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This blogspot is a medium to share my thoughts and adventures apart from promoting my books. Below are the books which have been written or authored and published by myself.


"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, May 2007


"Berpetualang ke Aceh: Sirih Pulang ke Gagang?"

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


It is interesting to note that while these books were written in Malay it has gained enough attention to merit being part of the collections of the American Library of Congress and National Library of Australia. Look here and here.


While the first three books were published by my own company, the fourth titled "Rumah Azan" was published in April 2009 by a company called Karnadya with the help of the Malaysian national literary body Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka. It features beautiful pictures along with stories behind selected mosques which could be related to the history of Islam and the Malays alongside the formation of the Malaysian nation. Look at the article A collaboration of old collegemates - the book "Rumah Azan".


My fifth book "Ahlul Bait (Family) of Rasulullah SAW and Malay Sultanates", an English translation and adaptation of the Malay book "Ahlul Bait (Keluarga) Rasulullah SAW dan Kesultanan Melayu" authored by Hj Muzaffar Mohamad and Tun Suzana Othman was published early 2010. Look here... My 5th book is out! Ahlul Bait (Family) of Rasulullah SAW and the Malay Sultanates... . For more information check out my Malay blogspot CATATAN SI MERAH SILU.



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.


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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The "Berpetualang ke Aceh" series of novels could 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.


Wednesday, December 24, 2008

New trip to the North - Lebuh Aceh mosque revisited...

Continuing from the article New trip to the North - places in Alor Setar revisited...


That night, after visiting (revisiting actually) a few other places, we arrived in Pulau Pinang. After dinner, we head straight for this place, the Lebuh Aceh mosque...


For the record, the mosque and its surroundings used to be main focal point for the local Malays.


In fact, it was the focal point for all Malays and Muslim from around the region to as far as Kelantan and Singapore. Before airplanes became the main mood of long distance travel, Muslims used to go for the pilgrimage to Mekah or Haj by ship. Pulau Pinang was the embarkation point and Lebuh Aceh was the place they congregated at for up to months before the long journey to the Arab peninsular began.




A closer look at the tower...



Time to go inside...




As my wife talked to the custodians of the mosque, my friend Shamsul took some proper photographs. For the record, this journey to the North (also the journey to the East Coast a month earlier and the South almost two months ago) was made to record some pictures and stories for an upcoming coffee-table book about mosques in Malaysia.



We also visited the tomb in front of the mosque especially that of Syed Hussein Aidid who opened up Lebuh Aceh. While the official statement says the mosque was built in 1808, the custodians said the correct year was 1795. And while Western-slanted history recorded Pulau Pinang as discovered and then developed by Francis Light in 1786 (excuse me for refusing to put the title Sir in front of his name), the custodians said Light actually borrowed money from Syed Hussein to develop the island!



The tomb of Syed Hussein... Al-Fatihah (recital of the Quran's opening verses) for him please.

While official history tried to belittle his actual importance by describing him as just a wealthy trader with some associating him with Aceh royalty, the fact is he was actually the Sultan (ruler) of Aceh, albeit for three days! Circumstances then including in-fighting from other members of the royal family forced him to abdicate the throne in favour of his son.

The truth is, he was actually deeply involved in the fighting against colonial rule especially that of the Dutch in Aceh. He used Pulau Pinang as a base to get weapons to help Aceh citizens fight against the Dutch.

While full frontal war against Aceh by the Dutch was only declared in 1873, there were numerous attempt to destablise the great Malay Islamic empire through several means since the early 17th Century. Often royalties were pitted against each other using diplomatic channels and this became the Western colonialists (English included) main modus operandi of conquest until the whole Malay archipelago succumbed to colonial rule by the middle of the 19th Century. That's all...







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