Azhari Aiyub’s tale of the bearded turtle

At first glance, the novel Kura-kura Berjanggut (The Bearded Turtle), set in Aceh's past, may look intimidating, being almost one thousand pages in length. But when you turn to the first page and start reading, the story will absorb you, and without realizing it you will have finished the first chapter in no time. Written by Acehnese Azhari Aiyub, Kura-kura Berjanggut is set in Aceh from the 16th century onward. Narrated across diverse time settings, it follows the lives of several characters, one of whom is Si Ujud.