Malay heritage house still stands tall in Melaka
MELAKA: The fragrant scent of ‘ bunga cempaka’ ( Magnolia champaca) and ‘ bunga tanjung’ ( Mimusops elengi/Spanish cherry) permeated the morning air as Prof Dr Noor Hassim Ismail sat, sipping tea in the spacious verandah of what was once his ancestral home.
Turned into the Demang Abdul Ghani Gallery in 2011, the stunning wooden house depicting traditional Melaka architecture with a dash of Chinese influence was declared a national heritage by the federal government about two months ago.
Gripped by a wave of nostalgia, the 63-year- old university lecturer recalled his childhood days growing up in this house in Merlimau, Jasin.
Located about 23km from Melaka’s city centre, the 187-yearold ancestral house belonged to his grandfather Abdul Ghani Abdul Majid – better known as Demang Abdul Ghani – who was a well-respected village headman in Merlimau.
Although Dr Noor Hassim, who is now attached with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia ( UKM)’s Faculty of Medicine, ‘ migrated’ to Kuala Lumpur four decades ago, he still has fond memories of playing with his friends beside the pond in front of the house.
“This old house evokes a lot of wonderful memories, but it is not the only house that my grandfather had built in this area. In fact, he had two more houses here.
“All three houses had high aesthetic value but due to certain factors, only this house remains to this day,” he told Bernama.
The house, situated on a 0.4-hectare plot, was built by Demang Abdul Ghani in 1831 before he was appointed chieftain in 1834 to replace his father Abdul Majid.
The latter was known to be a wealthy man from Palembang in Sumatera, Indonesia, who was also credited with opening one of the earliest settlements in Merlimau.
According to Dr Noor Hassim, three generations of the family had lived in the ancestral house – starting with his great-grandfather Abdul Majid and grandfather Abdul Ghani, followed by his mother Asnah Abdul Ghani and uncle Md Nattar Abdul Ghani.
When Abdul Majid, Abdul Ghani and later Md Nattar served as the village headman, their house used to be the venue for meetings to discuss community affairs. Not a single nail used Constructed without a single nail and using just pegs and mortar, the house – made of high- grade timber such as teak, ‘merbau’ and ‘cengal’ – still stands majestically, a sturdy testament to the skills of the artisans of a bygone era.
Standing on pillars, its high floors, gabled roof and the staircase in the front adorned with coloured tiles, are typical of the traditional Malay houses in Melaka.
But what sets Demang Abdul Ghani’s house apart from others are the unique decorative panels depicting intricate carvings, including motifs of flora and fauna.
Certain Chinese elements are also evident in the carvings, such as the ‘Ang Ling’ ( Red Dragon) which is associated with wealth and power, and ‘Eng Ling’ (Golden Dragon) that is linked to authority and protection.
Dr Noor Hassim said according to his late mother, Chinese artisans were also involved in building the house, besides Malay craftsmen.
“A long time ago, there were several porcelain pillows in this house.
“In those days, the Chinese slept on porcelain pillows and since some of these were found in our house, the Chinese workers must have used them when they rested.
“It’s evident that the combination of Malay and Chinese influence has led to the creation of beautiful architectural elements,” said Dr Noor Hassim, who was born in this house and now resides in Kajang, Selangor, with his wife Fauziah Md Som, 62.
They have four children aged between 28 and 38.
The house has a meeting hall, verandah, main section, master bedroom, central section and kitchen.
“In the olden days, it was in the meeting hall or verandah, where the headman would receive guests and also for villagers to resolve problems faced by the local community.
“In the main section, there is a staircase which leads to an attic which was reserved for women,” he explained.
In the past, too, the ‘demang’ or chieftain was highly respected by the people who even regarded their headman as a ‘little ruler’.
The Sultan had the power to appoint the headman based on his leadership qualities and how well accepted he was by the people. Now a gallery Elaborating on his grandfather’s personality, Dr Noor Hassim said his mother would say that although Abdul Ghani was a firm and strict man, he was a loving father.
“No matter what he did, he always had his own stand. He adhered to the principle of ‘ be courteous like the Malays and discuss like the English’ in discharging his responsibilities as a leader during his time.”
In 2006, Abdul Ghani’s house was registered as a heritage building under the National Heritage Act 2005 by the National Heritage Department in view of its unique heritage value.
On Oct 17 this year, the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry declared the house as a national heritage.
To ensure the conservation of the traditional house and that it would remain a national treasure, Abdul Ghani’s family signed a memorandum of understanding ( MoU) in 2011 with the Melaka Museum Corporation ( Perzim) to allow the latter to take over the house and turn it into a gallery.
In 2012, it was officially inaugurated as the Demang Abdul Ghani Gallery.
Dr Noor Hassim said the MoU with Perzim was set to expire at the end of this month, but his family hoped that the Melaka government would continue to manage the house.
“We’re very grateful to the state government, Heritage Department and Perzim for having taken the initiative to restore this house and turn it into a tourism product.
“We are hoping the authorities would continue to preserve the building as a national heritage for the benefit of the future generations,” he added.
Befitting heritage status for old house Melaka is known for the uniqueness of the traditional architecture of its Malay ‘kampung’ houses.
The alluring wooden houses are not only a magnet for tourists, but also a symbol of the expertise and skills of the artisans who lived on this land a long time back.
It is also said that the architectural beauty of Melaka’s traditional Malay house symbolised its owner’s status, character and identity, whilst also conforming to factors such as the environment, customs, beliefs and appreciation of Islam.
Among the state’s architectural gems is the aesthetically pleasing 187-year-old house in Merlimau, Jasin, which was turned into a gallery in 2011 by Melaka Museum Corporation ( Perzim).
It is a haven for art aficionados who will probably need hours to peruse and assess the house’s unique craftsmanship and artworks.
The house, which was declared a national heritage by the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry on Oct 17 this year, had served as the ancestral home of the family of a village ‘demang’ or headman Abdul Ghani Abdul Majid who was said to have built it in 1831. Restoration Perzim curator Fadhilah Md Saleh told Bernama the house was known as ‘Rumah Penghulu Md Nattar’ ( House of Headman Md Nattar) when the National Heritage Department stepped in to carry out restoration works in the house in 2008, which cost an estimated RM2 million.
She said after the completion of the restoration process, Perzim took over the house with the permission of the family that owned it, for the purpose of converting it into a gallery.
“The family requested us to name it Demang Abdul Ghani Gallery as Abdul Ghani was the original owner of the premises while Md Nattar was his son,” said Fadhilah, who is now also performing the tasks of the general manager of Perzim.
She said although Perzim has taken over the traditional building and made it a tourism product, the house and the 0.4-hectare land it is located on still belonged to the family of Demang Abdul Ghani.
According to her, it was Dr Noor Hassim who played a major role in uniting the family and convincing them to allow Perzim to convert the house into a gallery.
“As noted by the family, their house has been in good condition ever since Perzim took over.
“In fact, we have no objections should any family member want to use the house to hold an event or function,” she added. National heritage Fadhilah also said that the Melaka government, National Heritage Department and Perzim had been ‘campaigning’ hard to get the federal government to declare Demang Abdul Ghani’s house as a national heritage as they viewed it as a treasure of great historical value that deserved to be preserved for future generations.
Their efforts and hard work did not go to waste because on Oct 17 this year, the house was declared a national heritage by the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry.
“The recognition was something we all really wanted as it fosters the spirit of statehood and nationality.
“It also gave an advantage in terms of preserving the house and enhancing its tourism potential,” she said, adding that between January and November this year, 1,227 tourists have visited the Demang Abdul Ghani Gallery.
She added that the awarding of the national heritage status was a step forward in the state’s efforts to eventually get the house recognised as a world heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation ( Unesco). Ideal location for photographs The beauty of the Demang Abdul Ghani Gallery is not only attracting tourists but also newlyweds and fashion designers and models who use it as a location for their photo shoots.
Perzim operations assistant Khairul Amri Ismail, who is in charge of Demang Abdul Ghani Gallery, said they would normally come during the weekends and school holidays.
“They like to come here to take pictures as the house reminds them of a classic old palace.
“Among the favourite locations for the photo shoots are the front portion of the house and the ‘ throne’ in the main section of the house.
“There was one occasion when two or three couples came at the same time to take photographs,” said Khairul Amri, who has been taking care of the house since Dec 24, 2011.
He said the gallery was also often visited by school and university students who wished to do some reference work for their assignments.
Demang Abdul Ghani’s house is divided into six portions, namely the meeting hall, verandah, the main section of the house, master bedroom, centre section of the house and kitchen.
The gallery is open daily, from 9am to 5.30pm.
Tickets are priced at RM3 for adults, and RM1 for children below 12. — Bernama