Photographer restores century-old Kelantan house for posterity

KUALA LUMPUR, April 28 (Bernama) -- Starting out as a photographer taking artistic Malay photographs, the passion of Johan Ariff Ismail, 52, has spiralled into saving a traditional Kelantan house, ‘Rumah Tiang 12’, estimated to be over a hundred years old, from collapse and extinction.

Located in Kampung Dusun Muda in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, the wooden house named Sri Getam Guri took about two years to be re-assembled, with the present structure retaining the essence of the original house model.

Sharing the story of architectural resurrection, Johan Ariff said initially the original location of the house was in Kampung Atas Paloh (original name: Kampung Menuang), which is about three kilometres from the new site, and the physical house was in an abandoned state, uninhabited although 70 per cent of the wooden structure was still in good, solid condition.

“I did a lot of photography and documentation work on Kelantan's heritage, including its architecture, until one day I came across Rumah Tiang 12 which was in a neglected condition but still beautiful, so much so, I was besotted to fix it.

"It was my good fortune that I met the previous generation of owners of the house which left me flabbergasted when they agreed to sell it to me because they believed I could rebuild the house and preserve it for the next generation," he told Bernama recently.

Elaborating, the photographer with more than 30 years of experience said the 28-square-metre Rumah Tiang 12 is a 'Mother's House' (‘Rumah Ibu’) type, which among others has components such as pemeleh (crane motif like a figurehead on a fishing boat for spiritual protection of occupants), wet porch, screen, latticed wall and Malay flora carving motifs, besides doing slight modifications such as adding gates and a Singgora tiled roof.

Johan Ariff said the process of dismantling and re-assembling the wooden structure of his house began around October 2020 by using methods such as manually marking each wooden part of the house, recording images of the original position, especially pillars, joists (floors) so that they do not change when relocated, as well as treatment of the wood by skilled carpenters.

“The installation of the ridge (arm span of the ‘Rumah Ibu’ or matriach of the house, which is a 9.45-metre long cengal (hardwood impervious to termites) at the highest position in the house, and is one of the most challenging processes as it required the help of 20 to 30 people to install it carefully so that it does not break.

"However, the whole process of dismantling and re-assembling is easier because there is a reference to the measurable drawing of Rumah Tiang 12, without me having to change the original layout and only varied with new elements to suit the physical condition of the house," he said, adding that the repair cost was an estimated RM250,000.

Asked about his satisfaction with the success of repairing the traditional house, Johan Ariff said it was to ensure the uniqueness of Kelantan's Malay architecture is preserved for reference and study by the current generation as well as as a tourism product of the state as a heritage house.

"Rumah Tiang 12 is among the extinct Malay architecture of Kelantan, and redeveloping it is a struggle because in the past, apart from being used as a shelter, the house (for rich elite) was a symbol of the advancement of civilisation of that time," he said, intending to make it a reference centre for traditional Malay house architecture of Kelantan.

Meanwhile, Pasir Mas College of Architecture lecturer Arifah Amri said Rumah Tiang 12 was defined as having 12 wooden pillars that were not cut and the structure was installed in the ground up to the ceiling of the house.

He said among the differences with other traditional Malay houses was the entrance to Rumah Tiang 12 through a drying room or wet floor that was uncovered compared to entering through the porch of a traditional Malay house.

“Rumah Tiang 12 is also usually owned by nobles (bangsawan), palace sculptors, military nobility in the past and it was built in several units according to the development of a family apart from its high construction strata (on stilts) being sited near the Kelantan river.

"Besides that, based on studies, it is more than a hundred years old. It was built around the year 1800 and is believed to be a stopover for religious scholars because of the history of Kampung Atas Paloh near the Muhammadi Mosque, which was the centre for dissemination and education of Islamic knowledge at that time," he said, adding that wooden pegs were used to hold the cengal wood structure together -- without any nails.

-- BERNAMA