Istana Lama Raja Billah, Papan

“The minute that you’re not learning I believe you’re dead...” – Jack Nicholson

(Istana Raja Billah, Papan)

4.5153, 101.012955
04°30′55.08″N 101°00′46.64″E

Istana Lama Raja Billah is located next to Masjid Lama Papan.

(Has always been the largest building in Papan)

(The 'Rumah Asal' on the left of the concrete building)

(A staircase at the back leading to the upper level)

(One of Perak National Heritages)

Istana Billah is a mansion that was originally owned by Raja Billah who came from Mandailing, Sumatra. He was the son of King Tedong Berani in West Sumatra who fled in the 1860s to the Malay Peninsula following a war during The Dutch colonization.

(Intricate decorative wood carvings)

(Inspecting the Big House surrounding)

(A potential tourist destination in Perak)

(The Rumah Besar was the local equivalent of Bagas Godang)

Raja Billah was an influential and rich person and was appointed as the chief Headman of Papan. He had built an impressive wooden mansion which he called Istana Billah. The wooden mansion of Istana Billah has the design similar to the palace of Raja Mandailing of Bagas Godang community and still stood intact on the bank of the Perak River.

(The courtyard is left unmaintained)

(A large hall with octagonal columns and a raised platform)

(A palace full of history)

(This old palace was completed in 1896)

(Myths of mysteries and strange phenomena)

Istana Billah is located on a hill, magnificently built for Raja Billah who made Perak his home and where he spent the last remainder of his life. The construction of this palace was completed in 1896. It was then the largest building in Papan town. In 1994 Istana Billah is turned into a museum by the Department of Museums and Antiquities. This mansion was once used as a filming location for the movie Anna and The King in 1999.

(The entrance and brick walls of Istana Raja Billah)

(The Istana Lama was closed to visitors during the pandemic)

Masjid Lama Papan, Perak - 1888

“Everything negative – pressure, challenges – is all an opportunity for me to rise...” - Kobe Bryant

(Masjid Lama Papan, Perak)

4.515593 101.013294
4°30'56.1"N 101°00'47.9"E

From Simpang Pulai we drove on Jalan Simpang Pulai - Lahat towards Papan town, an old ghost town located about 11km from Batu Gajah. As its name suggests, Papan started off as a timber outpost led predominantly by the Mandailing community. Originally from Sumatera, they played an important role in the development of Perak in the 19th and 20th centuries. Under Raja Billah, Papan thrived as an administrative centre for tin mining activities in the Kinta Valley. Papan survived for over a century as a mining town until the crash in tin prices in the 1980s which saw an exodus of residents to other towns.

(An old ghost town of Papan)

(The rows of shophouses covered with creepers)

(A small path leading to Masjid Lama Papan)

(Our Bigfoot parked at the end of the road)

When we reach Papan we found ourselves entering what seemed to be an abandoned town. There were rows of decaying century-old shophouses, some partially collapsed and others were covered with creepers. It was hard to believe that this town was once among the richest mining centers in Perak. Papan is not completely deserted. There are small number of elderly townsfolk still populate the area and its surrounding village.

 

(A few warning signs around the old mosque)

(Rectangular in shape and erected on cemented stilts)

(The oldest mosque in Mendaling architecture)

(A No Entry sign)

We drove on a small side lane between the brick shophouses and found Masjid Lama Papan at the end of the lane. On the left is Istana Billah, another famous landmark in Papan. The Masjid Lama Papan was built in 1888 by the chief Headman in Papan named Raja Billah from 1834 to 1911. The mosque is said to be one of the second oldest mosques in its original form in the state of Perak which is still standing firmly. It is also said that this Masjid Papan is the oldest Mandailing mosque in the state of Perak and possibly, it is also the oldest Mandailing mosque in Malaysia.

 

(Old abandoned houses near the old mosques)

(Also known as Masjid Raja Billah)

(The second oldest mosque in Perak)

Masjid Laman Papan also known as Masjid Raja Billah, named after its founder, reflects the architecture of Mandailing. Like the local mosques built since the beginning of the 19th century, the mosque does not have minarets and onion domes like other mosques that are mostly influenced by Turkish and Indian architecture. The shape and architecture of this wooden mosque is similar to the wooden mosques that can still be found in Tapanuli Selatan in North Sumatra because it was likely built by Mandailing craftsmen.

(The road uphill leads to Istana Raja Billah)

(An old grave at the back of the old mosque)

Visiting a sick friend...

“We should remember that just as a positive outlook on life can promote good health, so can everyday acts of kindness...” - Hillary Clinton

(AD was not her old self anymore)

Visit the sick by Rumi

Visit the sick, and you will heal yourself.

The ill person may be a Sufi master,

And your kindness will be repaid in wisdom.

Even if the sick person is your enemy,

You will still benefit,

For kindness has the power to transform

Sworn enemies into firm friends.

And if there is no healing of bad feeling,

There certainly will be less ill will,

Because kindness is the greatest of all balms.

I miss those days when we were so much younger and love doing crazy things together...

Covid 19 - Second Booster...

“Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” — John Lennon

(Fast and efficient)

We were among the first to receive notifications from My Sejahtera to go for our second booster shots. This time we had our shot at Klinik Zain Azrai Bukit Idaman. It was a Pfizer, the same as the first booster shot. 

Alhamdulillah, we did not experience any side effect after the shots.

Faisa & Nifail - Tying the Knot...

“The purpose of our lives is to be happy...” - Dalai Lama

(The newly weds)

Congratulations to Faisa and Nifail

We wish you all the best as you embark on this wonderful union.

May the true love you share today grow stronger as you grow old together...

(The newly wed)

(Majlis Akad Nikah)

(The pelamin)

(With Jay Jay, the bridegroom's father)