On Malacca Sultanate Palace Museum

A little bird told me.....

Located near to the A Formosa fortress gate of the Porta Santiago, this replica of the Malacca Sultanate Palace Museum would provide a good insight into how magnificent and cool the palace would be in the days of the Malacca Sultanate. It is indeed ironic that the Sultanate started off in the state of Malacca and now, there is no more Sultan in Malacca.

By the might and will of the sultan 2009/11/06 New Straits Times GOMATHY RAMASAMY

Royal items of personal adornment like combs and jewellery are among the exhibits in the museum.

GOMATHY RAMASAMY tentatively steps inside the Malacca Sultanate Palace Museum, a resplendent building that has ancient treasures, rare artifacts, precious gems — everything, it seems, except an ordinary nail to hold it all together

‘Guards’ are everywhere as expected in a palace, where only members of the royal family and the gentry were allowed to move freely.

The royal dress codes are preserved and exhibited in beautiful glass cases. — Pictures by Rasul Azli Samad

MALACCA: In a World Heritage City filled with historic buildings and architectural landmarks, the Malacca Sultanate Palace Museum stands out. Not for its roofs, although they are grand and steep enough. Not for its enclosed porches, even if it has seven of them.

It is its simple act of standing that is the cause of wonder, for the exquisite example of Malay architecture was built without the use of a single nail.
Add to that the equally improbable fact that the museum's design and construction were based entirely on a description contained in the book Sejarah Melayu, or The Malay Annals (Sulalatus Salatin), and one realises that one is about to enter a remarkable building indeed.

Its curator, Nurazimah Mat Ali, said the Malacca Sultanate Palace Museum is a clone of Sultan Mansur Syah's palace, which was built around 1465, as described in Sejarah Melayu.

"Only high quality wood was used to build the museum, and no nails at all. The walls are made of cengal, the floors of resak. The roof is built with the most expensive wood of all, belian," Nurazimah said.

The museum was built in 1984 and named the Cultural Museum. It was officially opened by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed on July 17, 1986.

"Although Malacca no longer has a sultan, the country's monarchy system has its roots in the ancient Malacca sultanate.

"We therefore built a replica of a Malay palace in the city to represent a significant period in the history of the state," she said.

Some contemporary architecture and décor have been adapted to suit present conditions. But these small concessions to modern times have neither diminished its grandeur nor called into question its authenticity.

Wood is predominant throughout. Apart from providing the shell and structure, it is carved into fine and detailed traditional decorative pieces to add beauty.

There is a magnificent throne room filled with art pieces and artifacts, lavish bedroom suites, a royal treasury and a "forbidden garden" for the sultan's exclusive use.

The istana did not only serve as the home of the sultan, but it was also the centre of the state's administration. This is clearly depicted at the Balairong Seri at the entrance of the museum.

Other sections display recreated scenes of historical events like the battle between Hang Tuah and Hang Jebat, and palace activities in its heyday. There are also miniature replicas of traders from Java, Arab, Gujarat and Siam.

"The forbidden garden with colourful flowers was once the playground of princesses," said Nurazimah.

"The istana would also have a wall or fence that is guarded by sentries under the charge of a bentara. It was off-limits to the common folk.

"Only the immediate relatives of the sultan and members of the gentry were allowed to move freely inside the istana.

"But since this is a museum, we don't need the walls."

The museum is open daily from 9am to 5.30pm. The entry fee is RM2 per adult and 50 sen per child.

'Beijing' mosque a tourist attraction

A little bird told me.....

Hm.. some interesting facts about mosque in Kelantan..

Even though Kelantan is a state where the majority of the population are

Muslim based, what impresses me about Kelantan is that it can

boast of other religious places of worship that is unique.. !

One of which is this article below......

NST Online 'Beijing' mosque a tourist attraction

National Museum

A little bird told me....

A museum is certainly a good place to learn about the culture of the country and also the history..

Well, imagine if this building that is depicting the history of Malaysia is a history in itself....

Click on this link and you'll know what I mean...

Travel * NST Online

Traditional Malay House- Rumah Pak Abu Seman

A little bird told me.....

There are plenty of quaint malay houses around Malaysia that captures the imagination of foreigners. To many of us Malaysian city folks, a malay kampung house is just a humble wooden abode of yesteryears.

There is much thought and creativivity spent in building the house the way it is and one of the best place for city folks in Kuala Lumpur to view it, is in the compound of Badan Warisan Msia located at Jln Stonor, which is about a stone's throw away from our Craft Cultural Complex.

The house that is being refered to is the Rumah Penghulu Abu Seman (RPAS) built in the early 20th century. It was home to penghulu ( Headman) Abu Seman Nayan of Kampong Sungai Kecil, a village in Bagan Samak, Bandar Baru, Kedah.

Badan Warisan Msia, stumbled upon this beautiful piece of architecture in a dilapidated state in 1996. With the aim of restoring it to its former glory, BWM brought it to Kuala Lumpur. It was literally moved to its present location, because like almost all traditional Malay dwellings, they are designed to be movable.

It was dismantled bit by bit and relocated from Kedah to Jalan Stonor in 1996, where it was eventually conserved in its original condition.

The main portion of the house, known as the rumah ibu, was originally built for a Tok Taib of Kampung Paya Takong.

After his passing, Abu Seman bought the structure, dismantled it and relocated it to Kampung Sungai Kechil in 1924. In view of his position as headman, the house was gradually extended to include the ruang makan/dapur (dining and kitchen areas) and later the balai which housed Abu Seman's office. Upon his death, Abu Seman's son Ibrahim inherited the house and title. However, as Ibrahim had no son to succeed him upon his death, the house was left vacant.

A traditional malay house is designed to provide either shelter or protection for its occupants. They are built on stilts to shield occupants from floods, the threat of wild animals and to provide ventilation as air circulates through the floor boards and into the house and out from the roof.

The deep eaves gives shade to the windows, while the clay tiles, which although not typical of most old Malay houses(attap being the more afffordable alternative), absorb water when it rains, and helps to cool the house. The carved wooden panels and windows all around the house also provide good ventilation.

The rumah ibu, is higher than the rumah tengah or the balai, reflecting the hierarchical concept in Malay society. The crescent moon and star which are carved on the front gable of the house indicates that the property belongs to a Muslim. Even the carvings on the wooden panels are floral or abstract because in Islam, living creatures are not shown.

The arch at the entrance of the house is low so that guests will have to bow as they entered the house. Its a sign of respect.

Old malay houses are usually also devoid of bulky living or dining room furniture because all the spaces in the house are multi-functional , with occupants entertaining guests, and praying, eating and sleeping there.

The main portion of the house is called rumah ibu, because in the old days, the matriarch of the family, with the assistance of a bomoh, would perform a ritual to determine the location of the tiang seri or main pillar of the house.

During the relocation process, an old coin dated 1916 was found under this main column, perhaps indicating that the rumah ibu was originally built around that time.

The Rumah Pak Abu Seman has been open to the public since Nov 1997 and guided tours are conducted twice a day at 11am and 3pm except Sundays and public holidays. Entry is by a minimum RM10 donation per person.

Ref: NST jUN 25 2009

World Heritage Sites

Since Malacca and Georgetown in Penang has been awarded the UNESCO World Heritage site in Jul 2008, we as Tour Guides has never failed to highlight this point to all our tourists each and every time we bring guests into these 2 cities.

Some guides will just "parrot" the phrase as required. I chanced upon this article and would like to share some insights into this often repeated phrase and hope that it would serve to enlighten whoever is in need of it and particularly to those who visits my blog to gather information .

Ref: Malacca Guide

WHAT IS WORLD HERITAGE?

World Heritage is the designation for places on earth that are of outstanding universal value to humanity and as such, have been inscribed on the World Heritage List to be protected for future generations to appreciate and enjoy. Places as diverse and unique as the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, Galapagos Islands in Ecuador, the Taj Mahal in India, the Grand Canyon in the USA, or the Acropolis in Greece are examples of the 788 natural and cultural places inscribed on the World Heritage List to date.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR A SITE TO BE INSCRIBED ON THE LIST?

Once a country signs the Convention, and has sites inscribed on the World Heritage List, the resulting prestige often helps raise awareness among citizens and governments for heritage preservation. Greater awareness leads to a general rise in the level of its protection and conservation given to heritage properties. A country may also receive financial asssistance and expert advice from the World Heritage Committee to support activities for the preservation of its sites.

WHAT IS THE CONVENTION?

The Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage is an international agreement that was adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO in 1972. It is based on the premise that certain places on Earth are of outstanding universal value and should therefore form part of the common heritage of mankind. The countries who ratify the Convention (State Parties) have become part of an international community, united in a common mission to identify and safeguard our world's most outstanding natural and cultural heritage. While fully respecting the national sovereignity and without prejudiceto property rights provided by national legislation, the States Parties recognize that the protection of the World Heritage is the duty of the international community as a whole.

The UNESCO World Heritage Convention is a treaty that has become, over the past 30years, the foremost international legal tool in support of the conservation of the world's cultural and natural heritage. Today, 178 countries (called States Parties) have ratified the Convention, making it an almost universally accepted set of principles and framework of action.

BENEFITS OF RATIFICATION

The over arching benefit of ratifying the World Heritage Convention is that of belonging to an international community of appreciation and concern for universally significant properties that embody a world of outstanding examples of cultural diversity and natural wealth.

The State Parties to the Convention, by joining hands to protect and cherish the world's natural and cultural heritage, express a shared commitment to preserving our legacy for future generations.

The prestige that comes from being a State Party to the Convention and having sites inscribed on the World Heritage List often serves as a catalyst to raising awareness for heritage preservation.

A key benefit of ratification, particularly for developing countries, is access to the World Heritage Fund. Annually, about US$4million is made available to assist State Parties in identifying, preserving and promoting World Heritage sites. Emergency assistance may also be made available for urgent action to repair damage caused by human-made or natural disasters. In the case of sites included on the List of World Heritage in Danger, the attention and the funds of both the national and the internationl community are focused on the conservation needs of these particularly threatened sites.

Today, the World Heritage concept is so well understood that sites on the List are a magnet for international cooperation and may thus receive financial assistance for heritage conservation projects from a variety of sources.

Sites inscribed on the World Heritage List also benefit from the elaboration and implementation of a comprehensive management plan that sets out adequate preservation measures and monitoring mechanisms. In support of these, experts offer technical training to the local site management team.

Finally, the inscription of a site on the World Heritage List brings an increase in public awareness of the site and of its outstanding values, thus also increasing the tourists activities at the site. When these are well planned for and organized respecting sustainable tourism principles, they can bring important funds to the site and to the local economy,

UNESCO WORLD Heritage Centre

Masjid Negara

A little bird told me ..........

The Architect behind our National Mosque- Datuk Baharudin Abu Kassim recently received the Gold Medal Award - highest Malaysian accolade an architect can ever achieve from PAM (Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia). Among some of his most outstanding Malaysian iconic buildings are the Komtar Tower in Penang,

the UBN Tower-Shangri-La Hotel complex in Kuala Lumpur,

the Shah Alam state mosque in Selangor

and of course our National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur.

Upon his return from UK in 1958, Datuk Baharudin was attached to the Federal Town Planning Department and subsequently the Public Works Deepartment (PWD). He and his team were tasked with building a mosque that was to be uniquely Malaysian and without the onion-shaped domes that characterize mosques in the Middle East.

MASJID NEGARA

Built for RM10million in the early 1960s, the mosque located in the capital of Kuala Lumpur is one of the Public Works Department’s most important projects after the country’s independence. When the 13.5 acre site was opened in 1960, earth by the thousand-loads was moved there by lorries from the Selangor Club Padang, now known as Dataran Merdeka.

Meant to be a National Heritage monument, construction was funded by donations from citizens of new Malaysia. The first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman declined to have the mosque named after him, instead opting for “Masjid Negara” instead.
It was also his directive to have the mosque located near the KL Railway station so that it’d be within comfortable walking distance for worshippers and visitors. Describing the mosque as a modern tropical building in the country, its most striking feature is its unique umbrella-shaped roof: Intended as a place of prayer for the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the roof serves as a very identifiable representation of the umbrella that is always held over the King’s head.
Originally planned to accommodate 8,000 worshippers at any one time, the verandah was expanded in the 1980s to enable the mosque to house up to 14,000 worshippers.

Ref:NST 15May 2009- Property section

Putrajaya Challenge Park

A little bird told me.......

Putrajaya-Garden City and Intelligent City.! That's the catch phrase that epitomises what Putrajaya stands for!
Putrajaya was designed to incorporate 12parks, namely as follows:

1) Putra Perdana Park - 1st park that was opened
2) Botany Park
3) Taman Pertanian Warisan - Agricultural Heritage Park
4) Taman Wawasan - Vision Park
5) Taman Wetlands - Wetlands Park
6) Taman Rimba Alam - Forestry Park
7) Taman Selatan - South Park

And the latest park schedule for opening in Jun 2009 is the Putrajaya Challenge Park.
Located in the southern part at Precinct 5 and 30, it covers a total area of 46.73 ha in the South Park.

A Park meant for extreme sports, possibly the largest in South East Asia, it incorporates three key elements designed to give extreme thrill and excitement. Costing RM38mil, the extreme sports comprises a Wall Climbing Complex, Skate Park and a Bike Trail.

During the construction, every effort is being take to preserve the park's topography. Slope disturbance is kept to a minimum, with landscaping done along the natural contours so that sports enthusiasts can appreciate the flora and fauna while enjoying their sports.
Recreational sports like jogging and walking are also available.
Facilities within the park includes warm-up rooms, changing rooms, administrative block, cafeteria,kitcen area, a surau and parking bays.

WALL CLIMBING COMPLEX

At the height of 2100 sq m, it is a colourful trapezional climbing wall stretching 42m wide, 42m long and 20m high. Its divided into beginners' wall, competition wall, speed wall , advance wal and boulder, all to cater to both the novice and experienced climbers.
The competition wall is said to be the highest in the world. Climbing equipment will be available for rental.
A special kiddie wall is also contructed for kids to experience the thrill of wall climbing.

SKATE PARK
With a size of 2.600 sq metre, Skate Park is designed for skating activities with numerous bowl steps, railings and mini-vert ramps.


THE BIKE TRAIL


Consist of two components,

1) Free Ride Park
2) Fun Bike Park

Free Ride Park offers a 9.1 km trail for mounain biking with obstacles like the core trail loop, XCloop, downhill, downhill fun ride, free cross and slope style line.
It is built within the jungle setting with natural canopies for shade.

The Fun Bike Park is suitable for pump track biking, dirt jumps with north shore element and slope-style jumps.
The Ridgeline Park or natural metropolitan park is built within the Challenge Park to offer basic facilities such as look out tower, gazebo, platforms and foottrails.

Ref: The star Metro Mar 17 2009

MEEC--Showcasing Malaysia to the World !

A little bird told me.....


This magnificent building never fails to catch the visitor travelling on a bus or car as it slowly looms into view along the highway heading towards the northen part of Kuala Lumpur.

Its none other than the MENARA MATRADE. From afar, its architectural archway, seems to give the feeling of power leading on to a whole new world of possibililites and wonderment !

The 24storey building houses the MALAYSIA EXPORT EXHIBITION CENTRE (MEEC), the podium, Tower Block, Amphitheatre and Outdoor Exhibition Area.

MATRADE is the acroymn for Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation, which functions as an export promotion agency under the Ministry of Internanational Trade and Industry.

THE MEEC is the perfect venue for companies to showcase their products and services to the world. The sole purpose of the MEEC is to exhibit Malaysian products to prospective foreign buyers and incoming trade delegations.

Through this service, MEEC, hopes to help SME's leap-frog into the export market. MEEC also provides officers that are capable of handling queries regarding products and services on behalf of exhibiting SME's. When interest is indicated by visitors, MATRADE organises individual business meetings for further discussions.

It is part of MATRADE's objectives to ensure that trade visitors arriving for buying missions visit MEEC. Therefore, SME's that are export ready are urged to use th MEEC to gain the exposure they need to launch their products and services internationally.

Interested SME's however are required to undergo an extensive evaluation process, to ensure that products and services showcased represent the best of Malaysia, offering foreign buyers validation as well as increased confidence in making their buying decisions. There is a yearly fee charged for the display of products and services. MEEC is open from 9am-5pm on weekdays.

To find out more visit MEEC or www.matrade.gov.my

PICC- Jewel in the making !

A little bird told me.....

Further to my previous article on the PICC, here's some additional useful information . Starting with the halls:

GRAND HEADS OF STATE HALL
Accomodating 59 heads of states and 121 advisers with rooms for bodyguards, note-taking and interpreters, this hall certainly exudes power and influence within its walls.

PERDANA HALL
With songket being its motive, functions like banquets, cocktail parties and themed events are held here. The hall comes with a five star kitchen that caters a variety of palate enhancing cuisine.

PLENARY HALL
The largest hall at PICC, it can accomodate 2,000 people. It comes with royal boxes, viewing galleries and interpreter rooms. Its mengkuang design, excellent accoustics and natural lighting makes conferencing here extra special.

UNITY HALL
Made up of 2 halls that are positioned by operatable walls. A little smaller than the Plenary hall, these 2 halls can serve as venues for more intimated banquets, seminars or exhibitions.

Individual rooms for smaller meetings are also available , all designed to ensure comfortable interaction.
A lounge on the ground floor is also available with clustered seating and serving bar providing a welcoming resting area. There, visitors can keep an eye on proceedings through the TV screens in real time.

TWO ENTRANCES
are available to allow event managers to organise delegate arrivals and departures. There is also a helipad nearby for convenience and emergencies.

Communication and interaction is also made effortless with PICC'S cutting-edge information and communications technology facilities., like information kiosks and wireless LAN, wireless simultaneous interpretation system, provision for live television broadcast and coverage, holographic rear projection systems, facilities, events and maintenance management system, video-conferencing system, video and bill-board messaging system and plasma display/LDC.

Heralding the Lunar Chinese New Year

A little bird told me.....

Jan26 2009 - marks the 1st day of the Chinese Lunar Year. Within the Chinese community, which makes up the 2nd largest community in the multi-racial mix population of Malaysia, preparations are already being taken to welcome the year of the Golden Ox. Everything is being done to capture the auspicious meaning during this time.
PUNS

The Chinese are good at playing puns, borowing of auspicious sounding terms and tones from phrases for its propitious meanings to be applied in their daily doings. This reaches pandemic level during the Chinese New Year. The Chinese culture which is steeped in tradition, has always emphasised on what certain words or phrases denote. These rules of thumb are drawn from inferences and handed down as tradition from one generation to the next.

BEFORE THE LUNAR NEW YEAR ARRIVES
"HUI GAU YING SAN"

Spring cleaning starts as early as a month before. But the frenzy really begins a week before the lunar year.

Old items such as furniture, clothes and shoes are thrown away and replaced with new ones to signify a new year and a new beginning, with a phrase that goes with it as follows... "Hui gau ying san." which means to throw out the old and take in the new.

Some families will also take this opportunity to clean the ancestral tablet because its the time of the year when dieties go "on leave". This is also the reason why temples cease carrying out wish-making sessions during that tw0-week duration although people can still visit to pray.

NEW YEAR'S EVE

The whole festive mood officially starts on the eve of the Chinese Lunar Year, which holds much importance as its the day of reunion

The rice container will be filled to the brim, as also with the fridge be stuffed full with vegetables, fish and meat to signify surplus and ensures FUNG YI JUK SIK (enough to cloth, enough to eat)

REUNION DINNER

During the reunion dinner, its important to have all family members present to mark completeness and fullness. This emphasis has its roots in ancient times, when people worked far, far away from home and come back only for two to three days a year. It is on this day that they would gather with the closest of kin to celebrate the mark of a new year after a year of not seeing each other.

But of course in our present times, things have changed and people no longer keep to this tradition with such obedience because family gathers quite frequently these days. Nevertheless, the reunion dinner still holds much significance.

For those who still follows the tradition strictly, it almost a must to have prawns ( HA),fish (YUE) and chicken (GAI) because their pronunciation matches that in auspicious phrases of HEE HA DAI SIU ( Hearty laughter), LIN LIN YAU YUE ( surplus for every year) and GEI YIP GUNG GU (stable foundation in business).

During the consumption of the fish, care must be taken not to break the bone, and also the head and tail must be left intact, to be in line with another phrase that goes like this YAU TAU YAU MEI meaning that there is an end to every thing that is started.

1ST DAY OF CHINESE NEW YEAR

On the morning of the first day, new clothes of happy colours such as red, orange or yellow will be worn. Breakfast would be accompanied with chinese dessert ( Tong Shui) signifying sweetness and MIN SUM ( noodles) will be served, which symbolises longevity. Some will refrain from consuming meat during the first half of the day, Some activities are also considered a no-no on this day, like sweeping the floor, washing and hanging out clothers to dry.

This is the time that children loves.... they'll be receiving " ang pows" which are money tokens given to children put into red packets, and also traditonally from any married person to singles.

This practise has caught on with the Malaysian society that, during this time, you'll find that banks, shopping complexes, stores, big corporations will all be having red packets printed in their company's name and logo, to be handed out to customers. This is also a good time for them to get free advertisement as their red packets will be distributed far and wide as the Chinese community throughtout Malaysia will be handing out "ang pows" for the full 15days of the Chinese New Year!

2nd day marks the beginning of the year. HOI LIN. Wishes like praying for the prosperity of the business, everything will be smooth sailing and the whole family to be in the best of health are commonly wished upon . This is also the day when visitation to homes of relatives and friends would be conducted.

7th day of the New Year

Celebration of YAN YAT (Everybody's birthday). Its on this day where the popular YEE SANG (raw fish salad) delicacy is being served. Ingredients of YeeSang includes pickled ginger, shredded vegetables, lime, raw fish, raw cuttle fish and sauces.

Tossing the ingredients LOU SANG signifies SANG SANG MANG MANG (good health) and also the higher you tossed, its believe that you will be able to climb up higher in the corporate ladder and advance higher in your career and business.

9th day of the New Year

Traditionally known as the birthday of the Jade Emperor of Heaven.
Mainly celebrated by the Hokkiens, they offered thanksgiving prayers to the Jade Emperor of Heaven . It was on this day that the Hokkiens managed to escape from being killed.

15th day - CHAP GOH MEI

A Hokkien term which means " 15th night", the Hokkiens celebrates this day with the Chingay- which is a parade where stilt walkers parade the streets to the beat of drums, gongs and cymbals.

This is the day when many singles takes to the lakes and rivers to throw oranges with the hope of finding a suitable partner in life.

Being a multi racial society, Malaysia is indeed a land of many festivals. Decorations at shopping malls will change their decorations to be in line with the festivals. So, this time of the year, red lanterns will be dotting the main streets of Kuala Lumpur, and of course not forgetting Petaling Street which is Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown. Whenever there's sound system, you will surely be hearing rhythms of the Chinese New Year songs blaring out to put everybody, be they Chinese or non-Chinese to hum along to the tunes.......GONG XI FATT CHAI... which means... Wishing you a Happy and Prosperous New Year !