History Trip : Makam Sultan Abdul Samad and Masjid Sultan Alaeddin Jugra

Before we headed to Jugra Hill (Bukit Jugra), we drove towards the Royal Cemetery where Almarhum Sultan Abdul Samad is buried. (Heard of his name before? Yup, that beautiful building right in front of Merdeka Square.) The upward hill road is infrequently used by public except for joggers. It was already late when we reached the place and the gate was half closed. 

This 5 acres cemetery is actually located on more than one hills. The main tomb is located inside the building, carpeted, covered and decorated with yellow curtains. A bit info from Wiki on how Sultan Abdul Samad was chose as the King.

"Before becoming the Sultan of Selangor, Abdul Samad held the title of Tengku Panglima Raja and held authority over Langat[5]. The third sultan of Selangor, Sultan Muhammad Shah, died on 6 January 1857 without appointing an heir. This started a dispute between the royal court and dignitaries of Selangor to choose the next sultan. To select the next sultan Malay customs dictate that the son of a royal wife takes precedence over the sons of other wives. This makes Raja Mahmud the next legitimate heir but he was too young and was unable to exert his right. Sultan Muhammad's older and more competent sons, Raja Laut and Raja Sulaiman were sons of concubines, the Sultan's sons-in-law, Raja Jumaat and Raja Abdullah, were from the Riau branch of the family, hence they were all ineligible. This left Raja Abdul Samad, the nephew and son-in-law of the late Sultan, as the candidate with the strongest contention[4][6]. Raja Jumaat and Raja Abdullah became convinced that they could become the power behind the throne if they supported Raja Abdul Samad to take the throne. With their patronage and the support of four other state dignitaries, a consensus was made to select the nephew of Sultan Muhammad Shah, Raja Abdul Samad Raja Abdullah.[7]."

"Sultan Abdul Samad died on 6 February 1898 at the age of 93 after reigning for 41 years. He was laid to rest in his own mausoleum in Jugra[8]. He had 12 children, 6 princes and 6 princesses from two wives[19]. Raja Muda Musa, the heir apparent, died in 1884. Due to this the next in line is Raja Muda Musa's eldest son, Sulaiman Shah Musa."

Almarhum Sultan Abdul Samad (source: Google)

Outside the main tomb, there are tombs of Al Marhum Tengku Muda Musa, Al Marhum Tengku Alfiah (puteri Al Marhum Sultan Abdul Samad), Al Marhum Tunku Jaafar, Al Marhum Tunku Yaakob, Al Marhum Tunku Maharum, Al Marhum Raja Berkat dan Al Marhum Tengku Mutih ibni Al Marhum Sultan Abdul Samad.

The caretaker allowed us to have a quick view of the surrounding, where we bumped into an actress, whom we forgot what her name is, but always saw her acting in Malay drama. She came with her family that I assumed, must be related to royalties.

Hubby had a quick snapped on the compound before we went out, and headed to Sultan Alaeddin Mosque. It was actually on the same road, and quite near to the Istana Bandar. I waited in the car while hubby performed his prayer.

This mosque, also known as Masjid Bandar, was built back in 1905 during Sultan Alaeddin time, whom is the grandson of Sultan Abdul Samad. No one knows who the architect of this mosque was, but this yellow mosque is definitely a good-looking mosque, with a great combination of India-Muslim and Middle East design. Moreover, it is also being noted to have a bit of North Sumatera influence, under the command of Deli in Medan.

Though it has covered prayer area like other mosques, the most interesting part of this mosque is the outer portion of the prayer spot, where they have it in an open-concept style. This place was initially an indoor garden, which later being leveled and covered with tiles, to further out the prayer area.

The interior has undergone a major renovation where view inside the main dome wasn’t visible anymore. They covered it with decorative wooden ceiling and Islamic motives. Anyhow, we didn't take any photo inside the mosque, as you have to get inside the mosque, to experience it by yourself.

It is now announced as one of the historical mosques in Malaysia and registered as one of Malaysia's National Treasure in 2008.

"Ok, it's getting late. Let's move on before we miss the sunset."

And off we went to the Jugra Hill, where we had an awe-aspiring moment.