. Rumoh Aceh is also known as krong bade, which may actually refer to the rice granary (krōng, "storage" + padé, "rice") and not the house. Rumoh Aceh is the largest and tallest of all vernacular house type found in the Aceh Province, the others are the Rumoh Santeut and the Rangkang. The Rumoh Aceh reflects the culture of the Acehnese people. These houses can still be found in the periphery of Banda Aceh, although they are on the verge of extinction. The house and its perimeter Rumoh Aceh is a pile dwelling erected over posts which rest on flat stones or concrete plinth. It is constructed of timbers, topped with a wooden gabled roof which is covered with either thatched palm leaves or corrugated metal. Rumoh Aceh are found scattered in a traditional kampung (Acehnese: ) with no specific pattern; however, they are always aligned with their gables positioned toward the east and west. The exterior can be ornamented with woodcarvings of floral or geometric patterns, usually found in the triangular gables, around the windows and on the boards. The triangular gable decoration consists of an ornamented triangular wooden screen which slant outwards and is perforated to allow cross ventilation. The houses' entrances are located on the non-gabled (north or south) sides. This entrance is a steep staircases leading to a roofed front terrace (Acehnese: , "veranda"). The space below the house is used for storing goods such as timber for construction, firewood, crops, or bicycles; or for a resting area, with benches. The house area is marked by perimeter hedges or fences. Occasional trees provide shade into the house's courtyard. The rice granary (Acehnese: krōng padé, "rice storage") is a small rice granary located under or beside the house. Unlike rice granaries in Java, which hold sheaves of rice, rice granaries in Aceh hold unhusked rice. Wealthier Acehnese may build a wooden gateway entrance (Acehnese: keupaleh) at the entrance of the house area. Interior layout Rumoh Aceh are always oriented with their gables facing east and west. The east–west direction may originally have been connected with life-death – this sacred-profane symbolism is commonly found in Indonesia. After the Islamization of Aceh, the west direction is sometimes associated with the direction of Mecca. The