KUCHING: The buildings along Main Bazaar, Gambier Street, Carpenter Street and India Street, collectively known as "Old Kuching", will be the focus of a push to declare the area a heritage site similar to George Town in Penang, says Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
The state Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister said the government will look into preserving old buildings with historical value.
"Otherwise they will be demolished," he said after launching the Heritage Future: Voices of Old Kuching programme organised by his ministry, Old Kuching Smart Heritage and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak on Monday (Sept 21).
He said that as the pace of development in the city accelerates and property values skyrocket, buildings with historical value will come under threat.
Main Bazaar and Gambier Street were already in existence when James Brooke arrived in Kuching in 1839.
When he was made the Rajah of Sarawak, Brooke's courthouse and the Round Tower were built across the Sarawak River opposite his Astana.
The courthouse was officially opened in 1874 while the Round Tower, built in 1886, never served its intended purpose as a fort or military defence tower in times of emergency.
Instead, it was used as a government medical dispensary for the adjacent hospital in what is now the Textile Museum.
These historical buildings have been declared heritage buildings but the whole of Old Kuching has not.
Karim highlighted the fate of Masjid India, a 190-year-old mosque built by Indian-Muslim traders, after a new floating mosque was built on the Sarawak River a stone's throw away.
"A lot of people have been asking us (the government) what we are going to do with that mosque," he said.
Karim said Masjid India will also be declared a heritage building.
He added that old buildings in and around Old Kuching must first be identified before they can be gazetted.
Karim also said new legislation will need to be drawn up to preserve historical sites and buildings for future generations.
Meanwhile, the Voice of Old Kuching programme is one in a series leading to the 22nd International Council on Monuments and Sites (Icomos) General Assembly and Scientific Symposium 2026 (GA2026) here next month.
Dubbed the Olympics of Cultural Heritage, the GA2026 will be the largest global assembly of heritage professionals and practitioners.
It will be hosted by Icomos Malaysia and supported by the state Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Ministry.
More than 1,500 delegates from 110 countries are expected for GA2026 from Oct 17-24.
