-----------------------

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".


-----------------------


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.


Friday, September 12, 2008

Exploring the happenings around the 1874 Pangkor Treaty in Perak...Foraying into Beruas

Greetings! Continuing the story-telling from the article Exploring the happenings around the 1874 Pangkor Treaty in Perak...Pasir Salak historical complex . After we're done at Pasir Salak, it's time to head for Taiping, a place with history integral to the happenings around the Pangkor Treaty. In fact after J.W.W. Birch was killed in 1875, the Malay warriors and patriots were put to trial and sentenced to exile and death by the British at the fort of Ngah Ibrahim just outside Taiping!

To get to Taiping, there is a route through the sleepy town of Beruas. The small town might not have anything to do with the happenings around the treaty but Beruas has it's own history which is integral in the history of Perak. So might as well pay a visit. Here is the story...



First, we stopped at the museum of Beruas...


Here are displayed some items related to history of the old Islamic kingdom of Beruas said to have existed since some 700 years ago... And before that there was a much older kingdom having existed within the same grounds. This is the kingdom of Gangganegara said to be a Hindu and Indianised, established sometime in the 2th Century AD!

For some elaboration, do have a look at the article The origin of the name Beruas. posted here half a year ago... Look also at the articles A short stop in Beruas. And a talk on Beruas' very own mysterious "Batu bersurat" or inscribed stone... and The ancient kingdom of Beruas and its ties with the more ancient kingdom of Gangganegara! which were posted slightly earlier.


Time to go inside...


We spent sometime looking at the artifacts on display...


Oh, by the way the museum is located next to the police station. In the background is the the Bubu mountain looming at around 5,500-feet high...


Then it's time to visit the real item, the tombs of the kings of Beruas in Kampung Kota, some 4km south of Beruas town... There's two main clusters of ancient tombs here...


In the first cluster, inside one walled area, the tombstones are missing. What's left is the stub of one tombstone...


Luckily the tombstones inside the other walled area are still intact. For the record, this type of tombstones is called Aceh tombstones.

Next, we visited the second cluster...


More Aceh-type tombstones here...


Somehow, I always admire its intricate design made for people of much importance especially royalty and important religious and spiritual leaders of old...


Once done at the tombs, we stopped at the Kampung Kota mosque to rest a bit, refresh and did our obligatory prayers...


Overlooking the mosque is the hill of Shamsul Bahrin which has its own history. A series of related video clips will be posted in the blogspot CATATAN SI MERAH SILU shortly. Cheers!


Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Exploring the happenings around the 1874 Pangkor Treaty in Perak...Pasir Salak historical complex

After we're done visiting the tomb of Si Puntum, it's time to enter the Pasir Salak historical complex, dedicated to the happenings around the killing of the first British Resident to Perak, J.W.W. Birch in 1875... A killing (or murder depending from which point of view you see things) which is actually a culmination of all the resentment the Malays felt over the colonising British following the Pangkor Treaty of 1874!

The complex which also serves as a resort has several buildings...

Among it is this watchtower said to be preserved from the British colonial days...

The whole area sits next to the Perak river...


This is the main museum. For a look at some of the displays, have a look at the article Galeri Keris (The Keris gallery in) Pasir Salak in the blogspot SENI LAMA MELAYU (MALAY OLDEN ART)...


Here is a replica of the Rumah Kutai, an old Perak Malay house...

The idyllic riverside walk...

Another Rumah Kutai...


Here is a monument dedicated to the brave Perak Malays who dare oppose the colonial rule. It is mainly dedicated to the nobles Datuk Maharajalela, Datuk Sagor and their followers Pandak Endut and Si Puntum who were on the frontline taking the fight by killing Birch. As a result, they were all sentenced to death and summarily executed! For some story on them and other related figures have a look at the articles The main players of the Perak-British war as depicted at the fort of Ngah Ibrahim... and In Perak's royal mausoleum to give justice to Laksamana Raja Mahkota Muhammad Amin posted here half-a-year ago.


And this is a stone plaque set up to mark that Birch was killed around here, besides the river actually while taking a bath they said. Enough said...

Exploring the happenings around the 1874 Pangkor Treaty in Perak... From Kampung Gajah to Pasir Salak

Greeting earthlings! The article Exploring the happenings around the 1874 Pangkor Treaty in Perak... From the tomb of Keramat Kuala Bidor to that of Raja Ahmad... was concluded with the story of Raja Ahmad and how we arrived at his tomb at night. The same night, we head to Kampung Gajah for dinner. That's when some of us parted ways to resume with whatever business we have elsewhere while the rest of us decided to bunk at a mosque.

This is a picture from behind the mosque where we bunked at, Masjid (or the mosque) of Sultan Azlan Shah named after the current ruler of Perak. As far as my travels go (and I've been around, have slept at many mosques), this is the most 'user-friendly' mosque when it comes to find a place to bunk at...

Originally, we plan to go to the Pasir Salak, the place where the first British Resident to Perak J.W.W. Birch was killed right after visiting the tomb of Raja Ahmad. But by the time we're done visiting followed by dinner in Kampung Gajah, it was already way past 10pm! So we decided to bunk at this mosque and this is the picture morning after.


We could have gone straight to Pasir Salak from the mosque but decided to turn back down south towards Teluk Intan some 15km or so to get to Chenderong Balai. You see one of the trip's participants who goes by the nickname RadenCilik (he came with a nephew) had problems with his car. So we decided that it's best he parked his car somewhere and continued the rest of the journey in Zaidi @ PerpatihTulus's car.

Another participant Zam offered his family's place in Chenderong Balai to park the car. That would surely be much safer... So we took the offer. But Zam who joined the trip from Teluk Intan up to the visit to the tomb of Raja Ahmad and dinner in Kampung Gajah was among those who had to part ways as there's a family function coming.

Anyway the car was safely parked there. Above is a picture of the place we had breakfast at in Chenderong Balai.


Then it's time to head back to Kampung Gajah as we have to go through there to get to Pasir Salak. On the way, between the tomb of Raja Ahmad and Kampung Gajah, we decided to visit the tomb of Sultan Ja'afar Muazzam Shah, the 23rd Sultan of Perak.

view the video clip posted in the article Menyusuri sejarah sekitar Perjanjian Pangkor 1874... Sultan Jaafar dan Bandar Tua at the Malay blogspot CATATAN SI MERAH SILU . For the record, Sultan Ja'afar is the son of Raja Ahmad. Furthermore, he is also the father of Sultan Abdullah II, the 26th Perak Sultan who was exiled to the Seychelles islands in Africa for being involved in the killing (I would rather use the word kill than murder here) of J.W.W. Birch in 1875.

Oh, just in case you forgot. The killing happened in the wake of the Pangkor Treaty 1874. Birch who was assigned by the colonising British to "sort out" matters in Perak proved very crude and rude and this upsetted the locals especially the Sultan and the nobles. That's why he was murdered (now I can used the word 'murder' within the right social context)!


Soon enough we arrived at Pasir Salak which is on the other side of the Perak river across Kampung Gajah... Quite early actually, I think just before 9am or so. Since we had time on our hands (then we had time, later we had to rush!), we decided to have a look at the area south of it particularly an area called Bandar Tua.

A video clip on the visit is available in the article Menyusuri sejarah sekitar Perjanjian Pangkor 1874... Sultan Jaafar dan Bandar Tua . You can also read the article Masjid (mosque of) Bandar Tua, Perak... posted earlier today in the bi-lingual blogspot SENI LAMA MELAYU (MALAY OLDEN ART) .


Actually, apart from abundance of time, the main reason we decided to make the foray down south Pasir Salak was to look for a certain unique mosque mentioned by Zam as existing somewhere along the area. More than half an hour later, after a few false stops and a few kilometres down south, we finally found it. Please look at the article Masjid (mosque of) Bandar, Perak? , also in the blogspot SENI LAMA MELAYU (MALAY OLDEN ART) ...

A look from the tower of the mosque... That is Zaidi down there...


A look towards the south-east with the Perak river in view...


To the north-east... And then it's time to go...


Soon enough, we arrived again at Pasir Salak and decided to park in front of the old mosque there...



Behind it lies the Pasir Salak historical complex...

We went into the complex using the back door besides the old mosque. That's when we got scolded by the guards who directed us to use the main entrance!

Hmm... It seems, the back door was built only for the locals to get around... Since the main entrance is some 300 metre away, might as well park our car at the area above...


That's when we noticed this graveyard...


Inside it lies a tomb, one gazetted as a place of historical significance...


For here lies the remains of a person known as Si Puntum, a frontline person in the killing of Birch. For more information, please open the picture in a new window. To be continued...