KUALA PILAH: Amid the timeless beauty of the traditional village of Seri Menanti, which continues to preserve the heritage of Adat Perpatih, stands a nearly century-old rumah limas that showcases the refinement of Malay architecture that has withstood the test of time.
Nestled among modern homes, the house, built around 1927, has retained its original appearance, bearing witness to the journey from the era of kerosene lamps and red dirt roads to today’s fast-changing world.
Even more remarkably, the house, which stands on 12 pillars, was built without the use of a single iron nail.
Instead, craftsmen of the past joined every timber component using the traditional pasak (wooden pegs) and tanggam (mortise-and-tenon) technique, a woodworking skill that has enabled the house to remain sturdy for generations.
At 84, Durah Bidin, affectionately known as Wan, continues to live in the ancestral home inherited from her maternal grandmother.
“This was originally my grandmother’s house. It has been here for as long as I can remember, and I grew up here,” she told Bernama recently.
A native of Seri Menanti from the Tanah Datar clan, she spent her childhood in the house, with almost every chapter of her life beginning and unfolding beneath the same roof.
“This house is more than just a shelter. It is a place filled with family memories, where I grew up with my mother and relatives,” she said.
Stepping into the house, located within the Seri Menanti state constituency, is like taking a journey back in time.
Its sturdy wooden floor, walls that have deepened in colour with age, and solid pillars stand as silent witnesses to the generations that once lived there, each leaving behind stories and cherished memories.
According to Durah, most of the house was built using punak timber, which remains in excellent condition to this day, while the original kitchen was constructed with tembusu wood, reflecting the wisdom of earlier generations in selecting durable building materials.
“Punak wood is very strong, much like teak. That’s why the house is still standing today and remains perfectly liveable,” she said.
The unique architectural design and remarkable durability of the heritage house have made it a regular destination for architecture students and researchers studying its structure and construction techniques.
“Many architecture students come here. They study old houses, measure the pillars and examine every detail,” she said.
Durah hopes her family’s rumah limas will continue to be preserved so that future generations can appreciate and understand the elegance of traditional Malay architecture with Minangkabau influences, a defining feature of Negri Sembilan’s identity.
