Heritage house stands proud
Descendants of ‘little ruler’ hope authorities will continue to manage home
MELAKA: The Demang Abdul Ghani Gallery – 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.
The descendants of the edifice built by a well-respected village headman in Merlimau, Jasin, are hoping that the state government will continue to manage the home, located about 23km from the city centre, for conservation.
The 187-year-old ancestral house belonged to Abdul Ghani Abdul Majid, better known as Demang Abdul Ghani, the grandfather of university lecturer Prof Dr Noor Hassim Ismail.
In the past, the demang or chieftain was highly respected by the people who even regarded their headman as a “little ruler”.
Although Dr Noor Hassim, now attached to Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Faculty of Medicine, “migrated” to Kuala Lumpur four decades ago, the 63-year-old fatherof-four 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 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 0.4ha plot, was built by Demang Abdul Ghani in 1831 before he was appointed chieftain in 1834 to replace his father Abdul Majid, a wealthy man from Palembang in Sumatra, Indonesia, who was also credited with opening one of the earliest settlements in Merlimau.
According to Dr Noor Hassim, three generations of the family lived in the ancestral house, starting with his great-grandfather Abdul Majid and grandfather Abdul Ghani and followed by his mother Asnah Abdul Ghani and uncle Md Nattar Abdul Ghani.
Constructed without a single nail and using just pegs and mortar, the house was made of high-grade timber. Standing on pillars, its high floors and gable roof and the staircase in the front adorned with coloured tiles are typical of the traditional Malay houses in Melaka.
Certain Chinese elements are also evident in the carvings, such as the Ang Ling or Red Dragon which is associated with wealth and power, and Eng Ling or 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.
“A long time ago, there were several porcelain pillows in this house. So the Chinese workers must have slept on them when they rested.
“It is evident that the combination of Malay and Chinese influence has led to the creation of beautiful architectural elements,” noted Dr Noor Hassim, who was born in the house and now resides in Kajang, Selangor, with his wife.
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 villagers to resolve problems faced by the local community. In the main section, there is a staircase which leads to an attic reserved for women,” he explained.
In 2006, Abdul Ghani’s house was registered as a heritage building by the National Heritage Department.
On Oct 17 this year, the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry declared the house a national heritage.
Abdul Ghani’s family signed a memorandum of understanding in 2011 with the Melaka Museum Corporation (Perzim) to allow the body 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 is 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 restored the house and turning it into a tourism product.
“We are hoping the authorities would continue to preserve the building as a national heritage for the benefit of future generations,” he added.