This building was originally used as the Aceh Pavilion in the ground of De Koloniale Tentoonsteling (The Colonial Exhibition) in Semarang from August 13 to November 15, 1914.

The pavilion showcased Acehnese artefacts, most of them are private collection of the ethnographer Friedrich Stammeshaus [nl], which in 1915 became the first curator of the Museum of Aceh.

In this collection were many highlights of Aceh artefacts, including gold jewellery, Acehnese weapons, amulets, photographs and everyday utensils.

In 1969, under the initiative of Teuku Hamzah Bendahara, the Aceh Museum was moved from the old place (Blang Padang) to its present location in Jalan Sultan Alaidin Mahmudsyan on a 10,800 m2 land.

[5] Some of the original collection of the Aceh Museum has been maintained by the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam, some of the most famous of this is the personal coat of Teuku Umar.