Indigenous Malay Architecture

BDH 102 1
Introduction
 Malay architecture was initially very simple and
minimalistic to accommodate their families as they
have very simple tools and led a simple life.
 The only purpose of the houses was to protect
themselves from the rain and sun and also to be
easily movable when there was a need to.
 Later, there was a great development in their
construction to suit their ever changing lifestyles and
needs. There were also many new more useful and
complex tools that were invented to built more stable,
bigger and more beautiful houses. Thus many new
styles and shape of the architecture was born, which
can clearly be seen in Malay States such as Malaysia,
Indonesia and Brunei.

2
Factors Influencing Malay
Architecture

 Climate
 Religion

3
Climate

 The climate greatly affects the shape of

the architecture of the Malays. The high
temperature and also heavy rain greatly
shapes the designing and the building of
the houses. This had caused many Malay
houses to have balconies and verandahs
with the floor high above the ground.
They also have greatly sloping roofs, as a
result of heavy rain flowing easily to the
ground.

4
 The greatly sloping roof would help in the
flowing of the rain water when heavy rain
occurs. If the roofs were parallel to the
ground, the roofs would not be able to
withstand the immense pressure of the
rainfall, thus causing the roof to easily
break as it is usually made of leaves and
wood. The sloping roofs decreases the
pressure of the rainfall letting the water
flow to the ground

5
 The balconies and the verandahs are for
the relaxation of the Malays as the
internal parts of the house would be so
much hotter in a sunny day. They are able
to enjoy the air and the coolness outside
rather than inside.
 The elevated floor would help to keep the
water out due to heavy rain and also not
allow any small animals to go into the
house such as snakes and rats.

6
Religion

 A Malay house would be built to be orientated

with their direction of their prayers as they
must pray facing towards the Makkah. They
had strictly obeyed their religion and had
many distinct features to show that they
were Muslims
 Division between the sleeping quarters of the
men and the ladies.
 Many engravings on the wooden walls and
windows are in Arabic reflect their beliefs and
their religion which is Islam.
7
HISTORY
 The oldest extant indigenous historical work in
Malaysia is Sejarah Melayu or the Malay Annals
which is presumed to have been written in 1612
by the Bendahara (Chief Minister), Tun Sri
Lanang of Johor.
 The first description of Malay architecture
appears in this record and it describes in
considerable detail a cosmopolitan structure (a
Malay palace) which was built in about 1465 for
Sultan Mansur Shah of Malacca, when the city
was at the height of its prosperity.

8
9
HISTORY
 The palace was said to have a raised 17-bay
structure on wooden pillars, with 7 tiered roof
 Unfortunately not long after the building was
completed, it was accidentally destroyed by fire.
It was replaced by another palace which was
even finer, but it was demolished by the
Portuguese in 1511
 The oldest surviving example of traditional
Malay palace is Istana Balai Besar in Kota Bharu,
built in 1844 [built by Sultan Mohamed II of
Kelantan (1839-86)]

10
11
HISTORY
 The last Malay timber palace to be built in
peninsula Malaysia was at Sri menanti, in Negeri
Sembilan.
 Work was started in 1902 and completed in
1908, and until 1931 was the official residence
of the head of state, Yang DI-Pertuan Besar
Tuanku Muhammad.
 Slight tilt in its roof at both ends which shows
the Minangkabau influence
 4 main wooden pillars are 65 feet high, rise from
the ground to the top of the central tower

12
13
14
15
HISTORY
 There is a forked projection at the apex of the
tower roof, called silang gunting or gable horns,
which used to be seen on many old Malay
buildings in different parts of the peninsula but
now is very rare.
 These decorative gable horns are recurring
feature in tribal buildings in South-east Asia.

16
17
HISTORY
 The oldest existing timber mosque in the Malay
peninsula is Masjid Kampung Laut in Nilam Puri,
Kelantan, which was built some two and a half
centuries ago
 The architectural influence of this mosque is
believed to have originated from the island of
Java, Indonesia

18
19
20
The source of
architectural influences
in traditional buildings
in the Malay peninsula

21
The four main
distribution zones of
traditional Malay buildings

1. The Southern region

2. The Central region
3. The Northern region
4. The East Coast region

22
1. THE SOUTHERN REGION – Johore, Malacca and Negeri
Sembilan

2. THE CENTRAL REGION – Selangor, Federal Territory of Kuala

Lumpur and south of Perak

3. THE NORTHERN REGION – Perlis, Kedah, Penang and north of

Perak

4. THE EAST COAST REGION – Kelantan, Terengganu and

Pahang

23
1. Examples of Traditional Malay buildings in the Southern
region (Johore, Malacca and Negeri Sembilan)

Istana Seri Menanti, N. Sembilan A typical Malacca house

A traditional mosque in Malacca A ‘rumah limas Riau in Johore 24

 1. The Southern Region

 The southern region of Malay peninsula consists of

the states of Johore, Malacca and Negeri Sembilan
 In the state of Johore, most of the Malay population
come from various ethnic groups, namely Malay,
Bugis, Java and Riau
 Staggered gable end (Tebar layar bertingkat)
 In Johore, there are two versions of Malay buildings
which adopted the characteristics of the Bugis
architectural style, One is called Bumbung Panjang
of which there are few remaining examples. The
other version, called Limas Bugis still remains a
popular version in many Johore Malay houses.
25
26
 1. The Southern Region

 IN Malacca, there is one typical form which applies

to most of the domestic dwellings of the Malay
people; it is known as Bumbung Panjang with
Serambi.

27
28
29
30
31
32
2. Examples of Traditional Malay buildings in the central region
(Selangor, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur and south of
Perak)

Rumah Pak Ali in Gombak, Selangor Side view of Rumah Pak Ali

In districts of Kuala Langat and Kuala Selangor there still

exist examples of Malay houses with Bumbung Panjang
which follow exactly the traditional Malaccan house type
33
2. Examples of Traditional Malay buildings in the central region
(Selangor, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur and south of
Perak)

34
2. Examples of Traditional Malay buildings in the central region
(Selangor, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur and south of
Perak)

35
36
37
3. Examples of Traditional Malay buildings in the Northern
region (Perlis, Kedah, Penang and north of Perak)

Istana Kenangan in Kuala Kangsar Rumah Bumbung Limas, Perlis

Bumbung Panjang, Limas Potong Belanda or Limas Potong

Perak

38
39
4. Examples of Traditional Malay buildings in the East Coast
region (Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang)

Masjid Kg Laut in Kelantan A typical Terengganu house

Istana Satu of Terengganu Bumbung Panjang of Terengganu house 40

41
42
  Houses
 Palaces
 Mosques
 Surau
 Madrasah
 Wakaf

THE MAIN BUILDING TYPES

43
TRADITIONAL MALAY TIMBER HOUSES
 Traditional Malay houses are the most common
building type and are widely distributed in every
malay settlement.
 They are mostly single storey and are designed
largely in timber to cater for small and large
family units.
 Although new developments have threatened
the existence of traditional buildings (especially
traditional Malay houses) and forced them to be
demolished, many have survived and retained
their existence in the older Malay settlements.

44
45
TRADITIONAL MALAY TIMBER PALACES
 The second major indigenous building type is
the traditional Malay palace. These building
were specially designed to house Malay sultans
and their families. The structure of the palaces
was largely made from hardwood timber.
 Traditional Malay palaces normally had a
common gathering area called ‘Balai Besar’ or
Audience hall which was designed to
accommodate royal ceremonies and formal
functions with Malay dignitaries and public
representatives.

46
47
48
TRADITIONAL MALAY TIMBER MOSQUES
 The mosque is essentially an Islamic place of
worship. For the Muslims, it is considered as the
House of God.
 Usually a mosque is built in every large Malay
village and town. In the case of a capital town or
city, several mosques are usually built around
every part of the town, with one being
recognized as the central and the largest
mosque.
 There is usually no limit to the maximum size of
a mosque although the minimum size should
accommodate at least 40 people (forum for a
Friday prayer)
49
50
THE ‘SURAU’
 The surau is simply a small mosque designed
for daily prayers. Friday prayers cannot be held
here because the size of the building is
relatively small, compared to a mosque, and it is
not possible to hold a large congregation. It is
just about the size of a Malay house.
 Surau buildings are also orientated facing kiblat
(the direction of Mecca).
 Besides being a place for performing daily
prayers, the surau is also used by the village
community as a place to pursue other religious
related activities, such as teaching the Koran,
Islamic lectures, discussions, meetings and
wedding ceremonies.
 This building type is still widely used in both
urban and rural areas throughout the peninsula. 51
THE ‘MADRASAH’
 A madrasah is an Islamic centre for Malay
children to learn the Koran and Malay language
using Arabic alphabets.

52
53
54
THE ‘WAKAF’
 A wakaf is an open shelter made for local
inhabitants (mainly men) to gather in the
afternoon to socialize, rest or to play checkers.

55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
MAIN BUILDING CHARACTERISTICS
 All are raised above the ground
 All have pitched roofs and deep overhangs
 All have open plan concepts
 All are regulated by construction modules
 All have several levels for the interiors
 All use similar building materials
 All have large window openings

70
71
72
Acknowledgement (PowerPoint materials of):

Assoc Prof Dr Esmawee Haji Endut

73
Thank you

74