Template:POTD/2020-06-30
Jam Gadang is a 26-metre-tall (85 ft) clock tower and major landmark and tourist attraction in the Indonesian city of Bukittinggi, West Sumatra. The structure was built in 1926, during the Dutch colonial era, as a gift from Queen Wilhelmina to the city's controleur. A figure of a rooster was originally placed on the apex, but this was changed into a Shinto shrine–like ornament during the Japanese occupation (1942–1945); following Indonesian independence, the tower's top was reshaped to its present form, which resembles traditional Minang roofs. The tower was damaged in two earthquakes that struck the island in 2007 and was subsequently refurbished. It has been used as an observation post for fire control, and during Ramadan the call to prayer that marks the breaking of the fast is sounded from the tower.Photograph credit: Chris Woodrich