Meunasah Teungoh – gampong in the territory of Kecamatan Simpang Keuramat, Kabupaten Aceh Utara
Meunasah Teungoh is a gampong (village-level administrative unit) in Aceh province on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia, which falls administratively under Kecamatan Simpang Keuramat within Kabupaten Aceh Utara. According to BPS (Badan Pusat Statistik) district data from 2015, Meunasah Teungoh consists of three dusun (sub-village divisions) and is subordinate to Mukim Simpang Keuramat. Based on coordinates (5.0791° N, 97.1319° E), the settlement is situated inland, somewhat removed from the coastal band of North Sumatra. According to BPS topographical classification, Meunasah Teungoh is a flat, non-coastal gampong. The administrative center of the broader region is Lhoksukon, where the seat of Kabupaten Aceh Utara relocated after 2001 following Lhokseumawe's establishment as an independent city.
General overview
Kecamatan Simpang Keuramat (also written as Simpang Kramat or Simpang Keramat) is one of the kecamatan of Kabupaten Aceh Utara, which was formed as an independent district in 2003, previously functioning as a mukim of Kecamatan Kutamakmur. The kecamatan is divided into two mukim – Simpang Keuramat and Buloh Raya Mancang – and contains a total of 16 gampong, each led by a geuchik (village head). Meunasah Teungoh is one of these 16 gampong and belongs to the Mukim Simpang Keuramat. The term "meunasah" in the Acehnese language refers to a prayer house or communal gathering place, indicating that community life traditionally centers around such a building; the word "teungoh" means approximately "middle," distinguishing it from the neighboring gampong of Meunasah Baroh (lower) and Meunasah Dayah. Meunasah Teungoh is not considered a notable tourist or economic destination; based on available data, it is an ordinary, agricultural-character rural community within the kecamatan. The population of Kabupaten Aceh Utara is ethnically comprised mainly of Acehnese, Javanese, Gayo, Batak, and Malay groups, with a significant portion of the population engaged in agricultural activities.
Real estate and investment
Public real estate market data specific to Meunasah Teungoh settlement are not available. The following presents verifiable economic context available at the broader Kabupaten Aceh Utara level. The economy of Kabupaten Aceh Utara is dominated by two sectors: mining and extraction, and processing industry, among which gas extraction – including wells operated by ExxonMobil Oil Indonesia – plays a determining role. The kabupaten can be considered the largest industrial area in Aceh province, where, among other facilities, the PT Arun LNG gas processing plant (opened in 1974), the Pabrik Kertas Kraft Aceh paper mill, and the AAF and PIM fertilizer plants operate. In the agricultural sector, the kabupaten is an important rice-producing area. Consequently, the kabupaten's economic center is concentrated along the Lhokseumawe–Lhoksukon axis; the real estate market in the internal, rural gampong, such as Meunasah Teungoh, is substantially narrower and less developed, characterized primarily by local residential property transactions. For foreign buyers, the general framework of Indonesian law applies: under the 1960 Agrarian Law (UUPA) and related regulations, foreign natural persons cannot acquire property with "Hak Milik" (full ownership) status in Indonesia; for them, so-called "Hak Pakai" (usage rights) or lease arrangements are available, though the conditions and duration of these are legally defined. Consultation with local legal and real estate experts is advisable before any investment decision.
Safety and security
No independent public safety statistics specific to Meunasah Teungoh gampong are publicly available. At the kabupaten and kecamatan level, the following general context can be described, supported by sources. The rural communities of Kabupaten Aceh Utara have gradually stabilized following the conflict period (which affected the entire province), although economic and social challenges remain continuously present. In 2017, the kabupaten was ranked among the areas with the highest poverty rates in Aceh province, where the number living in poverty was estimated to reach 118,740 people. In Aceh province, customary-law-based community norms and local religious precepts (sharia-based regulations stemming from the province's special autonomy) influence everyday public order. In a small rural gampong such as Meunasah Teungoh, public safety is generally based on community self-regulation and the authority of the geuchik. For tourists and external visitors, it is generally advisable to pay attention to customs and dress norms, as well as observe basic precautionary rules; compliance with Acehnese customary law and religious precepts is expected within the local community.
Tourist attractions
Within Meunasah Teungoh gampong itself, no named tourist attraction is identifiable for which verifiable source material is available. The broader Kabupaten Aceh Utara, however, possesses several cultural and natural attractions supported by sources, which are accessible by car or motorcycle from the district. The Rumah Adat Cut Nyak Meutia, the former residence and now museum of the Acehnese national heroine, is located in Kecamatan Matangkuliban, Gampong Masjid Pirak, and is counted among the most significant cultural heritage sites in Kabupaten Aceh Utara. The historical complex of the Samudra Pasai Kingdom – which preserves the remains of one of the earliest Islamic kingdoms that once existed in the Indonesian archipelago, founded in 1267 – is also located within the kabupaten territory. The tomb of Sultan Malik as-Saleh in Gampong Beuringen, Kecamatan Samudera, is accessible and is considered one of the region's most important religious and historical pilgrimage sites. Among the natural attractions, the Blang Kolam waterfall stands out, which is accessible via approximately 660 steps; the waterfall is located in Gampong Sido Mulyo, Kecamatan Kuta Makmur. These sites are all in different kecamatan of the kabupaten, at varying distances from Meunasah Teungoh; no verifiable data on exact travel times is available.
Summary
Meunasah Teungoh is a small, flat-lying gampong in Kabupaten Aceh Utara, which is one of the 16 villages of Kecamatan Simpang Keuramat and comprises three dusun. The kabupaten contains a total of 27 kecamatan and 852 gampong. The kabupaten's 2019 population was approximately 620,000 people, its area is 2,694.66 km², and its population density is 161 people/km². The settlement has no independent tourist infrastructure; from economic and real estate perspectives, it is characteristic of the rural interior areas of the kabupaten, serving primarily agricultural and local community functions. For those seeking the historical and natural heritage of Kabupaten Aceh Utara, the kabupaten-level attractions – such as the Samudra Pasai complex or the Blang Kolam waterfall – may be relevant destinations, located in other kecamatan from Meunasah Teungoh.

