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Tiga buku pertama yang ditulis dan diterbitkan saya.

The first three books written and published by me.

"Berpetualang ke Aceh: Mencari Diri dan Erti".

ISBN 983-42031-0-1, Jun 2006

"Berpetualang ke Aceh: Membela Syiar yang Asal"

ISBN 983-42031-1-x, Mei 2007

"Berpetualang ke Aceh: Sirih Pulang ke Gagang?"

ISBN 978-983-42031-2-2, November 2007

Buku keempat bertajuk "Rumah Azan". Diterbitkan April 2009 oleh syarikat Karnadya dengan pertolongan Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, buku ini memaparkan gambar-gambar cantik berserta cerita di sebalik masjid-masjid terpilih yang boleh dikaitkan dengan sejarah Melayu Islam dan pembentukan negara Malaysia.

The fourth book titled "Rumah Azan". Published in April 2009 by the company Karnadya with the help of Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, this book features beautiful pictures along with stories behind selected mosques which could be related to the history of Islam and the Malays and the formation of the nation of Malaysia.

Buku kelima saya "Ahlul Bait (Family) of Rasulullah SAW and Malay Sultanates" diterbitkan awal 2010. Ia merupakan terjemahan buku "Ahlul Bait (Keluarga) Rasulullah SAW dan Kesultanan Melayu" karangan Hj Muzaffar Mohamad dan Tun Suzana Othman ke dalam bahasa Inggeris untuk pasaran antarabangsa.

My fifth book "Ahlul Bait (Family) of Rasulullah SAW and Malay Sultanates" was published early 2010. It is a translation of the Malay-language book "Ahlul Bait (Keluarga) Rasulullah SAW dan Kesultanan Melayu" authored by Hj Muzaffar Mohamad and Tun Suzana Othman turned into English for the international market.

Seperti buku ke-empat saya "Rumah Azan", buku ke-enam "Kereta Api Menuju Destinasi" juga adalah buku mewah yang diterbitkan oleh syarikat Karnadya dengan kerjasama Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka. Keluar Januari 2011 ia memaparkan gambar dan cerita tentang pengembaraan menaiki keretapi ke seluruh Semenanjung Malaysia berserta tempat-tempat menarik yang boleh dicapai dengan cara ini.

Like my fourth book "Rumah Azan", the sixth book "Kereta Api Menuju Destinasi" is also a coffee-table book which is published by the company Karnadya with the cooperation of Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (the main Malay literary body in Malaysia). Coming out January 2011 it features pictures and stories on the adventure travelling by train to all of Peninsular Malaysia along with the interesting places which could be reached this way.

Buku ketujuh saya "Jejak keluarga Yakin : Satu sketsa sejarah" pula ada sebuah coffee-table book atau buku mewah yang ditulis, disunting, direkaletak dan gambar-gambarnya diambil sendiri oleh saya. Keluar dari kilang Oktober 2011, buku yang menggabungkan sejarah keluarga dengan sejarah tempat-tempat seperti Singapura, Johor, Batu Pahat, Muar malah ada sejarah Pulau Jawa dan Inggeris sekali ini telah diulas dengan saya ditemu ramah secara langsung dalam program Selamat Pagi Malaysia di RTM1. Lihat artikel Siaran langsung ulasan buku "Jejak keluarga Yakin : Satu sketsa sejarah" dan temu ramah di Selamat Pagi Malaysia. Sedikit isi terpilih ada dipaparkan dalam Sneak peek "Jejak keluarga Yakin : Satu sketsa sejarah".

My seventh book "Jejak keluarga Yakin : Satu sketsa sejarah" in turn is a coffee-table book which is written, editted, designed and has pictures taken by me. Coming out of the factory October 2011, this book which combines family history with history of places such as Singapura, Johor, Batu Pahat, Muar and in fact the history of the island of Java and England has been reviewed with me interviewed live in the program Selamat Pagi Malaysia at RTM1. Look at the article Siaran langsung ulasan buku "Jejak keluarga Yakin : Satu sketsa sejarah" dan temu ramah di Selamat Pagi Malaysia. Some selected contents have been featured in Sneak peek "Jejak keluarga Yakin : Satu sketsa sejarah".

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Untuk maklumat lanjut sila masuk http://www.merahsilu.blogspot.com/

For more information, please enter http://www.merahsilu.blogspot.com/

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Terbaru : Siri novel "Berpetualang ke Aceh" kini boleh didapati dalam bentuk e-book. Masuk http://www.e-sentral.com/, klik kategori novel am dan pergi ke mukasurat 4. Anda juga boleh taip perkataan "Aceh" pada kotak carian. Atau terus klik Buku 1, Buku 2 dan Buku 3.

Latest : The "Berpetualang ke Aceh" series of novels could now be obtained in e-book form. Enter http://www.e-sentral.com/, click general novel and go to page 4. You can also type the word "Aceh" at the search box. Or click straight Book 1, Book 2 and Book 3.

Friday, December 29, 2006

Gambar bersejarah Kuala Terengganu (Historical pictures of Kuala Terengganu)

Untuk melengkapkan siri gambar yang diambil semasa berada di Kuala Terengganu, biar disajikan sedikit lagi untuk tatapan semua... Semoga ia memberi faedah dan sedikit pengetahuan untuk semua, Insyaallah!
To complete the series of pictures taken while at Kuala Terengganu, let some more be shown for everybody's viewing... Hopefully it will bring benefit and a bit of knowledge to everyone, God willing!
Oh... Saya sudah kembali ke Kuala Lumpur petang tadi setelah bermalam di Kampung Janda Baik, Bentong, Pahang. Tetapi saya cuma dapat berehat sebentar sahaja kerana esok perlu berkelana lagi untuk kembali ke kampung ibu di Muar, Johor. Selepas itu mungkin saya akan ke Kedah untuk melihat pemandangan di utara tanah-air pula...
Oh... I am back in Kuala Lumpur this afternoon after spending the night at Kampung Janda Baik, Bentong Pahang. But I would only get a brief rest as tomorrow I have to travel again to return to my mother's hometown in Muar, Johor. After that, I might go to Kedah to see the view up north....
Untuk makluman pembaca sekalian, memang penat sentiasa berkelana begini. Tetapi buat masa ini, saya seolah-olah terpaksa kerana menurut gerak hati, selagi belum selesai beberapa perkara yang perlu dilunaskan terlebih dahulu. Perjalanan lepas sahaja sudah memakan hampir 2 minggu di Terengganu, Kelantan dan Pahang, tak tahu pula bagaimana perjalanan akan datang nanti. Penat memang penat... Bayangkan berjalan kaki berbatu-batu membawa beg sandang besar campur naik bas dan menumpang kereta serta lori orang dalam lingkungan perjalanan lebih 1,000 kemudian bermalam di masjid-masjid lama. Apa boleh buat? Itulah kehidupan seorang pengembara dalam mencari makna hidup...
For information of all readers, of course it's so tiring always travelling like this. But for the moment, it's like I have to follow my instincts, as long as certain matters are not settled first. The last trip alone took almost 2 weeks in Terengganu, Kelantan and Pahang, don't know how the next one will turn out. So tired of course... Imagine walking for miles with a big rucksack plus taking buses and hitchiking cars and lorries over a distance of 1,000km or so and then spending the nights at old mosques. But what can I do? That is the life of a traveller seeking the meaning of life...


Menara masjid Tokku Paloh. Masjid ini dibina semasa wali Allah itu masih hidup penghujung abad ke 19.
The tower of Tokku Paloh's mosque. The mosque was built while the saint of Allah is still alive late 19th century.
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Satu seksyen Muzium Negeri Terengganu dilihat daripada menara masjid Tokku Paloh.
A section of the Terengganu State Mosque as seen from the tower of Tokku Paloh's mosque.
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Makam Sultan Zainal Abidin I di Bukit Keledang. Baginda adalah Sultan pertama Terengganu daripada dinasti sekarang, memerintah penghujung abad ke 17 hingga awal abad ke 18. Dinasti ini berasal daripada keluarga Tun Habib Abdul Majid, Bendahara Johor semasa zaman pemerintahan Sultan Mahmud Mangkat Di-Julang.
The tomb of Sultan Zainal Abidin I at Bukit Keledang. His highness is the first Terengganu king from the current dynasty, ruled late 17th century till early 18th century, The dynasty came from the family of Tun Habib Abdul Majid, the Bendahara (something like a prime minister) of Johore during the rule of Sultan Mahmud Mangkat Di-Julang (he who died while being carried on a pedestal)
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Sebuah makam lama bersebelahan makam Sultan Zainal Abidin I, dipercayai milik Megat Panji Alam, anak raja Terengganu dahulukala yang mati dibunuh Hang Tuah dan rakan-rakannya sekitar abad ke 15 dahulu.
An old tomb beside the tomb of Sultan Zainal Abidin I, believed to be that of Megat Panji Alam, a Terengganu prince of old killed by the well-known Malay warrior Hang Tuah and his friends sometime in the 15th century.
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Masjid Abidin di tengah bandar Kuala Terengganu, juga dikenali sebagai "masjid putih"... Dibina semasa zaman pemerintahan Sultan Zainal Abidin III penghujung abad ke 18.
The Abidin Mosque in midtown Kuala Terengganu, also known as the "white mosque"... Built during the reign of Sultan Zainal Abidin III late 18th century.
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Gambar berkaitan Tokku Paloh (Pictures to do with Tokku Paloh)

Masyarakat Malaysia yang celik sejarah perkembangan Islam di Kepulauan Melayu serta cerita para wali yang terlibat mesti pernah mendengar nama Tokku Paloh. Beliau atau nama sebenarnya Sayyid Abdul Rahman Al-Idrus adalah ulamak terkenal yang menjadi guru kepada Sultan Zainal Abidin III, pemerintah Terengganu penghujung abad ke 19. Tokku Paloh juga dikenali sebagai wali Allah penuh karamah yang sangat ditakuti penjajah.
Malaysian community who is aware of the history of the propagation of Islam in the Malay Archipelago and the stories of the saints involved surely must have heard the name Tokku Paloh. The man whose real name is Sayyid Abdul Rahman Al-Idrus is a famous religious scholar and teacher to Sultan Zainal Abdin III, the ruler of Terengganu late 19th century. Tokku Paloh is also known as a saint of Allah full of miracles and was much feared by the colonialist.
Ada diceritakan bahawa apabila Inggeris cuba berunding meminta tanah kepada Sultan Zainal Abidin, baginda menyuruh mereka berjumpa Tokku Paloh kerana katanya Terengganu ini ada tuannya... Maksudnya Tokku Paloh lah yang lebih berhak membuat keputusan. Pegawai Inggeris telah pergi ke rumah wali Allah itu untuk berunding. Tokku Paloh bertegas tidak mahu memberi walau seinci pun tanah. Inggeris yang berang bangun untuk menunjukkan kemarahan tetapi kerusi pula melekat dipunggung mereka. Lalu Tokku Paloh memerli mereka: "Sudahlah tanah kita mahu diambil, kerusi kita pun mahu dibawa lari..."
It is told that when the English tried to negotiate asking for land from Sultan Zainal Abidin, he asked them to see Tokku Paloh because he said Terengganu has its owner... Meaning Tokku Paloh has more right to decide the matter. The English officers when to the saint of Allah's house to negotiate. Tokku Paloh insist he won't give even an inch of land. The English went mad and rose up to show their displeasure but the chairs were stuck to their bottoms. So Tokku Paloh commented: "Not only do they want to take our land, they also want to take away our chairs..."
Dalam peristiwa lain pula, Inggeris mengajak Tokku Paloh berunding di atas kapal perang. Tujuan mereka adalah untuk mengugut secara halus dengan mempamirkan kekuatan angkatan laut mereka dengan meriam berkuasa tinggi yang mampu membedil pantai Terengganu, satu taktik yang dikenali sebagai "gunboat diplomacy". Tokku Paloh cuma menyengetkan serbannya lalu seluruh armada kapal laut Inggeris turut senget sama! Pada masa yang lain pula, mereka cuba menghampiri perairan Terengganu tetapi melihat ia dijaga pahlawan-pahlawan Melayu siap bersenjata sejauh mata memandang. Ini menyebabkan mereka takut menjajah Terengganu selagi Tokku Paloh masih hidup.
Di sini, saya sajikan sedikit gambar berkaitan Tokku Paloh, diambil ketika perkelanaan di Pantai Timur baru-baru ini. Silakan...
In another scene, the English invited Tokku Paloh to negotiate on a warship. Their intention was to scare him discreetly by showing off their naval might with high-powered cannons capable of bombarding Terengganu shores, a tactic known as "gunboat diplomacy". Tokku Paloh only had to shift his headgear to one side and the whole English armada shifted on their sides too! At other times, they tried to approach the coast of Terengganu only to see it guarded by Malay warriors as far as the eyes can see, This made them scared to colonialise Terengganu as long as Tokku Paloh is still alive.
Here, I want to show some pictures related to Tokku Paloh, taken while travelling the East Coast recently. Go on...

Bangunan makam lama di Jalan Makam Lama, Cabang Tiga, Kuala Terengganu.
The old tomb at Jalan Makam Lama, Cabang Tiga, Kuala Terengganu.
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Makam lama milik Sayyid Mustafa Al-Idrus, dikatakan meninggal dunia tahun 1794. Beliau adalah antara ahli keluarga kabilah Al-Idrus yang terawal sampai ke Terengganu. Untuk makluman, Sayyid Mustafa adalah moyang Tokku Paloh.
The old tomb of Sayyid Mustafa Al-Idrus said to have passed away the year 1794. He was among the earliest member of the Al-Idrus family to have arrived in Terengganu. For information, Sayyid Mustafa is Tokku Paloh's great grandfather.
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Masjid Tokku Paloh berdekatan Muzium Negeri Terengganu.
The mosque of Tokku Paloh near Terengganu State Museum.
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Kawasan tanah perkuburan yang mengandungi makam Tokku Paloh di Kampung Paloh
The cemetery area containing the tomb of Tokku Paloh at Kampung Paloh.
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Makam Tokku Paloh ditanda batu sungai.
The tomb of Tokku Paloh marked with river stones.
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Thursday, December 28, 2006

Pemandangan Bukit Puteri (Views at Bukit Puteri)

Assalamualaikum para pembaca sekalian. Sudah agak lama blog ini tidak dikemas-kinikan, lebih 2 minggu sudah. Saya masih dalam perkelanaan setelah meninggalkan Kuala Lumpur 16 Disember untuk ke Kuantan, Kuala Terengganu, Kuala Berang, Kota Bahru kemudian ke Kuala Krai, Kuala Lipis dan Raub. Sekarang saya berada di Kampung Janda Baik, Bentong, Pahang berehat menikmati udara pergunungan untuk satu malam.
Greetings dear readers. It's been a while since this blog is updated, more than 2 weeks ago. I'm still in the midst of travelling after leaving Kuala Lumpur 16 December to go to Kuantan, Kuala Terengganu, Kuala Berang, Kota Bahru and then to Kuala Krai, Kuala Lipis and Raub. Now I'm at Kampung Janda Baik in Bentong, Pahang to rest and enjoy the mountain air for a night.
Di sini, saya tergerak untuk berkongsi beberapa gambar yang diambil ketika berkelana. Biar dimulakan dengan gambar yang diambil di Bukit Puteri, Kuala Terengganu. Untuk makluman, Bukit Puteri yang terletak di belakang Istana Maziah dan berhadapan Pasar Payang merupakan sebuah bukit yang strategik dalam struktur pemerintahan kerajaan Terengganu dahulukala. Seringkali ia ditawan terlebih dahulu ketika berlaku perang dan ini boleh menentukan pihak yang menang. Maka di atasnya masih terdapat beberapa buah meriam tinggalan dahulukala.
Here, I'm moved to share some pictures taken during the trip. Let us start with pictures taken at Bukit Puteri, Kuala Terengganu. For information, Bukit Puteri (literally translated as the hill of the princess) which is situated behind Istana Maziah (the state palace) and in front of Pasar Payang (the town's main marketplace) is a strategic hill for the old Terengganu government. Often it is conquered first whenever there's battle as it can decide the winners. So there still exist a few cannons of olden days there.
Legenda rakyat pula menyebut, Bukit Puteri adalah pusat sebuah kerajaan bunian. Samada benar atau tidak, ia tidak dapat disahihkan. Yang pasti, terdapat sebuah makam lama milik seorang ulama yang memiliki cerita sendiri. Sila tatap gambar-gambar ini...
Local legend says, Bukit Puteri is the centre of a fairy kingdom. Whether true or not, this can't be verified. What is sure, there is an old tomb there of a religious scholar from days of yore with its own story. Do have a look at the pictures...



Dua buah meriam menghadap ke Pulau Duyung di kuala Sungai Terengganu. Meriam-meriam ini masing-masing memiliki nama tersendiri tetapi saya pula tidak membuat catatan. Menara yang kelihatan antara dua meriam adalah sebahagian daripada komplek baru Pasar Payang yang sedang dalam pembinaan. Bangunan yang nampak di seberang pula ialah bangunan kelab kapal layar yang didirikan sempena Piala Monsun yang diadakan setahun sekali sejak tahun lepas.
Two cannons facing the island of Duyung at the Terengganu river estuary. The cannons each have unique names but I didn't take note. The tower seen between the cannons is part of the new marketplace complex of Pasar Payang under construction. The buildings seen across are the yatch club building built for the Monsoon Cup held once a year since last year.
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Bandar Kuala Terengganu dilihat daripada puncak Bukit Puteri.
Kuala Terengganu town seen from the summit of Bukit Puteri.
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Satu pemandangan yang menarik di atas, seperti di taman bunian pula!
An interesting sight on top, as if in a sort of fairy land!
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Makam Sayyid Yassin, seorang ulamak berketurunan Arab Hadramaut. Beliau juga adalah menantu kepada Sultan pertama Terengganu (dari keluarga yang memerintah sekarang), Sultan Zainal Abidin I yang memerintah awal abad ke 18.
The tomb of Sayyid Yassin, a religious scholar of Arab Hadramaut descent. He is also the son-in-law of the first Terengganu king (from the current dynasty), Sultan Zainal Abidin I who ruled in the early 18th century.
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Bukit Puteri dilihat daripada hadapan Istana Maziah.
Bukit Puteri as seen from the front of Istana Maziah.
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