Masjid Lama Kampung Tanjung Besar, Pahang - 1880's

“Not how long, but how well you have lived is the main thing...” - Seneca

(Masjid Lama Kampung Tanjung Besar)

GPS: 4.019593 102.045808

04°01′10.53″N 102°02′44.91″E

We found Masjid Lama of Kampung Tanjung Besar by chance. This dilapidated old mosque is perched on a hill by the Benta-Jerantut main road. There are a flight of stone steps leading to the old mosque.

(Located by the roadside on the main road)

(Tanah Perkuburan Kampung Masjid Lama)

(Located on higher ground)

Those who use this main road certainly will not notice the existence of this historic mosque because only the building frame remains. There is a rotting minaret attached to the mosque. The prayer hall is quite small and could accommodate about 40-50 people. A stone staircase leads to the cemented corridor and prayer hall. A small kolah for ablution is located next to the stone steps.

(An old mosque Left to rot)

(A flight of stone steps to the old mosque) 

(Inspecting the ruins)

Masjid Lama Tanjung Besar holds a history of Malay warriors and their struggle in fighting the British. Probably a lot of secrets are kept by the elders of Kampung Tanjung Besar and not made known to the public.

Next to the mosque is an old cemetery hidden between oil palm trees and thick bushes. Surely many of those buried here consist of the brave Malay warriors who were involved in the fight with the British. There are many old graves scattered in the old cemetery.

(Stone steps and concrete based of the mosque)

(A kolah for ablution by the steps)

(Most of the wall planks are gone)

(The minaret is attached to the mosque)

According to the history of Pahang, there was a heart-breaking incident where the British army attacked the followers of Tok Gajah and Mat Kilau who were fortified in Kampung Budu next to Kampung Tanjung Besar. A British army led by the British Resident, Sir Hugh Clifford along with a support force of Sikhs, Gurkhas and possibly local Malay traitors attacked Kampung Budu via land and river from all directions.

(An old cemetery near the mosque)

(Hidden among the palm trees and the bushes)

When the British failed to defeat Mat Gajah and his followers, they set fire to the whole Kampung Budu village which claimed many lives. This horrifying event caused Tok Gajah and his followers to retreat after burying the fallen heroes and civilians. It is said that some of the bodies were buried in Kampung Budu and some in Kampung Tanjung Besar.

(The whole structure is still standing)

(Soon it will be gone)

(Leaving the old mosque alone)

The old graves in the graveyards use river stones as tombstones. The stones can be found from the Rengai River which is quite close to the mosque. The Rengai River is used by the community to move between villages. This river holds a thousand and one stories in ancient times.

The river was once very wide, large and busy with merchant ships, boats and water transport. But today just like the old mosque, the river seems to have disappeared with time.