(2) Masjid Kapitan Keling 1801

Views from the minaret

18-19 November 2008

The following photographs were captured with permission from Qariyah Masjid Kapitan Keling on my second visit on 19 November 2008. They are reproduced here with the hope that people might get interested in the history of Masjid Kapitan Keling, support its activities in educating children, become interested in issues pertaining to tanah wakaf and write important things about how this mosque has & will serve us.

History

When Cauder Merican arrived in Malaya, he was not alone but came with his mother and younger brother, Nordin. An adjacent building to the mosque has been named after his brother.

Bangunan Nordin
Bangunan Nordin was previously a cluster of houses for builders of the mosque. It was renovated and eventually became Bangunan Nordin we see today.

Ancient graves
The graves of the pioneer mosque builders are in the front yard of Bangunan Nordin. A roofless mausoleum can be seen at the frontage adjoining Bangunan Nordin. Another covered mausoleum can be found at Jalan Kolam nearby, behind the buildings at Lebuh Buckingham.

Masjid Acheh
Masjid Acheh lies farther down the street and can be viewed from the Masjid Kapitan Keling minaret. The reason the two mosques are nearby is unknown. One explanation was the sermons (khutbah) at Masjid Kapitan Keling were delivered in the Indian language (Tamil or Urdu?) as the majority of the believers were Indians. The Achenese builders could not understand the Indian language and therefore constructed their own mosque. There may be other reasons.

Minaret tourguide (left) and Affandi.

Plaq of the minaret's construction. 
This minaret was erected by the Endowments Board from the funds of the Capt. Kling Mosque.

W Peel, President
HC Sells, Secretary

The Foundation Stone was laid by Haji Abdullah Imam

Committee of Management
Mas Abdul Aziz
Shaik Ishak
Haji Yahya Khatib

HA Neubronner F.R.I.B.A.
Architect

13th Rabi-al-Akhir A.H. 1334
18th February 1916

Views of the minaret built in 1916 before WWI.

Megaphone for call to prayer.

Tourguide and Affandi in the minaret.

First photo from the minaret. The 4-storey pink building nearest the reader was rebuilt after it was shelled during WWII. The sea (Atlantic Ocean) is in the far background.

Nearby Chinese temple viewed from the minaret. The pink building was shelled during WWII.

The pink building has a WWII history. It was initially a dhobi or laundry shop. The day's washing would be hung out to dry. There were carts carrying dirty and clean bundles of sheets/linen. During WWII, the Japanese bombers had mistaken the carts as carring canons under cover and shelled the carts and adjacent building. That area suffered the worst shelling for it had many carts lined up on the street!!

Masjid Acheh minaret is in far centre background.

Close-up of Masjid Acheh from Masjid Kapitan Keling minaret.

Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling viewed from the minaret. Rooftops & buildings which line Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling.

Bangunan Nordin (renovated), a centre for Islamic learning (inside the grounds, on your right as you enter through the main gate). An ancient well lies near its main entrance.

Bangunan Nordin, well and graves of the builders of Masjid Kapitan Keling in 1800s. A roofless mausoleum is partially hidden from view. A low lying periphery wall separates the graves from the mosque.

Masjid Kapitan Keling viewed from its only minaret.

Views from the minaret beyond Masjid Kapitan Keling, towards the hills.

Buckingham Street viewed from the minaret. The tower is KOMTAR (Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak).

Hospital Kuala Krai 1930s

Hospital Kuala Krai (HKK), Kuala Krai, Kelantan
Address:
Pengarah Hospital
Jalan Kuala Krai
18000 Kuala Krai
Phone: 09-966 6333
Fax: 09-966 6076

Kuala Krai was a British stronghold and administrative capital. It prospered because of the iron mines farther ahead at Bukit Besi (according to locals, mining has ceased and mines abandoned). Iron was transported by train down south for export to Great Britain. (Iron mining was also carried out in Terengganu - from accounts of my father, of his uncle (Pak Busu/my Tok Busu) who married and settled in Jengka, Pahang after WWII.

Hospital Kuala Krai (HKK) was the first hospital built by the British in Ulu Kelantan district. It is located on a hilltop. The main road passes in front of the hospital and leads to the main entrance at the foothill. The Gua Musang highway is behind the hospital and not visible from the hospital. (Google Earth may show the location of HKK wrt the Gua Musang highway.)

Photos of HKK on 13 July 2007:
All photos by Faridah Abdul Rashid.

 

 

New entrance to HKK.

Rear carpark.

Ambulance route (from entrance uphill to A&E).

Front carpark, A&E and ambulance bay.

Front carpark (nearest ambulance bay).

Ambulance bay and main ward building.

Main road to HKK and Kuala Krai town (farther up ahead).

A telecommunication tower can be seen in the middle background.

 

Delivery unit. This is an old building.

Old entrance to HKK has been closed off.

Old part of HKK. The staircase leads up to the old offices above.

View of new HKK buildings from the old entrance (closed off).

HKK viewed from the main road.

YM Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Dr Raja Ahmad Noordin bin Raja Shahbuddin was an early Malay doctor who served at HKK. He was the only doctor in the then 80-bedded hospital in 1958, for 9 months. His patients were mostly Muslims. He contributed to the building of a small "surau" (just a platform) for the patients' families to perform their prayers. That "surau" is no longer there. There are two prayer places today - a wooden surau in front of the ambulance parking bay and a new brick surau near the rear parking lot.

New wooden surau.

 

New brick surau at the rear parking lot.

External links:
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/86803438
http://www.worldcam.pl/11085,en,sat

GH Kota Bharu 1930s (1)

General Hospital Kota Bharu (GHKB)

Hospital Kota Bharu (HKB)
Hospital Raja Perempuan Zainab II (HRPZ II)

The initial hospital was at another site, in front of Pejabat Tanah today (probably the Klinik An-Nisa today). The hospital then shifted to its present site in 1930s (there is a date mentioned in one of the publications of Muzium Kelantan).

Post-war
Dr Che' Lah bin Md Joonos was an early Malay doctor (1904-1986). He was transferred from the Civil General Hospital Kuala Lumpur to the Health Office Kota Bharu, Kelantan where he served as Health Officer (H.O.) on 11 December 1945. Four months later, Dr Che' Lah worked at the General Hospital Kota Bharu where he served as Medical Director (M.D.) on 30 April 1946.

Tuan Haji Tamin Merican provided a few names of staff (mainly doctors) who had served at the hospital.

The hospital has changed names three times. It was first General Hospital Kota Bharu (GHKB), then Hospital Kota Bharu (HKB) and now Hospital Raja Perempuan Zainab II (HRPZ II). The previous Malay names were Hospital Umum Kota Bharu and Hospital Besar Kota Bharu. Today, it is referred to simply as "GH" despite its modern long Malay royal name.

HRPZ II has undergone renovations since 1990. Only part of the colonial buildings remain today. Many new modern buildings have been added. If you take the periphery road to the rear of the hospital, you may still be able to see some of the remaining colonial buildings which are white-washed low lying little brick buildings with tiny windows and big blue wooden entrance doors.

Photos of HRPZ II on 6 June 2007.

Main entrance to HRPZ II.

HRPZ II wards nearest the main entrance:

Renovated old wards.

The old TB Ward (pics below) has been demolished in 2009 and new construction has begun in January 2010.

Old parking lot at old TB Ward (demolished).

 

Old TB Ward (demolished)

Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) has used GHKB as its teaching hospital for medical student training since 1983 when Hospital USM (HUSM) was still being built.