Peace be upon you all. After a lapse of 2 weeks, let's continue the new series on my latest trip to Aceh. Continued from the article Celebrating the Prophet's birthday in Aceh : A feeling of old Kedah... or rather, old Malay country before Western colonialists spoiled everything? .
Thursday 25th February 2010, after having breakfast at the hotel in Banda Aceh it's time to make a visit to a certain place...
Welcome to the tomb of the venerable saintly master scholar, Sheikh Abdul Rauf Singkil also known as Syiah Kuala. Situated some 5 km out of city centre, this is me and wife's third visit here. For our baby Muhammad Al-Aminul Rasyid this is his second visit. You can read about the Sheikh and his tomb in the old articles Makam (tomb of) Syiah Kuala made in the blogspot SENI LAMA MELAYU (MALAY OLDEN ART) . Have a look also at the article Views around the tomb of Syiah Kuala....
Sheikh Abdul Rauf's tomb is the one covered in white. It is only in this trip that I learned the one with the yellow-coloured tombstone belongs to his student, Teungku Pakeh Ibrahim.
One for the album. Members of our convoy posing with the religious person (centre with skull-cap) who takes care of this place. He was the one who explained about all the tombs within the enclosed area...
A sideway picture of the tombs situated in the enclosed area. For the record this picture is facing the direction of Ka'abah, the Muslims' global centre of worship in Mecca, Arabia. It is also in the this trip that I learned the uncovered tombstone seen in the centre belongs to Sheikh Abdul Rauf's brother, Sheikh Abdul Wahab. But more of interest to me is the larger tombstone to the right. For it belongs to a certan Sheikh Abdul Rahim Maharajalela, father to Sultan Ahmad Shah Johan Berdaulat who ruled Aceh in the early 18th century...
For couple Haji Muzaffar and Puan Suzana who came to Aceh for the first time, this visit to the tomb of Syiah Kuala was a big revelation.
Soon it's time to go to other places. Will continue another day...
I think Abdul Rauf Singkil was one of the Khalifah of Tarikat Samaniah in the East coast. By the way...how come when a photograph of two or three person was being taken, the person tends to lean their head together...hmm.
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