I was in Kuantan for a short holiday. On the second day and
on a beautiful morning I decided to go and have a look at Pekan, a small town
just 50 kilometers away from Kuantan. The last time I went to this town was in
the year 1989 when I was working in Kuantan. Pekan is the Royal Town of Pahang
where the royalty live. It was once the capital of the state of Pahang until
the capital was moved to Kuala Lipis and then to Kuantan.
Although the town has
grown from a one-street township into many streets I found that it is still a
quiet town with a slow lifestyle. This old street as seen on the left where
shops made of wooden material still look as great as it first lined that street is as enchanting as ever. Just
opposite it is the Pahang River and a new Waterfront park has been build
where folks could spend their leisure times in the early part of the morning
and the evening when the weather cool down.
With my nephew driving I decided to
visit a few places that I felt I should photograph. I wanted to have a look and
photograph one of the oldest mosques there, the Sultan Abdullah mosque which
was build during the colonial era. Build in 1929 it is a beautiful mosque with
great design but to my surprise that mosque look like it is no longer use and
has been left to rot. See image on the left where plants have already start to
grow on the building. A new mosque has been build nearby and I believe it is
in used now. I simply could not understand why such a magnificent mosque of
historic significant has not been preserved.
At least it should be preserved or spruced up as a historical site.
After all it is the first mosque of such architecture build in the state of
Pahang. The Masjid Jamek mosque in Kuala Lumpur that was build ten years before
is still been use. Well I do hope the authority in Pahang would restore this
once magnificent mosque to it former glory.
Pekan has its kind of charms and is a small town worth a visit from time to time. I had managed to take some
images of old buildings there and sharing it here for all to see and enjoy.
Enjoy it folks.
Have a nice day. [ Please click on image to enlarge]
4 comments:
Hi Pak Idrus. It really saddens me that the authority doesn't seem to care about that unique old mosque! Nobody seems to appreciate its beauty and value. I really don't mind if a town grows at a slow rate. I wouldn't expect that every small town in our country must expand and grow, within just a few years, just because we think that in order for us to develop or modernize, we should have rapid urbanization and widespread urbanism.
Dear Pak Idrus,
I am a first time visitor. My grandparents were from Pekan and yet, your pictures make me see Pekan in a different light.
Your blog does a marvelous job of showcasing Malaysia so lovingly.
I wonder if you know my Mother Kamariah Jaafar and my late father, Abdul Aziz Salehuddin?
Salam.
Temuk thanks for the visit and sharing your thoughts on the subject of this posting especially that of the neglected Sultan Abdullah Mosque in Pekan.
Agree with you that towns should be allows to develop at its own pace and turn into a great place to live and enjoy life. Not artificially develop in a rush leaving tradition and heritage destroyed or left to rot like that mosque in Pekan.
To me all the new mosque build all over the country at great cost are 'plastic' and has no aesthetic value at all like that mosque I pointed in this posting. I do hope that the authority wake up and preserved these heritage of ours for future generation.
Like you I do hope for the best. Have a nice day.
ninotaziz, thanks for the visit and the good words on my kind of blogging.
Well at this age I thought the best I could do is to share my thoughts with the world thus I blog. Glad that you enjoy reading it.
As to your mom and dad I am not that sure but your mom is a friend of mine in Facebook. If I am not mistaken your late dad is one of the senior MCS officer. If so perhaps I may have met him in the course of my work in the government.
As for my blogging it is one way of getting things out of my chest and help to keep my mental faculty healthy. Writing and photography does in a way keep me kicking and continue to enjoy life.
Have a nice day and take care.
Post a Comment