The National Heritage Department (JWN) is prepared to assist Johan Ariff Ismail, 52, the owner of the traditional Kelantan house, Rumah Tiang 12, which is estimated to be over 100 years old, to be gazetted as a heritage building.
Mohd Shukri Mohd Isa, the department’s East Zone director, said the move would involve several processes, including the need for Johan Ariff to nominate or make a documentation of the house to JWN.
He said a nomination that had significant originality and contributed to cultural history could be considered for evaluation.
Support from the the state government is also required as it involved land ownership, he said, adding that the process will usually take between three and four years.
"The department can help turn Johan Ariff's house into a heritage building, the process will have to start by the owner himself. We plan to meet with him to discuss the matter,” he said.
Johan Ariff, who is a photographer, reassembled the Rumah Tiang 12, named Sri Getam Guri, in Kampung Dusun Muda, Kota Baru, Kelantan, to prevent it from collapsing after buying the wooden dwelling from the owner.
The house has been passed down from generation to generation until its present owner.
Rumah Tiang 12, featuring a cengal wood structure, was built without using a single nail. Instead traditional wooden pegs (pasak) were used and the house stands proudly on 12 pillars of uncut timber wood.
The 28sq m Rumah Tiang 12 also falls under the "Mother's House" ("Rumah Ibu") category, which features 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.
Johan Ariff added slight modifications such as gates and a Singgora tiled roof.
He began repair work on the entire house in October 2020 by 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 9.45m long cengal (hardwood impervious to termites) at the highest position in the house, was one of the most challenging tasks as it required the help of 20 to 30 people to install it carefully so that it did not break.
"However, the whole process of dismantling and reassembling is easier because there was a reference to the measurable drawing of Rumah Tiang 12, without me having to change the original layout," he said, adding that the repair cost was an estimated RM250,000.
Meanwhile, former Museum Director of the International Institute of Islamic Civilization and the Malay World, International Islamic University Malaysia (ISTAC-IIUM), Dr Muhammad Pauzi Abd Latif said efforts should be made to save traditional Malay houses to preserve the architectural mastery and artistry of old Malay world builders and artisans.
The process of building a traditional Malay house - without the use of nails and with climate-friendly designs - should be researched further and documented, he added.
"We have no special institution that can produce skilled carpenters, so over time that legacy will be extinct. Hence, the need to preserve them and at the same time we need to create an institution that can produce professional carpenters," said Muhammad Pauzi who has been involved in conserving 20 traditional Malay houses. - Bernama
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