Perak mosque holds unique treasure in wooden mimbar
GOPENG: A wooden mimbar dating back to 1905 and believed to be the work of the late Megat Ja’afar, a well-known sculptor, is being kept in good condition at Masjid Ahmadiah Kampung Kepayang.
Megat Ja’afar is related to Megat Terawis, the first Orang Kaya Bendahara Perak during the reign of the first sultan of Perak, Sultan Muzaffar Shah I.
According to Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris art and design department head Dr Harleny Abd Arif, the mimbar, which is more than three metres high, has a unique feature that differentiates it from other mimbar.
“Out of the hundreds of mimbar I discovered and researched here and in a neighbouring country, this one has the name ‘Megat Ja’afar’ and creation date ‘1323 Hijri’ (1905) inscribed on its inner part in Arabic,” said Harleny, who added that it corresponded with the date the mosque was built.
She said the other distinctive features were the leaf patterns — Daun Kelumpang, Daun Ketumbit and Daun Bayam Peraksi — carved using the Tebuk Tembus Bersilat, Tebuk Timbul Bersilat
and Ukiran Layang techniques.
“During my research, I obtained information from Persatuan Keturunan Megat Terawis and Persatuan Penggiat Seni Ukiran Kayu Malaysia which helped confirm the motifs on the mimbar.”
She said another Megat Ja’afar mimbar — made 16 years later and with a similar inscription in the top back portion — could be found in Masjid Teluk Memali, Perak Tengah.
Masjid Ahmadiah Kampung Kepayang deputy chairman Mohd Sukri Saad said the mimbar in the mosque, which is more than a century old, was wellmaintained.
He said the mimbar and its history was renowned and attracted many visitors, adding that “the mosque is one of the oldest here besides Masjid Teluk Memali which is about 13km away”.
He believed that the mimbar remained intact all these years because of the mosque’s maintenance regime and the way it was constructed without the use of nails, implementing the baji technique.