A 106-year old mosque is being restored by a community of people to remind us of our roots, writes Kerry-Ann Augustin
THE trunk roads along the North-South Highway are long, winding and lonely. Blanketed by dust and dirt, they’re the neglected sisters of the super-highways which now stretch across the peninsula. One of these trunk roads in Perak however, leads to a secret that has been kept for over a century. In the 20 years that Kampung Gajah has been abandoned, the wild vines, towering trees and sprawling oil palm estates have formed a fort of sorts around a solitary wooden building — an old, deserted mosque known as Masjid Kampung Teluk Memali.
This house of worship is a structure that has stood the test of time; its walls, ceilings, panels and handrails are still intact, much like they were when the mosque was first built in 1910. The only sign that the mosque has endured countless seasons are the peeling paints and stained wood of the lime green building as well as the chipped tiles in the wide prayer hall. The mosque, which sits along the banks of Sungei Perak, was once a central part of the community that inhabited the area but continuous rising levels of water forced many to move to higher ground decades ago, leaving the mosque to the mercy of the weeds and creeper plants that strangle its pillars.
But the fate of this abandoned mosque started to change in April this year when architectural firm ATSA decided to restore and relocate it closer to a community of people.
ROYAL LANDS
“The mosque was about to be demolished,” shares Azim A. Aziz, one of ATSA Architects’ founding members who has also been spearheading efforts to restore Masjid Kampung Teluk Memali. “They would have dismantled and burnt it down,” he says, noting that developers of the area needed the space to expand the palm oil estate.
“We want to keep the mosque alive in a sense. If it remains in Kampung Gajah, it’s so far away from everyone to admire the heritage of this mosque which will defeat the purpose or restoring it.”
The affable Azim came across the mosque while working on the book, Masjid — Selected Mosques and Musollas, a collection of over 100 architecturally and historically-significant mosques around Malaysia.
Dr Mohd Jaki Mamat, a conservator from Politeknik Ungku Omar (PUO) who was working on the book with Azim, alerted him immediately when he stumbled across Masjid Kampung Teluk Memali during a recce. “There are many early mosques in the country, but we decided to restore and relocate this mosque, in part because of the story behind it,” shares Azim.
He explains that the fall of the Malacca sultanate saw the remaining children of the-then sultan flee to Perak in an attempt to start a new sultanate there. “Along the banks of Sungei Perak was where they lived. So prior to Kuala Kangsar, which is known as the royal town, this was where they lived,” he explains, adding that the 19th Sultan of Perak was buried not far from the mosque.
The mosque, which was initially a surau, wasn’t just a place of worship — it functioned to serve the community who lived in the area as a centre for religious classes and a place where religious celebrations could take place.
ROOTS IN THE WOODS
“When I first saw the building, I was surprised — it was so well preserved even though it was more than a 100 years old and had been abandoned for over 20 years,” Azim recalls.
Most of the mosques, he says, have of course been renovated over time, but many things in Masjid Kampung Teluk Memali has remained in their original form.
“Look at this,” says Azim, pointing to a huge photo of the mosque’s roof on an easel at ATSA’s office. “Look at how finely crafted this piece is,” he says enthusiastically, referring to the decorative piece known as Kepala Cicak (gecko’s head), a distinctive Perakian design element. The craftsmanship, adds Azim, is an indication of how skilled the people were. “During this restoration process, we hired craftsmen from the area to help. And there are still many craftsmen here in Perak who possess strong carving skills and can replicate these designs with ease.”
One of the most outstanding features of the mosque according to Azim, was the mimbar, the pulpit where the imam delivers his sermons from. “This design is unique to this region. It has Buddhist and Hindu influences and it’s not copied — it’s not Ottoman, it’s not Moorish. It’s Malay vernacular. It’s really unique because there are only so few of these types of mimbars and very few are in their original form. Look at how many generations it survived!” he shares. “So if it can survive 100 years, why not preserve it for another 100 years for the future generation?”
The architect and his team wanted to bring the mosque back to its former glory by following the original form of the building as closely as possible, so they approached the Malaysian Timber Industry Board. “We couldn’t simply use any kind of wood. We had to try to find the same kind of timber, so we engaged an expert from MTIB to source the right kind of material to re-create some parts of the mosque which were damaged over time.”
The unknown architect behind this mosque had also been sensitive to the surroundings and climate of the place. “It was so long ago, but if you look at how this mosque is built, you can see how they created designs that helped with ventilation, for example,” he explains, pointing out the louvred windows carved out to allow the flow of air in.
RECLAIMING A HERITAGE
Over the past few months, teams of people including students studying architecture and construction from Politeknik Ungku Omar, the International Islamic University and Taylor’s University have been slogging away in the sun, rebuilding and moving parts of the old mosque to its new location.
“We wanted to see a community effort. The people who lived here put their heart and soul into building this mosque. That is after all how this mosque was built back then, with everyone from the community contributing.”
The process of restoring and relocating this mosque is a mammoth task, requiring a lot of time and coordinating of people, local authorities and logistics. The project, the first of its kind in the country, will also have a huge financial cost.
“I pondered about it. I pondered about it a lot,” Azim confides, snickering and shaking his head, recalling the amount of work involved and how much cash was needed when he restored his grandfather’s 100-year-old house in Perak in 2005. “Of course it’s easier to just build a new mosque, but. once you lose it, you lose it forever. To me, this mosque tells the tale of the humble journey of the community that built it who were rich in culture and in faith. If we lose mosques like these, we’ll forget our history and we won’t be able to value what we have,” Azim confides.
In a few months, Masjid Kampung Teluk Memali will be restored to its former glory — but in a new space in Taman Seri Bougainvillea in Ipoh, Perak.
The old trunk roads might remain trunk roads, but for how long? We don’t quite know. What we do know is that 106 years later the old mosque will finally welcome a new beginning, perhaps for yet another 100 years or more.