Dato Keramat

Who was Dato Keramat? Why was he called Dato Keramat? What is the significance about Dato Keramat? 

Dato Keramat was a saint/sage in Penang. He died long ago and is buried in Kubur Dato Keramat in Jalan Perak, near Jelutong. Tanah Perkuburan Jalan Perak is an ancient expansive Muslim graveyard.

Links for Dato Keramat:
Malik is a descendant of Dato Keramat. He can be contacted in Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/max.ben.5/photos

Where is Dato Keramat?

Dato Keramat is also the name of the locality at the edge of Georgetown that leads on to the Botanical Gardens. Dato Keramat is a large and busy main street. In the old days, the tram line runs the length of Dato Keramat Road (Jalan Dato Keramat). The tram station was also in Jalan Dato Keramat. There is an old building there today which could have been the tram HQ for the trolleys. The tram was discontinued when buses became available in Penang.

Dato Mohamed Anwar Fazal Mohamed has more on the trams in Penang. I learned about the trams in Penang from Dato Anwar Fazal, who was once my grandfather's neighbour.

Links for Dato Anwar Fazal
Blog
YouTube
Wikipedia
USM

Tram in Penang back then. Photo from Penang Museum display.

Jalan Dato Keramat in Penang today (April 2012). Photo by me.

Penang Malays

This is USM research about Penang Malays and who discovered Penang. It covers the Masjid Melayu (Jamek) Lebuh Aceh. There are many useful links for archeologists and for those who are interested in what Tanah Melayu/Malaya was like before Sir Francis Light came  to Penang.

Penang Malays

Here are some photos related to Penang Malays or Malays found in Penang, their homes and mosques.

Malay girl at Masjid Kapitan Keling, Penang

Malay girl at Masjid Kapitan Keling, Penang

A renovated old wooden house in the compound of Masjid Melayu (Jamek) Lebuh Aceh. This type of Malay house does not use nails and contains no nails. The doors use long wooden poles as locks.

Modern, beautifully-designed Malay townhouses in the grounds of Masjid Melayu (Jamek) Lebuh Aceh

Malay home in the compound of Masjid Melayu (Jamek) Lebuh Aceh. The house and masjid face each other.

Masjid Melayu (Jamek) Lebuh Aceh, Penang. This is a very beautiful Malay mosque. The cream and light blue colours are characteristic colours used for hospitals in Malaya.

Jalan Jelutong - Jalan Perak bifurcation (photo is blur as it's from a moving car and we weren't decided which road to take, left or right and almost crashed into the signboard!). Jelutong has a large community of the descendants of the early Hadrami Arabs in Penang, the same Arabs who went on to Malacca, and finally Singapore. The 9th, 10th and 11th generations should be around somewhere in the vicinity of Jelutong or outside Penang. Their mosque is Masjid Jelutong. Some may still speak Arabic. If you hear them calling sheikh, walid or ami, that's them. They comprise Al-Yamani clan.

Malay house in Kampung Dodol, Jalan Perak, Penang. The houses in this area are built high above ground to avoid the annual floods. The Masjid Wanchee Ariffin faces the junction to this village.

Masjid Jamek Hashim Yahaya, Jalan Perak, Penang. This area is dominated by Indian Muslims who speak Tamil and Jawi Peranakan of Punjabi/Bengal/Sindhi extract who speak Punjabi/Urdu/Hindustani. There are many Indian Muslim, Penang Malay, Jawi Pekan & Jawi Peranakan graves here. The older tombstones are wooden and the more recent ones are made of granite or marble. Datok Keramat is buried in this area.

Entrance to Makam Dato Keramat viewed from inside the roofed mausoleum.

Makam Dato Keramat has bright blue tombstones. Those of his family members are also inside the mausoluem which is closed to public.

Sejarah Datuk Keramat:

http://skdatokramat.webs.com/sejarahsekolah.htm

https://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sekolah_Kebangsaan_Dato_Kramat