Petunjuk untuk masjid misteri (Clue for mysterious mosque)

Lihat gambar di atas. Ia menunjukkan sebuah makam lama milik Sultan ke 19 Perak, Sultan Abdul Malik Mansur Shah (ikut papan maklumat dalam gambar, memerintah 1806-1825 Masihi). Makam ini terletak lebih kurang 50 meter daripada masjid misteri yang ditunjukkan dalam posting sebelum ini. Agak-agaklah, apakah kaitan antara makam ini dengan masjid tersebut?

Look at the picture above. It shows an old tomb belonging to the 19th ruler of Perak, Sultan Abdul Malik Mansur Chah (according to the information board in the picture, ruled 1806-1825 AD). The tomb is situated some 50 metres from the mysterious mosque highlighted in the previous posting. Come figure... What is the connection between this tomb the mosque?

Masjid lama misteri (The mysterious old mosque)

Assalamualaikum para pembaca sekalian. Di sini adalah gambar sebuah masjid lama yang agak misteri, sudah lama ditinggalkan dan tidak digunakan lagi kerana ia sekarang terletak di dalam sebuah kawasan estet kelapa sawit, tidak jauh daripada sebuah sungai utama di Malaysia. Kenapa saya gunakan perkataan "sekarang terletak di dalam sebuah kawasan estet"? Apakah suatu masa dahulu ia pernah terletak di dalam sebuah kawasan lain, mungkin sebuah bandar besar? Di manakah ia sebenarnya terletak? Kenapa masjid sebegini cantik boleh jadi masjid tinggal? Kenapa ada begitu banyak tanda-tanya?
Di sini saya ingin mengajak para pembaca membuat spekulasi sendiri, sahaja untuk perbincangan pembuka minda. Saya sendiri sudah ada sedikit jawaban tetapi biarlah orang lain menduga. Hmm... Baiklah... Saya beri sedikit petunjuk -
Apabila melihat masjid inilah baru saya faham bagaimana sejarah kegemilangan Melayu boleh dilenyapkan begitu sahaja oleh penjajah British... Bagaimana bandar-bandar yang dikuasai bangsa asing boleh naik bermula dengan Taiping tahun 1880an lalu merebak ke seluruh Tanah Melayu sedangkan orang Melayu yang pernah menerajui segala bidang ekonomi tanah-air sendiri pula terpinggir sehingga jadi tenggelam punca dan tidak kenal asal-usul serta kegemilangan sebenar bangsa sendiri!

Greetings dear readers. Here is a picture of an old mosque which is rather mysterious, abandoned and thus not in use because it is now located inside a palm oil estate not far away from one of the main rivers of Malaysia. Why did I use the words "now located inside a palm oil estate"? Maybe it's possible, once upon a time the mosque was situated within a totally different sort of environment, like a flourishing big city maybe? Where is it actually located? Why would a mosque this beautiful be left behind? Why so much questions?
Here, I'd like to invite readers to make your own speculations, just for fun, or at least to open up discussions. As for me, I do have some answers but let others make some foray OK... Well... Let me give some clue -
Seeing this mosque for the first time made me understand how whole loads of history of the greatness of the Malays were wiped out just like that by the colonial British... How, towns and cities controlled by other races began to appear on the scene with the establishment of Taiping in 1880an (the first town in Malaysia engineered by the colonialist) until the whole concept (leave the Malays out, give economic control to others) spread throughout the Malay lands while the natives which used to lead all aspects of the local economy were pushed to the fringe until they become a lost race, not knowing where they really come from and not understanding the greatness of their forefathers!

Cukuplah untuk hari ini (Enough for the day)

Tajuk di atas sudah cukup untuk menerangkan... Blogspot ini baru dicipta kira-kira 3 jam lalu dan saya telah pun menyertakan 3 pos bergambar. Jika awalnya, ia dibuka dengan satu posting mukadimah, maka eloklah sumbangan hari ini di sini ditutup dengan satu post tersendiri. Maka jadilah keseluruhannya 5 posting, cukuplah syarat kerana saya memang sukakan nombor ganjil dalam memulakan sesuatu kerja... Kalau tidak ada posting ini, maka jumlah itu jadi 4 posting sahaja dan saya akan merasa janggal.

Selain itu, 1 posting mukadimah campur 3 posting bergambar dengan 1 posting penutup boleh dikira bersamaan dengan salah satu nombor kegemaran saya iaitu 131. Jadi cukuplah sumbangan buat waktu ini OK, biarlah saya menyambung tidur kembali... Tadi pun terbangun sebab buah hati menalifon malam-malam meminta perhatian seraya mengajak bercerita. Kemudian timbul pula gerak mahu membuat blogspot baru, jadilah cerita ini... Sekian!

The title above should be enough explanation... This blogspot was created some 3 hours ago and I've already made 3 postings with pictures. If earlier, this site was started with an introductory post, then it would be nice to close the day with a post in itself. So the number of postings become 5, enough to meet the conditions as I like to began any new endeavour with odd number of things... If not for this posting, the total would be just 4 and I would feel strangely unsatisfied.

Besides, 1 introductory posting plus 3 with pictures + 1 closing story is equivalent to one of my favourite numbers which is 131. So enough contributions for the day OK, let me continue snoozing... Earlier, I got up as my darling sweetheart called in the wee hours asking for attention and some talk. Then came the urge to start a new blogspot and here we are... Cheers!

Sebuah madrasah di Teluk Intan (a religious school in Teluk Intan)

Ini adalah sebuah madrasah di Teluk Intan, Perak yang terletak bersebelahan masjid lama bandar. Saya tidak tahu berapa umurnya tetapi senibinanya kelihatan begitu menarik terutama ukiran kayu seperti lidah yang menjulur ke bawah daripada setiap sudut atap.
Sebaik sahaja gambar ini diambil, seorang pengunjung muda masjid menegur. "Buat apa ambil gambar ini? Abang ni mata-mata kah?" dia bertanya curiga.

Saya ketawa gelihati. Kemudian dia menerangkan, sebelum ini seorang lelaki misteri pernah muncul di masjid ini dan gelagatnya agak serupa dengan saya. Apabila polis menahan lelaki ini dan bertanyakan asal-usulnya, dia terus meminta dirinya di bawa ke balai polis berdekatan tanpa sedikit pun rasa takut ditangkap. Dan kebetulan lelaki itu juga membawa sebuah komputer laptop walaupun dia sedang berpakaian buruk... Lebih kurang seperti gaya sayalah juga. Mungkin sebab itu pemuda yang menegur itu terfikir mungkin saya ini seorang mata-mata, mungkin juga pengintip tentera? Gaya itu ada, he! he!

Apapun, saya menerangkan tentang minat terhadap senibina Melayu lama terutama rumah dan masjid lama dengan ukiran "lidah" di hujung atap, ukiran lama yang saya rasa ada kena-mengena dengan Aceh... Lalu terkeluarlah sedikit cerita tentang kajian saya mengenai kaitan Tanah Melayu dengan Aceh, sempat pula mempromosi buku "Berpetualang ke Aceh: Mencari Diri dan Erti." Dapatlah jual senaskah, lepas juga sedikit belanja makan dan pengangkutan...


This is a madrasah (religious school) in Teluk Intan, Perak which is situated next to the old town mosque. I didn't know how old it is but the architecture is very attractive especially the wood-carving design which looks like tounges pointing down at every corner of the roof.
Right after the picture was snapped, a young visitor to the mosque curiously asked: "Why did you take the picture? Are you a detective?"

I found it funny and laughed. Then he explained, before this a mysterious man appeared at the mosque and his character was similar to mine. When the police stopped him and asked his origins, the man requested to be brought to the nearest police station without showing the slightest hint of fear of being arrested. And it happens that he had a laptop computer with him although he was poorly dressed... Something like me, I guess. Maybe that's why the young man who interrupted me thought I might be a detective, maybe military intelligence? The style is there, ha! ha!

Whatever, I explained my interest with old Malay architecture especially on houses and old mosque with "tounge" carvings at the corners of the roof, old carvings which I feel have a certain relation with the land of Aceh. So some stories regarding my personal research on the relations of Aceh and the Malay lands came out, and there was time to promote the book "Berpetualang ke Aceh: Mencari Diri dan Erti,", loosely translated - "The trip to Aceh: On search of self and meaning". Managed to sell a copy, enough to cover some food and transportation.

Masjid Kampung Gajah (Kampung Gajah Mosque)

Yang ini pula adalah masjid lama Kampung Gajah di Perak. Minta maaflah kerana gambar ini kelam... Sebab diambil semasa waktu Subuh selepas bermalam seorang diri di sana. Kalau mahu gambar yang lebih cantik, saya harus menunggu sehingga matahari naik tetapi saya pula tidak dapat menahan kehendak untuk terus mengembara, maka cukuplah gambar ini sebagai kenangan.

This one is the old mosque of Kampung Gajah in Perak. Sorry, the picture is dim... Because it was taken during Subuh (before dawn) after I spent the night alone there. For a nicer picture, one would have to wait till the sun is up but I was too restless to continue travelling, so this picture should be good enough for remembrance.

Untuk pengetahuan, masjid berusia lebih 100 tahun ini sudah jarang digunakan. Pagi itu, terdapat cuma 3 orang bersolat Subuh sahaja, seorang imam dengan 2 orang makmum termasuk saya. Mungkin kerana sudah ada masjid lebih besar dan moden di seberang jalan besar, sekitar 500 meter daripada sana?

For information, the 100-plus year-old mosque is hardly used anymore. That morning, there were only 3 people for the Subuh prayers, the imam (leader of prayer) and 2 behind including me. Maybe because there is a much bigger and modern mosque across the main street, some 500 metres from there?

Masjid Batak Rabit (Batak Rabit Mosque)

OK... Biar kita mulakan dengan gambar masjid lama di Kampung Batak Rabit, Teluk Intan, Perak. Struktur asal masjid ini dikatakan berumur tidak kurang daripada 100 tahun. Beberapa tambahan moden telah dibuat termasuk dalam tahun ini. Rasanya pembaca dapat melihat sendiri yang mana bahagian baru, yang mana lama.

OK... Let me start with this picture of the old mosques at Kampung Batak Rabit, Teluk Intan, Perak. The original structure of the mosque is said to be not less than 100 years old. Some modern renovations have been made including this year. I believe readers can see for themselves which part is new, which part is old.

Apapun, saya lebih tertarik pada bentuk ukiran kayu yang terdapat di hujung setiap sudut bumbung seperti yang kelihatan di bahagian kubah dan menara masjid di atas, ukiran yang terjulur ke bawah seperti lidah gayanya . Saya pun tidak apakah namanya, tetapi ada orang beritahu itulah yang dipanggil "sulur bayur", wallahualam.

Whatever, I'm more interested in the particular wood-carving design at the corners of the roof as can be seen at the middle-part and the tower of the mosque, the carving pointing downwards like some sort of tounge. I don't know what it's called but some people say that is the "sulur bayur", God knows best.

Insyaallah saya akan sertakan beberapa buah gambar masjid atau rumah Melayu lama dengan tema senibina yang serupa terutama bahagian "lidah" terjulur itu. Tunggu...

God willing, I will post more pictures of mosques or old Malay houses with similar theme and design especially with the "tounge". Just wait...