Study – The Function and Influence of Islam in the Culture of Daily Traditional Malay Life pt.1 – Domestic Life – Homes

I had a chance to visit the library in the city center sometime ago, and I came across and interesting book about Islamic architecture in the Malay Peninsula. However, I was not able to check out the book as it requires membership to that library. So I sat down and read the book then and there and absorbed the information as much as I could. I could have taken a pic of the books contents then, but I guess it would be awkward and perhaps maybe not permitted. So for this series (yes, another series! I would want my posts and articles to be short and easy to read) I would be discussing the role of Islam to the traditional daily life of Malay Muslims in the Nusantara. Please note that I am using generic Malay terms as each Malay region have their own dialecs and thus have different terms for the parts of the house. If I could find it, I would give the other terms used in different Malay dialects where available. If not, the general terms would suffice and be understandable among the Malay community.

*Examples of Bruneian Malay houses in the Malay Technology Museum, Brunei*

Segregation between the sexes

In Islam, it is required for the sexes to be segregated, however in the Malay world, it is not as strict as those in other countries such as in the Middle East as such. They are afforded to mingle within certain exceptions and limitations. However, exposure between the genders are limited, in accordance to the Islamic law and requirements although not as demanding as, for example, the Purdah observed in some parts of the Indian subcontinent and Middle East. This is outlined in the Quran : An Nur Ayat 30-31, commanding the Muslims to ‘lower their gaze’ and ‘not to reveal their adornments’. The segregation the Malay home as I noted before is to facilitate the observation of this command from Allah.

In the Nusantara, segregation between men and women are distinguished via separation of the semi-public space within the house – For the men, they may enter from the main entrance of the house and stay at the Anjung (outer porch) and/or Serambi (Inner porch). They may not enter further into the house except by the permission of the host. Conversely women may enter the house from the secondary entrance, usually at the side of the house where sometimes another anjung can be found for sitting down and mingling between the women, without being observed by the men. From here they may also access the Dapur (kitchen), where they may also help the host with the preparation of meals, especially during certain occasions such as weddings and Tahlil (prayers for the remembrance of the dead) . In the past, communal cooking and preparation of food are done together within the village, by both sexes. However in daily life, the women of the community would visit their neighbours and share meals they have cooked themselves, or spend the afternoon chatting away on the Anjung.

Concealment of private domestic life

In the Malay domestic life, delineation of public, semi-public and private spaces are clearly marked with compartmentalization by the means of rooms. For private life, the typical traditional house has a Ruang Tamu or Ibu Rumah in the center. This is the living space of the house, and this is the only way the bedrooms, the most private space, can be accessed. Thus the bedrooms are furthest away from any entrances of the house. In Islam there is a commandment of not going into houses without permission. Thus with Ibu Rumah this commandment can be fulfilled where the most private space of the house can be concealed. The commandment in question can be seen again in the An-Nur chapter of the Qur’an, ayat 27 and 28 :

“O believers! Do not enter any house other than your own until you have asked for permission and greeted its occupants. This is best for you, so perhaps you will be mindful.” 24:27

“If you find no one at home, do not enter it until you have been given permission. And if you are asked to leave, then leave. That is purer for you. And Allah has ˹perfect˺ knowledge of what you do.” 24:28

With semi-public spaces around the central Ibu Rumah, this commandment can be fulfilled as so that people may not access to the private spaces or the actual house itself. By limiting guests to the Anjung or Serambi, no one may access the living spaces except before greeting the host and by his or permission.

Welcoming of guests via Anjung (outer porch)

The Anjung is the outer porch of the house, and this is where the host usually greet visitors and guests before allowing them further into the house. Additionally, the attached space, the Serambi, is the inner porch where sometimes overnight male guests would stay.

Welcoming guests is a very important and deep rooted Islamic tradition and considered one of the etiquette of being a Muslim. This can be seen across Muslim cultures all over the world. In a hadith (Prophetic tradition) the Prophet Muhammad said that “It is necessary for a person who believes in Allah and the Last Day to keep his guests dear to his heart.”

*Rumah Penghulu Abu Seman, one of the oldest surviving Malay house in Malaysia.*

Separation of toilets and bathing facilities

In Islam, toilets are considered impure places that should be separated from living spaces whenever possible, although it i s a necessary facility in any home. It is believed that evil lurks in the toilets because of its impurity, and considered one of the places Jinns (invisible beings) live. For Muslims it is recommended to ask Allah for protection against these beings before entering toilets :

“In the name of Allah, O Allah! I seek refuge with You from all offensive and wicked things (evil deeds and evil spirits).“

Because of this reason, traditional Malay homes have their toilets away from the main house. Bathing facilities can also be usually found in this area.

The house faces Mecca

Generally, traditional Malay houses are built with one side facing the west, as is usually the direction of Mecca. This is because the house also functions as a private mosque for the inhabitant especially for the women, and often religious functions would be held at houses such as Tahlil (prayers for the remembrance of the dead) and it is also to facilitate the rituals for the dead, for example the cleaning of the body and the Jenazah prayers (prayer over the dead)

International Day of Islamic Art

I have been busy for most of the week, because the place I am working at held an exhibition for International Day of Islamic Art, something that I was not aware of at all, despite having a long running blog on Islamic art and architecture!

The International Day of Islamic Art was announced at the UNESCO General Conference in 2019, and is to be celebrated every year on 18 November , aiming to raise awareness on artistic expression of Islam, both historically and contemporary. It also raises awareness on the contribution of culture through art to our civilization. This is of course a very welcome initiative, especially for lovers of Islamic art like us.

Taken from UNESCO website :

The International Day of Islamic Art was proclaimed at the 40th session of the UNESCO General Conference in 2019 and takes place every year on 18 November. It aims to raise awareness of past and contemporary artistic expressions of Islam, and the contribution of culture through Islamic Art to civilization.
The worldwide celebration of the International Day of Islamic Art not only encourages the appreciation of Islamic art, which has inspired other artistic movements, but also contributes to cultural diversity, freedom of expression, protection of cultural heritage and inter-cultural dialogue. Marking the Day is also a way to foster tolerance between peoples and support cultural rapprochement, both of which are possible through the power of art.
There is much to learn, share and celebrate on International Day of Islamic Art, and UNESCO encourages everyone to join in through various activities such as debates, conferences, workshops, cultural events and presentations or exhibitions.

For more information, you may visit this website to learn about this International Day of Islamic Art

Of course, to commemorate this special day, Countries all around the world celebrated this day by exhibiting Islamic art and putting the spotlight on masterpieces of Islamic art in their possession. Here are a few excerpts from news websites about International Day of Islamic Art :

Also, since we are still in the COVID situation, why not visit some of the locations of Islamic art masterpieces virtually? Here are some selections of the galleries and places you can visit without leaving your home :

Islamic Art and Artifacts – Virtual Tour

http://islamicart.museumwnf.org/exhibitions/ISL/

And of course, we here in Brunei celebrated International Day of Islamic Art by holding an exhibition as well as Islamic art workshop at the Centre for Islamic Art and Calligraphy studies in the city and I had the chance to display my own artwork for the exhibition. Here are some photos and excerpts from the local newspaper :

The celebration of the International Day of Islamic Art is supposed to be held each year, as I noted above, every 18th November, so expect to see increased activity on Islamic culture during this time every year 🙂

Study – Colours in the Islamic World Pt 6– Persia

Essentially, in my observation, the Persian and Transoxiana regions features in Islamic art and architecture are quite similar, although I think the Persian region deserves a special attention, because although the colour palattes used between these two regions are quite often the same, conversely, there are also special cases of which the colours are different altogether. Let’s take a look together, and comment if you have any opinions regarding this subject, as I would love to know more about these two regions.

For this part of the Colours in the Islamic World series, I would like to delve into the interestingly colourful and mysterious Persia. For clarity’s sake, I would like to discuss about the Islamic Persia rather than the Sassanian Empire of Persia.

History

Persia I am referring here is the regions in Iran and Iraq, although I am very much aware that there are more countries, I would like to concentrate on the colours of the Islamic art and architecture in these two countries. Muslim conquest of Persia began as early as the 633AD, when the Sassanid Empire who ruled over Persia gradually became weakened due to a civil war that in 628-632AD. Khalid Ibn Alwalid conquered Asoristan, a province of the Sassanid Empire in modern day Iraq in 633, launching subsequent conquests afterwards under the Rashideen Caliphs.

However the art and architecture of Persia is very well developed long before the conquest of Islam, even before Islam was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. In fact, several architectural features that we nowadays consider to be Islamic has their basis in Persian architecture- Islam merely improved upon it. Previous civilizations and cultures who ruled over Persia prior to the arrival of Islam had notable examples of architectural works. The Parsian and Parthian styles of architecture became the basis of Islamic architecture, as religious buildings in Islam prior to the conquest of Persia were simplistic in nature. Domes, arches and hypostyle spaces were often found in these styles which eventually made its way into Islamic architecture (however by no means the only inspiration Islamic architecture derives its influences)

Colours

Basically, as I noted before, the colours used in Persia are quite similar to Transoxiana, where deep blues and turquoise are preferred colours for important buildings such as mosques. The examples of these are in Isfahan and Tehran where stunning examples of Islamic Persian architecture can be found.

However, some mosques, especially those which are held in high regard by the Shiites features striking gold. Golden domes very often decorates Shiite shrines in Iraq and Iran which shines even more brightly than turquoise domes. Other glimmering materials such as mirrors are also used in these shrines. The reason, one can think that the gold and other shiny coloured materials used for these shrines denotes the importance of these locations, as usually they hold the tombs of prominent figure for the Shiite community. Another curious example of the colours used in this region is a deep emerald green, akin to the Green Dome of the Prophet Muhammad’s mosque in Medina. This example can be seen in Jamkaran Mosque, in Qom, Iran. Also I noted that the turquoise, greens and blues in this region are a little more saturated and deeper than the ones that can be found in Transoxiana.

Why these colours are selected are essentially the same reason why the colours can be found within the Transoxiana region – Persia and the surrounding regions have arid, dry climates, and most of them are sandy and with desert landscapes. With the selection of these colours, it denotes the importance of these buildings as well as make them easily distinguished.

Notable Examples

*Fatima Masumeh Shrine in Qom, Iran.* (Wikipedia)

*Imam Reza Shrine in Masshad, Iran. Note the gold used for the dome, iwan, minaret and what seems to be an ablution fountain. (Wikipedia)*

Great Mosque of Kufa, in Kufa, Iraq. You can see here a gold dome and a deep green dome. (Wikipedia)

Study – Jharokhas

One of my more popular topic in this blog is anything about Islamic art and architecture in the Indian Subcontinent. Although I haven’t got the chance to go to the countries in this subcontinent, I would like to discuss a little bit about the unique features of the Islamic art and architecture in this area, so that I can learn from it and be on the lookout, should I ever have the chance to go there.

Jharokhas are overhanging balconies commonly enclosed with pierced screens, of the usage can be traced to the architecture of Rajasthan of North India. Rajasthan is mainly Hindu, although their influence on the art and architecture are quite apparent in the Indian subcontinent. Jharokhas may be regarded as the Indian Subcontinent version of the Masyrabia, the overhanging decorated balconies found in the Middle East.

Like Masyrabias, these decorated balconies are built on the upper floors of a building, overlooking a public space such as a street or a market, or to another private space, for example the dwelling’s courtyard. The difference lies in the material used creating Jharokhas. While Masyrabias used wood primarily, Jharokhas used stonework as the material. It might be completely enclosed with pieced stone screens called Jaalis, or with windows built in. The purpose of these architectural feature, at least one of it, is more the same as their Middle Eastern counterpart – they allow dwellers of the building to observe the happenings of the public space outside their living quarters, while preserving their privacy.

Certain communities in both the Muslim and Hindu societies practice the Purdah – a practice of female seclusion from the outside world. Jharokhas provide the women an access to public life without compromising their observation of the Purdah, albeit limited at that. Women of the communities who abid the Purdah would be able to observe public life underneath and outside their private dwellings without being seen themselves.

Jharokhas, in my observation, are incredibly decorated and elaborated, as they act as decorations while functioning as a viewing platform. Beautiful carvings with intricate details often decorate these architectural features. Jaalis become one way windows of which those who are on the inside would not be able to be seen by those who are on the other side. Intricate floral patterns can be seen used in these Jharokhas, although sometimes geometrical patterns can be seen too, especially examples from the Muslim communities. Below are some of the examples of Jharokhas from both of the Muslim and Hindu communities, which I found exceptional.

Appreciation – Istanbul Pt.29– Bits and Pieces

As I finished the series of articles about my trip to Turkey in 2017, I would like to post a few more photos of the places I had visited, the photos that I couldn’t fit into the separate posts. These are the remnants of the photos I had taken that are still in my laptop, while the rest had been lost forever 😥

Enjoy these photos and the following captions! Stay tuned for my conclusion of this trip!