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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.


Saturday, March 01, 2008

Sungai Siput as base camp... Where a giant face looks out from on top a hill...

Ladies and gentlemen, as the day is 1st March, I feel it auspicious to make my 100th posting in the blogspot SENI LAMA MELAYU (MALAY OLDEN ART) titled Masjid Ubudiyah di (The Ubudiyah mosque in) Kuala Kangsar, Perak... . And as it the article is about my favourite mosque in Kuala Kangsar, I thought it best too to add another posting to the blogspot CATATAN SI MERAH SILU , a posting which is very related to the story In Perak's royal mausoleum to give justice to Laksamana Raja Mahkota Muhammad Amin made here 2 days ago. Hence the title of the new posting is Di Kuala Kangsar untuk memperbaharui wasilah... . Later I thought, it's not fair to leave this blogspot not updated when the other 2 have received new materials. So here goes this one, lack of words for proper story-telling notwithstanding...


You can say this continues from In Perak's royal mausoleum to give justice to Laksamana Raja Mahkota Muhammad Amin . That very afternoon, after visiting the tomb and then the mosque besides (see Masjid Ubudiyah di (The Ubudiyah mosque in) Kuala Kangsar, Perak... ), I managed to hitchike a ride to Sungai Siput. On top is the picture taken the next day, that of the Lembaga Peladang (farmers' body) headquarters in Sungai Sejuk some 7km from Sungai Siput. That's where I meet a new friend Syahir, a huge fan of my novel series "Berpetualang ke Aceh"'

He was very excited upon finding out that I was somewhere travelling in Perak. So he invited me to come and circumstances which follows made me oblige... The circumstances includes the hitchike to Sungai Siput. Actually after visiting the royal mausoleum, I just wanted to hike down Bukit Chandan and was not sure where to head next. That's when the driver said he is going to Kuala Lumpur via the old road which passes through Sungai Siput!


Among the houses for staff there. Syahir stays in one of the houses with a wife and kid. I had a few deja vu here, at least twice, once inside the house, once outside...


A unique-looking hill not far from Syahir's place... It lies besides the Kuala Kangsar to Sungai Siput/ Ipoh main road, on the junction to Sungai Sejuk. The funny things is I first noticed this hill while going from Ipoh to Kedah via Kuala Kangsar with another friend Badrul just about 4 days ago. To think that I've passed this road at least 10 times going to and fro Ipoh and Kuala Kangsar in the last 2-3 years or so but it's only this time I looked out and took note of the hill.

I remembered telling Bad I wish I could have a good look at it. Bad just smiled. We have a few places to stop at in Kuala Kangsar and then we must get to Yan, Kedah hopefully by the afternoon. Little did I realise, just about 4 days after that I would see the hill again and actually lodge at a place not so far behind it!



The unique hill is actually located behind Sungai Siput's general hospital... Syahir and Bad told me, most people call it Bukit Singa (the lion hill). There might be other names. They said because it looks like the head of a lion from far... Well, I can't see anything remotely resembling a lion from here and I can't see it in all 3 days I was there (yes, little did I realise I would spend 3 nights in Sungai Siput. All my life, I have spent only a night here at that was in 2006)... Perhaps, I didn't see from the right angle. Perhaps I don't look hard enough... Perhaps.

Still, I managed to recognised what seems to be the look like a man's face engraved (naturally or by illusion, who knows?) on the face of the stone jutting out from the summit of the hill. Look closely and you can see it too!

Hmm... I looked again just now... Now this face seems to look like a lion's... Are my eyes playing tricks on me? But everyone says it's the face of a man, so much so that local folks would sometime stop their cars on the roadside in the afternoon just to have some sort of picnic and feast their eyes on the sight. Hmm... I think I remember Syahir saying the hill looks like a lion's head when seen in overall, not just the stone jutting out from the top...

Anyway, I started making this posting just so that I have one too here for the 1st of March. I though I would just put this 4 pictures and then say a line or two because most of the materials would be reserved for another round of story-telling, soonest after Sunday I think. But now I realise, I was "moved" to do this because there's a big significance about all this... You see, without realising it then, I actually and literally made Sungai Siput my base of travel for the next 3 days... Actually 4 if you count 2 consecutive nights in Sungai Siput, 1 in Lenggong about 60km away and the following night in Sungai Siput before I left the area for good.

If in Kedah, I "set-up" camp with Badrul at Pak Chak's place in Kampung Ruat, Yan where from there I travelled around Sungai Petani the first day, around Alor Setar the second and up Gunung Jerai the third, then Sungai Siput played the same role for some travels made in Perak. It is from there Syahir and me made a Perak round-trip covering Ipoh, Gopeng, Tanjung Tualang, Kampung Gajah, Bota Kanan, Beruas and then pass Manong to Kuala Kangsar before returning to Sungai Siput and bunking again at Syahir's place. (Syahir pointed out to the car meter at Beruas... It shows 191km already travelled then, another auspicious number for me, hehe! :)

The next day, I met another friend Asri and followed him to Lenggong. The following day we made a round trip in upper Perak before returning to Sungai Siput where I lodged at Asri's. Another funny thing that came to mind upon realising that Sungai Siput was actually made a base-camp (while writing this! honest!) is the thought that it could once be a capital for an ancient kingdom... One that features prominently in both Malay folklores and actual history!

Have you heard the name Gangganegara? It is said to be a Hindunised kingdom existing since the 2 century AD almost 2,000 years ago. Based on archeological evidences and readings from ancient classical texts on the matter, experts have argued as to the actual location of the kingdom. Among the "nominees" are Beruas some 80km away, Pengkalan (if I remember correctly the name) somewhere in Ipoh 30 km away and here in Sungai Siput.

I myself is of the feel and opinion that it is somewhere nearer to the shore of the straits of Melaka at Pengkalan Remis about 100km from here. But when I reflect back on Sungai Siput being my base camp and tie that to the fact that I actually lodged not far from the unique looking hill, it crossed my mind that yes, Sungai Siput was once a seat of the kingdom if not THE seat... In fact, I remember Syahir teling me a friend of his who believes in the unseen said the face on top of the hill is of a king who bears the title "Johan Berdaulat" just like a dynasty of kings who have ruled Aceh before it was known as Aceh!

Then again the conflict in determining the true location existed because we forget, the boundaries of GanggaNegara could have included all... Only the capital shifted place with time and the flight and fancy of the rulers. Whatever, the stories of travelling perhaps related to the kingdom will be told and pictures shared in due time...

Meanwhile I have appeased my strange gut-feelings and curiousity with numbers, dates and order of things and happenings which could suddenly feel auspicious. So good night everyone, I deserve a good rest and so do you! Cheers... :]

Thursday, February 28, 2008

In Perak's royal mausoleum to give justice to Laksamana Raja Mahkota Muhammad Amin

Greetings all. The posting The main players of the Perak-British war as depicted at the fort of Ngah Ibrahim... made in the wee hours last night happened to be my 162th posting. I should have thrown in the towel then as I was too tired after making a few other postings in my other blogspots throughout the day. But somehow I didn't feel so comfortable with that number. So let this be the 163th posting to set my mind at ease ya. As for the subject, I happened to have this set of pictures which needs to be featured right after that on Taiping and the fort of Ngah Ibrahim has been shown in all my three blogspots.

Now, I have been to the Perak royal mausoleum in Bukit Chandan many many times. Thus I've shared some of the pictures in the posting titled Makam diraja Perak (Perak royal mausoleum) at the blogspot SENI LAMA MELAYU (MALAY OLDEN ART) . However my latest visit there made after the journey in Kedah more than a month ago is the most special by far... That was when I took pictures of my great-great grandfather Laksamana Raja Mahkota (inherited royal admiral title) Muhammad Amin's new tomb (see The return of Admiral Muhammad Amin's remains to the royal mausoleum of Perak)... That is the tomb after the body was returned from its burial place of exile in Singapore back to the Perak royal mausoleum.

This story is a continuation of what happened in Taiping. After the visit to Ngah Ibrahim's fort which resulted in the posting The main players of the Perak-British war as depicted at the fort of Ngah Ibrahim... , I went back to Taiping and then immediately got a bus to Kuala Kangsar where the royal mausoleum is situated at...


The main door to the royal mausoleum. Now read back the posting The main players of the Perak-British war as depicted at the fort of Ngah Ibrahim... and you will notice that Laksamana Raja Mahkota Muhammad Amin was not listed as a major player there. Instead even in history books, his name is mentioned in passing as one of the signatories of the Pangkor Treaty of 1874. Apart from that, history only knows him as one of 3 main nobles exiled together with Sultan Abdullah to the Seychelles in Africa 1877. This happened after they were implicated for the murder of British first Resident to Perak, J.W.W. Birch in 1875...


Here is the latest picture of Muhammad Amin's tomb. I'm very happy to see this as in my last visit (not counting the one made before going to Kedah some 4 days before), I think at least 3 months ago, there was no such building... The tomb was still a bunch of red earth marked by a pair of wood for gravestones! That despite the fact that the body was reburried here more than a year before, that is on 9th September 2006...


The funny thing is I don't see his name engraved in any part of the tomb building... Apart from the Arabic letters for Amin which does sound like his name but is actually just an utterance after one is finished reading a verse of the Quran... The same like when a Christian says "Amen!"


Even the head gravestone has no inscriptions... Normally this is where one puts the name and date of death of the deceased. Never mind that... Maybe the authorities will put the inscriptions later. I'm just happy to see my great great grandfather's tomb looking good and well built.

Hmm... Somehow suddenly I feel like putting a bit of my genealogy here at the risk of others accusing me of showing off... Perhaps, it is showing off. Perhaps it would get some out of touch kith and kins to try to mend back the family ties. Perhaps... Anyway, my name is Mohd Fahrulradzi bin (son of) Mohamad Sapiee bin Muhammad Arshad bin Muhammad Ali Wahi bin Muhammad Arshad bin Muhammad Amin (the deceased buried here)... Mohd is an official short-form for Muhammad while Mohamad is one of the modern-spelling.

Why did I suddenly feel like doing this? Well, I like to give justice to my great grandfather... One, because his role in leading the Perak Malays in the fight against the British were understated, even undermined in the history books. Second because his ties with the royalty is obscured such that some wonder why is he buried at Perak's royal mausoleum when he has no Raja (a princely title) to his name... Why wasn't he buried in Teluk Intan where there's a private cemetery reserved for the Laksamana family?


This is the tomb of the Sultan Abdullah who was exiled to Seychelles. Later, he, Laksamana Raja Mahkota Muhammad Amin, the much more well-known Ngah Ibrahim who carries the title Menteri Paduka Tuan (a minister) and Shahbandar (something like the royal harbour master) Uda Ma'amor who was also exiled there were brought to Singapore to be observed at all times by the British authorities centred there.
Sultan Abdullah however was "pardoned" and returned to Perak where he died in the 1920s and was buried here. The rest had to stay in Singapore where they died... That is until the remains of Muhammad Amin and Ngah Ibrahim was brought back in a grand ceremony, Ngah Ibrahim's remains reburied at his fort in Matang, Muhammad Amin's here...
Too bad, they couldn't find the tomb of Uda Ma'amor in Singapore. My condolences for the family. May he too rest in peace...

This is the tomb of Raja Chulan, son of Sultan Abdullah just beside his father's grave. If I'm not mistaken, among Sultan Abdullah's children and descendants, he was the last (and only one I think) to get anywhere close to the throne following Perak's unique row of succession. Luckily, his name is immortalised as Jalan Raja Chulan in Kuala Lumpur's bustling Golden Triangle...

Again, if I remember correctly, he died in 1933 bearing the title Raja di Hilir, 3rd in line from the throne behind the Raja Muda (or regent) and Raja Bendahara (2nd in-line but the title was later abolished)... And as far as I know, after that there's no one from Sultan Abdullah's clan standing in the list of succesion anymore...

Currently the positions are filled with descendants of Sultan Abdullah's first cousin Sultan Idris (the one who opened Bukit Chandan in the 1880s) . Only one position, that of Raja di Hilir (now 2nd in-line) is held by another, that is Raja Jaafar who is a descendant of Sultan Abdullah's younger brother, Raja Muda Musa...

OK... Back to the case of Laksamana Raja Mahkota Muhammad Amin. What is his relationship to royalty? The official genealogy put him as a third cousin of Sultan Abdullah as the Sultan's mother Wan Mahtra and Muhammad Amin's father Alang Wakap are second cousins. But this does not make one a royalty... Just like if a king married your sister. It doesn't make you royalty, it just makes you an in-law of a royalty. So why is Muhammad Amin buried at the royal mausoleum?

The tomb of another member of the Perak royal family... But let's continue with the story of Muhammad Amin first...

And so the official story given on why Laksamana Raja Mahkota Muhammad Amin was admitted to the royal sanctum sanctorium was because he was granted the privilege by the current Sultan of Perak, Sultan Azlan Shah. Yes, the Sultan does have the power to do that. And so it was explained, Muhammad Amin was an honoured "commoner" who was granted a burial place among the Sultan Abdullah clan because of his loyalty to the former... The story goes that he was so loyal, he actually chose to be exiled to Seychelles along although he was never really implicated in the murder of J.W.W. Birch!

Now there is a story saying he was the actual mastermind behind that move to fight and chase out the British... It is said even the famous Datuk Maharajalela (something like the grand chamberlain) was subservient to him although official history rated the Datuk as the most celebrated figure in the death of Birch and the fight against the British!

Still, Muhammad Amin's influence and role were hugely underated. Instead another most celebrated figure is Ngah Ibrahim who happens to be Muhammad Amin's son in law! In fact some parties work very hard to put Ngah Ibrahim's name and prominence above all the others, even the Sultan. The tagline is this: Ngah Ibrahim amassed so much riches from tin mining in Larut that he became richer that the Sultan itself! Thus he is the spanking example of a Malay corporate figure, they said... A high symbol of success that should be emulated by all.

Well, that might as well be the case... The people who wants to promote his riches so much like to also point to the fact that Ngah Ibrahim paid for the Sultan's debt to the British or something. Oh the Sultan then was someone else, I couldn't remember who exactly. This might be something to be proud of for a lot of people but to me it isn't... I respect chivalry and nobility (in the true sense of the word) more than wealth... Besides, wasn't Ngah Ibrahim's penchant for wealth was what brought the Chinese miners by the droves? And this later created trouble which allowed the British to make active interference in Perak Malay affairs...

No, I don't respect Ngah Ibrahim's wealth at all. Frankly, I felt a slight distaste when the return of the remains of Ngah Ibrahim was harped so loudly everywhere that it looks like certain parties (again) tried to undermine Laksamana Raja Mahkota Muhammad Amin's return alongside. Come on... Face it man... Even the navy vessel carrying both the remains is of the name KD Laksamana Muhammad Amin... And face it again, it was Muhammad Amin who was buried at the royal mausoleum...

The gravestone of the tomb shown in the previous picture revealed the person buried as Raja Muda Musa bin Sultan Jaafar. He is the younger brother of Sultan Abdullah...

Back to what royal rights does Muhammad Amin have to be buried here. OK, this is the hush, hush part... According to certain people, Muhammad Amin is actually a first cousin to Sultan Abdullah on the staff side... What does that mean? It means, Muhammad Amin's father and Sultan' Abdullah father were actually brothers! It further means, they both have the same royal grandfather! So why is this not shown in the official genealogy? This is why the hush, hush...

Sometimes a person has a certain name but later used a different official name after ascending the throne. So people who does not know better might mistake him as two different persons... This is the juncture where parties with vested interest could actually separate a whole family genealogy making it looks like two separate ones with little common link.

Now why one earth would one want to do that? Well for one, it could turn a royal into a commoner... For example by separating the identity of a person named Alang Muhammad who is also known as Raja Ahmad into two, you can create two separate genealogies with one showing the descendants of Alang Muhammad as commoners, another showing the descendants of Raja Ahmad as royalty... And to what end does this serve? For one, to stop the descendants of Alang Muhammad from a making a claim to the throne! Get it?


Here is the area for the burial of Raja Muda Musa bin (or ibni which also means bin but sounds more royal) Sultan Jaafar and his clan... Among those buried here is the last person from Teluk Intan to be made a ruler in the last 120 plus years, Sultan Abdul Aziz, the 31st Sultan of Perak, son of Raja Muda Musa. Also in that area is another Raja Muda Musa, the son of Sultan Abdul Aziz! Not just they have the same names, this person and his grandfather both died while bearing the title Raja Muda, just a step away from becoming the ruler!

Now, my relatives told me, we had a certain great grandmother who was known simply as Hajah Halijah, said to be very famous for her astounding beauty. Her beauty made princes go to war but eventually he married my grandfather's grandfather Laksamana Raja Mahkota Muhammad Arshad bin Muhammad Amin...

They said Hajah Halijah's father is Haji Musa... For information, the title Haji and Hajah are given to Muslims who have completed their hajj, pilgrimage to Mekah. But some said in hush hush voice that the father was actually Raja Muda Musa! That should explain why Hajah Halijah had her own entourage of dayangs (lady-in-waiting)... So why drop the name Raja? Wouldn't it be to her disadvantage as most people love to have grand titles, what more if its royal!

My grandmother used to say our family dropped the title because they don't want to be proud. Besides, the times have favoured family members who were ready to cooperate with the colonising British, the kind of cooperation which compromised the well-being and confidence of the Malays in general. So some family members where disappointed with the situation, so much so that they throw out the title Raja to stop themselves from being associated with royalty!

Hmm... I think that's all ya... Despite what other's might say, I think I have vindicated my great-great-great grandfather Laksamana Raja Mahkota enough (now I realise, I have to used the word great 3 times as I'm a 5th generation descendant).

Ah... Something more to be let out before I can truly call in a day (it's already past 2 am at this juncture!). For those who still dispute his royal status, look again at the title Laksamana Raja Mahkota... Why not just Laksamana like that used by the legendary Hang Tuah during the heydays of the Melaka empire? And no, it is not like the title Sri Wak Raja or such where the word Raja can be used for a nobleman who is not of royal birth...

In order to understand that, you have to turn the clock back almost 300 years ago when Sultan Muzaffar Shah III was the 13th ruler of Perak. He had a bodyguard (and Perak's top religious man) too by the name of Daeng Selili, a Bugis prince who is also his brother-in-law. In 1743 if I remember correctly, Daeng Selili was assigned to defeat some pirates at the waters of Pulau Sembilan at the mouth of the Perak river. He managed to defeat most and was about to have a face-off with the head honcho when it turned out, the head pirate was none other than his own brother, Daeng Hanasah!

Now, as why Daeng Hanasah became a pirate, I won't go into lengths... But I do understand he was actually supposed to be the next ruler in another country (not in Bugis land ya) when certain parties intervened. And thus he decided to become a pirate who mainly attack Western ships... Daeng Selili took his brother to meet Sultan Muzaffar. The brother was recognised as a fitting royalty and thus was made a Laksamana (admiral) guarding the waters of Perak... With the extra title Raja Mahkota (literally translated as the crown prince) which should sufficiently explain his true status.

For the record, Daeng Hanasah is my great-great grandfather who started the whole Laksamana Raja Mahkota lineage. His brother Daeng Selili got the title Datuk Maharajalela and it was inherited by his descendants...

Certain parties said what happened in Perak then was that some princes were driven out from their homelands and landed in Perak where they tried to set up a new kingdom. But Perak already had its own ruler and that lead to war. In order to make peace, they set up an agreement... As they are all of royal blood and a study of genealogy revealed they are after all related several generations up till down as Malay royalty often inter-marry... Furthermore the ties were further cemented when their children marry each other.

And so here's the deal... Let's create a rotational system... Once the current Sultan (said mainly from the old Melaka kingdom blood) is deceased, then let a family member of one prince (from Acehnese blood) get on the throne. Then it is one from the family of the Bugis blood... And so on, Melaka, Aceh, Bugis... Melaka, Aceh, Bugis...

Meanwhile, let them carry their respective titles Laksamana Raja Mahkota or Datuk Maharajalela or whatever the Melaka side chose to name their princes. Once up there, they are simply known as a Sultan from only one Perak compounded lineage...

And so they say, this is how the order of succesion was actually created. A tweak here and there with the genealogical charts (where a son-in-law or adopted son could actually be recorded as the son of a ruler!) should show a very smooth order of change, except in certain outstanding cases normally involving disputes... It's just that at later times especially after the British intervened, this story was shut out in order to cut out certain families from the deal while keeping the monopoly of ruling the country to certain branches only...

Enough! Now I can go to sleep... Cheers! :]

The main players of the Perak-British war as depicted at the fort of Ngah Ibrahim...

As the title says, we're going to see The main players of the Perak-British war as depicted at the fort of Ngah Ibrahim... These pictures were taken taken the following day after those shown in the last posting here, Views on top of Gunung Jerai... Enter Padang Tok Sheikh. Is it? were taken. So the story continues with as few word as needed to get the story across ya... It could be a bunch but believe me, it is necessary... Come...


Suffice to say, I made my 3rd visit to the fort of Ngah Ibrahim in Matang, Taiping, Perak the day after going up Gunung (mount) Jerai in Kedah. Unlike in my previous visits to the fort (now a museum) which were confined to the main hall, this time I bothered to look around and record some pictures which would be of interest to a lot of people...


Here is a genealogical chart of Ngah Ibrahim who built the fort with fortune amassed from trading tin mined in the district of Larut, the world's largest supplier of tin then, the 19th century AD... Below are displays of the historical notes and depictions of characters associated with what happened during this period... That is, the blooming tin trading which got the British interested among other, by bringing Chinese miners in... A period which saw plenty of events culminating in the Malay lands being colonised by the British which in turn resulted in the modern make-up of the country called Malaysia to this very day!

The displays would be presented the way it is arranged at the fort ya... For best understanding, please blow up the pictures and read the explanations, given in both Malay and English. Just too bad, some couldn't be captured clearly with my cheap digital camera because of the lighting and positioning which limited the attempt to capture as best as I could. Shoot...


Some history about Sultan Jaafar, Perak's 23rd Sultan (ruled 1857-1865). The stage was set went he gave a certain Long Jaafar mandate and rule over the district of Larut, after a fresh discovery of large deposits of tin there...


History on Sultan Ali Al-Mukammal, the next Perak Sultan. His death in 1871 lead to a major succesion dispute for the throne...


Sultan Ismail Muabidin was installed as the replacement when according to Perak's unique order of succesion, it should be someone else on the throne...


According to the order in place then, Raja Abdullah (later raised as the 26th Sultan) should have been the ruler. But he was sidestepped as he didn't attend the funeral of Sultan Ali... According to the custom, a replacement must be installed before a deceased ruler is buried. But the stories said Raja Abdullah didn't come because he was afraid he would be attacked by... (look below)


Raja Yusuf which much later became Perak's 27th Sultan... Beginning to get the intrigue of the plot?


OK. Here's Long Jaafar, the person given mandate by the 23rd Sultan, Sultan Jaafar to administer Larut which turned out to be the world's largest supplier of tin then very important to Europe because of the Industrial Revolution in full swing. The mandate was actually given when Sultan Jaafar was not yet a full ruler, just the regent... The Sultan then, the 22rd of Perak was Sultan Abdullah Muhammad I which happens to be the father of Raja Yusuf (the future Sultan Yusuf!)...

Perhaps it was the blooming trade of tin and richest pouring in that got him... What happened then was Sultan Jaafar grabbed the throne and was effectively the ruler years before he was formally installed... Formally installed in 1865 when Sultan Abdullah I died. But the damage was already done. And it was further done when Sultan Jaafar used his power to sidelined Raja Yusuf who was then 3rd in line to the throne! By right Raja Yusuf should be pushed up to 2nd in line when Sultan Jaafar filled in the gap but instead he was left to languish in the position known as Raja Di Hilir while someone else filled the slot in-between...

Ngah Ibrahim is the son of Long Jaafar. Some parties might dispute this saying Ngah Ibrahim is actually a younger brother of Long Jaafar. Some even say he's not even related but was just a clever employee... Never mind all that, let's stick to the official history. Ngah Ibrahim is the son and he inherited all of Long Jaafar's wealth when the latter is deceased...

OK, back to the death of Sultan Ali in 1871. If Sultan Jaafar had not disturbed the order of succession, then Raja Yusuf should already be on the throne. On the other hand, according to the succesion put in place by Sultan Jaafar, its time his son Sultan Abdullah become the ruler... After all, he was the regent to Sultan Ali.

According to the custom, Sultan Abdullah or then Raja Abdullah who resided down south in Teluk Intan should come to the palace then in Sayong (Perak upriver) to be installed and then only could the late Sultan Ali be buried. But Raja Abdullah didn't come because according to the stories he was afraid of being ambushed by Raja Yusuf who was based in Senggang.

So the story goes, no more waiting after 3 months... Someone had to be installed fast as the body must be buried and thus Sultan Ismail who then carried the position of Raja Bendahara was raised to throne.

Now, under the old custom the Raja Bendahara is 2nd in line to the throne, after the regent who is known as the Raja Muda. In that sense, the order has been sidestepped but what's even worse, under the correct custom, Sultan Ismail or Raja Ismail as he was known before was never to become a Sultan! This is because he was only a member of the Perak royal family on the distaff side... This man was actually a Siak prince with a mother from Perak royalty! But he was appointed as Raja Bendahara by Sultan Jaafar because the latter didn't want Raja Yusuf to become Raja Bendahara. Got the picture better now?

Some say, Ngah Ibrahim was the person who most wanted Raja Ismail to become the Sultan as he hated Raja Abdullah. Never mind that, what happened then lead Raja Abdullah, the son of Sultan Jaafar to seek the British aid... The result, the Treaty of Pangkor of 1874 which saw Raja Abdullah installed by the British and Raja Ismail forced into retirement with pension... But with a lot of strings attached of course... One of it is Perak must accept a British Resident and MUST use his "advices" and all matters pertaining to the state except in matters of the religion of Islam and Malay customs.

Oh... Forgot to tell. There's another side leading to the treaty. The disturbances and wars between Chinese aided by Chinese gangsters but that is another story. If you ask me, both the disturbances caused by the Chinese and the throne succession dispute were engineered by the British to justify their involvement in Malay affairs...

Anyway, a British Resident by the name of J.W.W. Birch was put in place and that actually leads to further troubles. In turned out, he does not have much respect for the Malays and that lead to the face-off coming soon... Then again, maybe the British conciously put such a person in place to make the Malays angry, so that they can justify war and full control over the Malay lands?


Datuk Sagor, one of the main warriors in the next plot... Sorry. Although the spelling in the picture is Dato', I like to used Datuk as per the house convention and style at The New Straits Times where I was a journalist for 5 years.

Datuk is actually a title of respect given out by the ruler to those deemed to have contributed much for society. So there... But don't mistake the Datuks of old with the dim a dozen Datuks now existent in Malaysia ya... The standards have been significantly shifted far away. In the old days, a Datukship is given if someone have truly contributed much, body and soul for the country.... And thus it is given out only to the elders as only a certain level of age and maturity can prove your true value...

Besides, the word Datuk in Malay also denotes someone who have grandchildren, that is a grandfather... Thus in the old days, a person who held this title is often a good example of a family leader having succesfully raised children who in turn have their own children.

The values that makes a Datuk have certainly shiften much. Now, you can have a 20-plus-yearold guy whom the public knows is a swindler and a womaniser carrying the title Datuk while the powers-that-be denied all these and try to put the guy as an angle. Why? Because he knows how to play politics and raise a lot of money. That's all!


Datuk Maharajalela, the most celebrated Malay warrior in what was to follow...


Pandak Indut, another main player...


The "venerable" J.W.W. Birch who caused much trouble...


And a Captain Speedy who was once the secretary to Ngah Ibrahim but was strangely (at least I think it's strange) promoted to become the assistant Resident when Perak is fully in British hands...

OK... What happened is after one too much demand, the Malays got so angry that despite all the differences regarding old throne succesion disputes and such, they decided to unite. The result, J.W.W. Birch was murdered in Pasir Salak 1875.

What follows was all-out war between the British and the Malays. Official history recorded that the British won in a superior show of force but I learned that this is actually happens because some Malays betrayed their motherland because of certain incentives...

Never mind that, the Malays involved in the murder of J.W.W. Birch were caught by the British and put to trial... A mock trial as far as I'm concerned, as plastic as the figures shown in this exhibit at the fort of Ngah Ibrahim.

Oh... By the way, the trial actually happened in this room! The result... Datuk Sagor, Datuk Maharajalela and Pandak Endut were all sentenced to death! Raja Abdullah who was installed as Sultan Abdullah following the 1874 Pangkor Treaty was exiled to the Seychelles Island in Africa along with Ngah Ibrahim.... And 2 other major players which somehow the history books have missed or underscored... My great-great grandfather Laksamana Raja Mahkota (royal admiral) Muhammad Amin and Shahbandar Uda Ma'amor.

If I remember correctly, the former Sultan Ismail was exiled to Singapore. Raja Yusuf who became the regent or Raja Muda when Sultan Abdullah was installed stayed on in that position... Meaning the British have taken effective control of the state using the name of exiled Sultan Abdullah and the presence of only second-in-command among the Malays Raja Yusuf to change the whole socio-political structure of Perak, that is relegating the Malays to the backwaters of the slew of economic changes then... Raja Yusuf only became the Sultan some 10 years later... Even then for only 3 months when he died!

Sorry, I feel sad. These are my relatives I'm talking about. I think enough story-telling ya. You can always search more about what happened elsewhere. Good night! :]

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Views on top of Gunung Jerai... Enter Padang Tok Sheikh. Is it?

Continuing the current run of pictorial stories based on views on top of this or a looking around that (whatever) places... let me now present some pictures taken on top of the 1,200 metre plus high Gunung (mount) Jerai, the highest peak in Kedah. These pictures were taken the following day after the ones featured in the last posting here Views on top Alor Setar's telecommunication tower... , so it is definitely a continuity of the current streak of stories on Kedah.

Now, a few months ago I have featured pictures taken at the same mountain made in a previous trip a year ago. You can still have a look at these pictures by clicking Gunung Jerai calling out loud... and On to the summit of Gunung Jerai to close a chapter... Only then I didn't reach a certain part of the mountain known officially to the public as Padang Tok Sheikh, literally translated as the field of the venerable religious man or master. For the record this is my third time up the mountain.

My first trip up Gunung Jerai was made in 1997 using a big bike, during a month-long solo trip covering almost all of Peninsular Malaysia. There's a quite comfortable but small road going up to the top and as I was then on the way from Sungai Petani heading to Alor Setar, I might as well check what's up there.

But then I didn't realised the road actually led all the way to the top. I just got up to the resthouse which lies on one of the highest peak but is still some 2km shy from the actual summit. I didn't even check the Perigi Tok Sheikh (the well of Tok Sheikh or the venerable religious teacher) which was only some 200 metres away as I didn't realise then the significance of the place. I thought I already made it to the top as far as the road allowed and I was raring to continue my travel to Alor Setar...

Oh anyway, above is a picture of the signboard to Padang Tok Sheikh, just besides the road to the highest peak or summit. The highest point itself is off-limits to civilians. Guarded by no less than the military, it houses a big telecommunication tower and who knows what else...


The path to Padang Tok Sheikh. Back to the story-telling...

My second trip up Gunung Jerai was made about a year ago. I came alone Thursday afternoon and reached the foothills late after 6pm. I was then on the final leg of a series of travelling which actually covers a wide range of locations in the East Coast, the South and the North in about 2 months. Thus I was dead tired but can't help the urge to go up... And I wanted to save money... I could have chartered a van from the foot of the mountain but after deliberating what to do for a while, I decided to walk.

To cut a long story short, I've walked alone in the dark for more than 8 km uphill and as the clock struck almost 9pm, then only I managed to hitchike a car, a lone one. The driver (and some passengers) sent me a further 4km to the resthouse. But I thought I want to bunk at the well or Perigi Tok Sheikh...


The way towards Padang Tok Sheikh. In front is an elderly friend known simply as Pak Chak. Behind him is Badrul or Bad from Ipoh. Bad and me were bunking at Pak Chak's place in Kampung Ruat, Yan, Kedah, some 20-30 km away from the point of entry for the road up to the mountain...


The path goes on... When I look back at this picture, the tree on the left looks just like a rubber tree after it has just been tapped... Honest!


Bad negotiating an uphill path. Back to what happened on the climb up Gunung Jerai last year...

I thought I wanted to bunk at Perigi Tok Sheikh. There's a nice little hut there but with no walls. After making my abolution and then conducting my prayers in the dark (thank God it was not pitch dark. at least I could still figure my way around...), I sat at a corner on the cold tiled floor.

Now, I usually have my trusty jacket along in case of cold. But this time, I've lost it somewhere on the way from Tanjung Dawai to Alor Setar... That is more than a week before making the climb up.

After an hour sitting in the hut with no walls, the mountain winds began to get to me... There's no way I could have a good sleep that night, I thought. So I ended up walking back to the resthouse and rented a room there. So came the story as told in Gunung Jerai calling out loud...


After going uphill, then a bit of going downhill.

In the climb made last year, I wanted to find the way to Padang Tok Sheikh and another spot known as Batu Sajadah, the prostration stone. Oh, we kept on going about this Tok Sheikh, the venerable religious teacher. So who is he really?

Well, both Kedah legends and history mentioned a certain pious man by the name of Sheikh Abdullah who came from the middle-east to convert a king of Kedah to Islam. They say, the king was Sultan Muzaffar Shah, also known as Sultan Muzzaffar Shah I (as there were a few more Kedah rulers with the same name. Do have a look at Sultan Muzaffar Shah, the first king of Kedah?).

It is believed this had happened more than 800 years ago, close to 900. Whatever, Sheikh Abdullah also known as Tok Sheikh is said to have spent much time in solitude or with his followers up Gunung Jerai and that's why there's places associated with his name... They said because he actually utilised this place for his convenience and meditation...

Now, I believe that this Sheikh Abdullah also has certain ties to my forefathers. So after finding out about the places associated with him, I thought I could make a certain spiritual link that would complete my years of sour-searching. That's why I called the relevant story On to the summit of Gunung Jerai to close a chapter...

At last, the place known officially as Padang Tok Sheikh... Last year I couldn't find it as I missed the entry point beside the road up to the highest peak... I got disheartened when I walked all the way up almost to the very top only to meet high fences and be told by the military that the area is off-limits. And then I had to rush back down and out as I'm supposed to attend a meeting of friends in Lumut, Perak the next day...

It took my third trip to Gunung Jerai before I'm actually here. And that happened after I've visited the tombs of Tok Soh (see Makam Tok Soh di Kedah dan kaitannya dengan Merong Mahawangsa (The tomb of Tok Soh in Kedah and its relation to Merong Mahawangsa)... ) and Daeng Parani (see Makam (tomb of) Daeng Parani ) at Sungai Petani on Monday, the tomb of Sheikh Abdul Qadir (see Sebuah makam berumur 1,100 tahun di Kedah! (A 1,100 year old tomb in Kedah!) ) in Langgar and Datuk Maharaja Khadi Abdul Jalil (see Makam Datuk Maharaja Khadi Sheikh Abdul Jalil ) in Jitra on Tuesday, making this trip up Padang Tok Sheikh on Wednesday feeling complete indeed!


The signboard set up by the officials say we have arrived at Padang Tok Sheikh...


The stony clearing known as Padang Tok Sheikh...


Pak Chak and Bad then proceeded slightly downhill to another part of the mountain...


There, a nice view of the padi plantations north of Gunung Jerai flanked by the waters of the Straits of Melaka...


A closer view shows this island, can't remember the name... On a clearer day, one could see quite a long bridge leading to the island although it does make one wonder why the need for such a bridge when there's hardly life there. Or is it?


Walking back towards Padang Tok Sheikh...


As we got back there, an elderly man who was early seen praying on the portion of rock known as Batu Sajadah have just completed his due. The rock is called Batu Sajadah (the prostration rock) because it is supposed to be the place where the legendary Sheikh Abdullah or Tok Sheikh was supposed to have done his prayers and plenty of prostration...


On the west of Padang Tok Sheikh is a short path leading to an edge of the mountain...


The view from the edge...


From there one could see the telecommunication tower that stood on the highest peak of Gunung Jerai. The Padang Tok Sheikh we saw stood just about 10-20 metres lower, I think...

Anyway, let me set the record straight. While officially, the stony clearing featured here is known as Padang Tok Sheikh with a sign-board set-up by the authorities to support the claim, some people familiar with the jungles and the way here swears that this is not the real Padang Tok Sheikh. The real Padang Tok Sheikh they said is more than a mile away at another peak of Gunung Jerai... And it is grassy, not stony...

Nevertheless, the Batu Sajadah at the place known officially as Padang Tok Sheikh is the right one used by the Tok Sheikh. And the stony clearing has been used by the venerable master and his followers to conduct many prayers and meet up. So whatever, I have arrived at a place strongly associated with the man and thus I feel this Kedah journey is now complete. Oh... I've taken a picture of the Batu Sajadah but decided to used it for my next posting in the blogspot CATATAN SI MERAH SILU , coming... So there...

As for the real Padang Tok Sheikh mentioned by the people who knows, God willing I will go there one day. Besides, I've unwittingly arrived at that place in a dream about a year ago but that is another story. Cheers! :]


Views on top Alor Setar's telecommunication tower...

Today, I'm going to take you readers on top of Alor Setar's telecommunication tower and savour the view. This trip was made the day after relaxing at Pantai Merdeka as told in the article A look at Pantai Merdeka, Kedah... yesterday. Come! :]

This is the Alor Setar telecommunications tower. At 165 meter or so, it's height is equivalent to a 54 storey building...


Here are some technical specs in Malay...


And the equivalent in English...


Some history on the building...


And time to go up... This is the view from inside the lift...


At the viewing deck which is at the height of 88 metres, equivalent to a 27-storey building is more information on the tower. The chart above list the tower as among the top 20 tallest telecommunications tower in the world, I can't remember as of which year...


This is the first view of the outside as seen immediately after stepping out of the elevator. I have gone around and counted 32 window panes guiding the views. I actually took pictures of all the window panes along with the respective views but for the sake of brevity, I will only feature 8 separated at equal intervals...


Let's start with this pane pointing almost directly to the south-east...


Going anti-clockwise by 45 degrees (360 degrees divided by 8) gives the view pointing east...


The view north-east...


The north...


The north-west...


The west...


The south-west...


And finally the south...


And here are close-up of some selected views... If you look carefully in this picture heading south, you could see Gunung (mount) Jerai, Kedah's highest peak in the background...


This one almost to the north shows the state stadium...


While the one directly to the north shows the limestone hill known as Gunung Keriang (if I remember the name correctly) famous for its natural crystals...


This view to the west shows the river Kedah as it meanders out into the Straits of Melaka in the background. Look closely at the background and you can see a small white building at the centre. That should point to the mouth of the Kedah river and a small town called Kuala (the river mouth of) Kedah where lies the main embarkation point to the resort island of Langkawi...

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This picture towards the south-west shows the river Kedah closer to town or rather inside town just behind the mosque, a royal mosque known as Masjid Zahir. The mosque has rather impressive design and architecture. You can have a closer view here... Masjid (mosque of) Zahir

Oh, I forgot. Alor Setar has been declared as a city for quite some time now, can't remember when. And glad to inform you that this picture happened to be named as SUN131 inside my cheap digital camera which now has a new SD-card bought in Sungai Petani the day before this pictures were taken... Meaning that it is the 131th picture taken using the new memory card!

Why the excitement? Well, the number 131 has a certain meaning for me which points at my desire and dream to have a proper home sweet home (which I'm sad to admit I have not really had, at least that's what I feel my whole life). And I'm more excited as this 131th picture contains a rather beautiful mosque which I believe have a certain tie to the land of my forefathers in Aceh! Perhaps it points a clue to my future home sweet home? I hope so!



And lastly a look down to get some idea how high I was standing... Well, it is not that high as I've seen many views from up mountain tops including from the 4,101 metre (13,455 feet) height or so Gunung (mount) Kinabalu in Sabah. Still, this is the highest you can get in Alor Setar or anywhere within a radius of 100km or so. So just savour the view ya... Cheers!