We were on our way to Kuala Sepetang on the 3rd day of our holiday, and I have noticed this huge looks like government complex just at the road side.
It is a huge house and look different in the middle of a wide green field, and it is located in the middle of the kampung / village. We were sort of curious. Daddy just pulled aside the car and we decided to pay it a visit.
Later on I know that this Kota Ngah Ibrahim Historical Complex had been change the name to Matang Historical Museum.
It is located at Gantang Hill, Matang (formerly known as Permatang), Perak. It was built by Ngah Ibrahim, who carried the title Orang Kaya Menteri Paduka Tuan. He was the son of Cek Long Jaffar, the first Malay who opened tin mines in the Larut, Matang and Selama areas in 1840.
We found out that this is really a big mansion and it is huge. We can see an elephant replica just at the main hall of the ground floor.
It seems like Long Jaafar had an elephant as a pet. He called this elephant, Larut. One day, Larut went missing for two/three days. He kept on looking for Larut and finally found it few kilometers away from his house. He was happy when he saw Larut, but he was puzzled with sparkling mud that covered Larut’s front legs. He later knew that it was actually Cassiterite or also known as tin. And so he named the area as Larut (in remembering his elephant), which stays as Larut Tin.
Knowing the limitation of Malay people in tin mining, Long Jaafar went to Penang and imported two Chinese groups, known as Gee Hin and Hai San. Gee Hin was led by Chin Ah Yam, while Hai San was led by Chung Keng Kwee.
They worked professionally but unfortunately, they envied each other. With this mentality, these gangs had caused not one, not two, but three Perang Larut, with each war came with specific reason. Mostly, one killed another and one in loved with another.
Ground floor mainly is the permanent display collections consist of all types of artifacts related to the chronology of events leading to the establishment of the museum itself.
From the building’s construction and the building’s usage beginning from Cek Long Jaffar’s family, Ngah Ibrahim, English Rule, Japanese Occupation.
We then walked up the wooden stairs to the first floor and saw row of well-painted paintings, each with its description.
Pandak Indut, Dato Maharajalela, and Dato Sagor, three Malay heroes who were behind the great astonishing history of the death of J.W.W Birch, a British resident in Perak.
Pandak Indut was the mastermind, while Dato Maharajalela and Dato Sagor were partners in crime, who killed Birch by the river. All three of them were judged in this building, where British turned the first floor of this mansion as a court. Though they had plenty of time to get escaped, they remained in the prison till the judging day, and that showed how brave they were.
Dato Maharajalela and Dato Sagor were sentenced to death while Pandak Indut was outcast from Perak. Meanwhile, Ngah Ibrahim and other 40 Malays were also outcast to Seychelles Island, for conspired with the killing.
The museum’s first floor permanent exhibitions displays artifacts related to the chronology of from British Rule, Matang Malay Teaching College and the Malay School.
This museum also doubled as a home, fort and administrative center and covers an area of 0.8094 hectares. This building was constructed using only rock-based materials.
After Ngah Ibrahim’s death in Singapore on February 4, 1895, the building was put under the English administration until it was converted into the Matang Malay Teaching College (1913-1922).
During the Japanese occupation in the Malay States (1941-1945), it functioned as the Japanese Army’s headquarters.
After Japan surrendered and the World War II ended in 1946, it was transformed into a Malay School (1945-1984).
The fort was converted into the Matang Historical Museum beginning in 1985 and was handed over to the Department of Museums and Antiquities (Now, Department of Museums Malaysia).
On the way out from the main building, there is a Japanese memorial monument, in remembering the late officer who used to turn this house as one of the Japanese operation center later after World War II.
We decided to walk around the museum before we left the museum to Kuala Sepetang. At the end of two corners, there were zinc sheds with information board. We had no idea how to reach the area, for there was no pedestrian walk heading to these two places.
We later got the information that these two sheds were sheltering two old wells found by the archeologist. We were also being told one of these platforms served as “beheading spot” by Japanese army.
At the other side of this building, we saw one gated old and high-raised grave, with super clean pergola and tiles. It is the late Ngah Ibrahim’s grave, the man behind this noted fort. He passed away on 4 February 1895 and was buried for 110 years at Singapore, before being brought back to Malaysia by his heir, on 9 September 2006.
It was quite an informative trip we got here. Last but not least, we have a group picture before we left to Kuala Sepetang.
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