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IGCESH2014

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru, Malaysia 19-21 August 2014

THE PHYSICAL DESIGN ATTRIBUTES OF TRADITIONAL

MALAY KAMPONG IN KAMPUNG TANJUNG BUNUT,

KUALA TERENGGANU

Noor Aimran Samsudin1*

1Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Faculty of Built Environment, Universiti Teknologi

Malaysia, Johor Bahru, MALAYSIA

(E-mail: nooraimran@gmail.com)

ABSTRACT

The traditional Malay settlement, the kampongs (also known as villages) is formed slowly

through generations. These living environments have been tested through time and merge

harmoniously with nature surrounding. A kampong is one of the vernacular settlements in

Malaysia that still exists in rural area nationwide. This settlement was represented

manifestation of settlers aspiration and their socio-cultural needs. The arrangment of

houses, the surrounding landscape and other physical component within the kampongs

were formed organically and unplanned. Thus, those kind of housing setting believed can

enhance social interaction among the neighborhoods.The main aim of this study is to

explore and idenfity the quality of „unplanned‟ living environmet of the traditional Malay

kampongs. In general, there are two categories of kampongs namely as „unplanned

kampongs‟ and „well-planned kampongs‟. In this study, only the „unplanned kampongs‟

which is the traditional Malay kampngs have been selected as a case study. This study

applied fully qualitative research with observation tehcniques. Kampung Tanjung Bunut,

Kuala Terengganu have been frequently visited between the years of 2012 until the early

years of 2014. The daily of settler activity within the kampong have been observed and

recorded by using Nikon model D80 digital single-lens camera (DSLR). By using photo

elicitation techniques, informants perception obtained in conventional interviews. They

have been asked to comment on the images of their kampongs to stimulate the discussion

process. Result insights from the fieldwork are presented and discussed. This fundamental

study also describing on how physical design attributes of traditional Malay kampong in

Kuala Terengganu influenced settler‟s daily activity. Settlers were founded optimize their

unplanned outdoor space as the „social space‟ where they do social activity together with

others. Thus, this study suggests that by understanding the context of an unplanned

settlement like kampongs setting, it may help the designers incorporate some of the

attributes in these settlements for adoption in the modern housing scheme.

KEYWORDS: Traditional Malay Kampongs; Kuala Terengganu; Vernacular Settlement

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INTRODUCTION

In Malaysia, vernacular settlement (also refer as traditional settlement) can be divided

into two types which are unplanned settlement (Malay traditional kampong, fisherman

kampong and others) and well-planned settlement (New Village, urban kampong and

others). Both typologies form from various physical elements like geography, landscape

and others spatial element. These traditional settlements easily can be found in rural areas

and part of urban area nationwide. The early traditional settlement has been growth and

become an important city in this country for example Melaka, Kuala Terengganu, Kuala

Kangsar, Kelantan and others. The transformation of these towns was determined by their

early settlement located near to the river mouth or „kuala‟. This paper, therefore, aims to

introduce some understandings into the significant physical attributes of the kampong

settlement pattern in Malaysia on social relations in neighbourhoods.

THE KAMPONG CONCEPT

What it is kampong? Though often located normally in rural areas, the term “kampong”

is referred to “an original settlement” or “traditional settlement” is also applied to many

South East countries especially in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. To understand the

concept of kampong settlement, it should look from various perspectives. Firstly, as

literally the kampong term is referred as a hamlet or village in a Malay speaking country

[1]. A kampong in Indonesia referred as “kelurahan” or “desa”. While in Thailand, these

settlements known as “muban”. The term “mu” are adjectives words means “to a group of

houses or people” while “ban” refer to the home or dwelling itself and it was parallel

where kampong means as “to gather” or “to group” people, animal or objects [2].

Otherwise kampong can refer to rural, and it is also used to describe a traditional or

vernacular way of doing things; and to describe something that is non-modern or out dated

[3]. As a noun, “kampong” refer to an „a Malaysian enclosure or village‟ [4]. Generally, in

Malaysia, the kampong can refer to “the „village‟ or to a single dwelling, or indeed to a

wider geographical area encompassing more than a single „village‟” [5]. Traditional

kampong in this study is referred to traditional settlement that has been passed through

generations, contain high quality of architecture, the environment and inhabitants cultural

landscape. Kampong has been closely connected to the Malays. Traditional kampong is

referred only to the settlement area inherited by Malays, which are contained and

emphasize Malay architectural style, environment and compound of Malays kampong

concept [6]. A kampong does not exclude non-Malay residents. Village or also known

kampongs traditionally lived by Malays [7]. However, this opinion is only valid for typical

Malay traditional kampongs normally located in rural areas. However, other types of

kampong also contained other ethnic such as Chinese, Indians, Javanese and others.

Secondly kampong can be defined from political perspectives. Kampong is considered

as the smallest administrative unit. Beside its function as a social and economic unit,

kampong also became part of political and administrative unit of the state. Several

kampongs are grouped together to form a mukim, a sub-district. A kampong could be

delineated on the basis of territory, genealogy, communalism and administration, which

focus on the territorial, kinship, institutional, economic, religious and politic-

administrative. Otherwise anthropologist has attempted to define the Malay village and

quite often their definition tends to be as varied as the villages that they study [9].

A kampong also can be defined from the political - administration perspective. Sometime it

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has always been fed by political ideas from the propaganda section of different political

parties, as votes from the rural kampong dwellers were important in determining the

winning political party [10]. Kampong development, such as infrastructure improvement is

always subject to the inhabitants providing support to governing parties during the

election. The villages (Shamsul use villages to refer kampong) are created, recreated, sub-

divided, re-joined and sometimes imagined to exist in the name of development. The

„village‟ has become the „contested terrain‟ simultaneously proliferating „terrain of

meaning‟ regarding what a „village‟ is. But one thing remains clear the „village‟ is the most

powerful instrument through which administrative, political and social control has been

affected in rural Malaysia [11]. At kampong level, administrative responsibility of the

settlement falls on the headman (known as penghulu or ketua kampung) [12]. The

penghulu responsibilities are wide covered one or more kampongs under their mukim (sub-

district) area. While ketua kampung was taken care at each kampong level. Normally, the

headman is selected from the other man in the settlement due to his experiences and

wisdom [13]. The penghulu and ketua kampung are very respectful person in the kampong

settlement.

THE TYPICAL KAMPONG ELEMENT

The early traditional settlement, kampongs was existed since the Malay Sultanate era.

It was influenced the early Malay traditional town layout. This town has referred as towns

that built by the Sultans or Malay Kings [14]. The typical layout and components of a

traditional Malay kampong become the basic features of early Malay traditional town. The

Malay traditional kampongs are residential area of the local people in these towns. The

bigger the settlement area the most prosperous and powerful the ruler was because at those

times, the numbers of people were the symbol of ruler power [15]. The Malay traditional

town contained a number of big buildings such as a palace, a mosque and houses belonging

to substantive officials, but still have a kampong appearance as their main image [16]. This

is because; kampongs are located scattered surrounding those towns. These kampongs are

located close to one another and usually surround the town center where an important

building or place such administration center, market, religious and educational center and

gathering place located. It is shown that, the traditional Malay kampongs as settlement are

part of the Malay town components.

Location

Kampong easily can be found close to the river in order to be near to the mode of

transport. In general kampong sited along or near streams, river mouth or along the coast,

usually in relatively narrow ribbon like groupings. Organically the spatial structure of

Malay traditional kampongs also follows the river course. The Malay tends to select

slightly higher ground for their house sites [17]. The positioning of traditional Malay house

was usually chosen according to the traditional belief [18]. There are two types of

kampongs location either located at hulu (upper stream) and hilir (downstream) [19]. It is

shown that, the location of kampongs can be addressed based on their location along the

rivers. In order to ensure the harmonious relationships between human, nature and the

spirits, the choice of location for the settlement built-up area is carefully considered by the

villagers [20].

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Structures

The structures are not closely clustered but are widely dispersed. They are seldom

prominent in the landscape, since the homes are always surrounded by a variety of fruit

trees and gardens. The kampong is primarily an agricultural or fishing kampong with no

shops [21]. It is evolved from the settlement of a family of two into a cluster of homes as

the family grows into extended families [22]. Intermarriages between families helped to

further expand the size of these clustered communities, and more adjacent land was cleared

to accommodate new family units.

Houses unit

The Encyclopedia of Malaysia; Architecture described that kampong content several

Malay houses and their compound. Usually the house being built in family clusters. There

are no physical boundaries within houses in the kampong and its make the villagers easy to

walk surrounding it. These settlement don‟t have a clear geometric order in the layout of

the kampong and based on the social relationship and the culture also lifestyle of the

villagers. The kampong has a network of path leading from house to another and from

house to public building such as the mosque, cemetery, school and shop and this is

regarded as communal rather than formal public places. In the kampong the arrangement of

the building is organic which all infrastructures and facilities such as electricity and water

supplies, drainage systems and telephone line are installed only after the kampong has

developed into substantial settlement compared to the housing estate where the

infrastructure and services determine the siting of the houses [23]. In the kampong, the

Malays house, trees, compound and paths randomly distributed. The house looks similar

and blends harmoniously with the surrounding environment [24]. The traditional Malay

house that exists in kampongs was a major focal point in the early Malay settlement.

Types

In Malaysia, kampong typologies can be divided into two main categories which are

unplanned & well-planned kampong. Unplanned kampong settlement referred to any

settlement that exists naturally without proper or well-planned. While the houses also build

organically and scattered around the settlements, for example the water village, fisherman

kampong and squatters. Traditionally, these settlements shaped informally by the

inhabitants through their needs or belief. Then, the well-planned kampong refers to any

settlement that built with a certain purpose and program that set by the government as for

example the New Village (Kampung Baru) for avoid communist guerrilla threats, Federal

Land Development Authority (known as FELDA) settlement for plantation activity, and

resettlement settlement for natural disaster (such as tsunami or flooding) threats. These

settlements more well-planned, well-arrangement, formal, completes with few facilities

and normally the house build by government effort or agencies related. Otherwise,

typologies of kampong in Malaysia can be divided into few categories based on a few

components such as physical pattern, location, ethnicity, basic economy activity, purposes

and others.

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CASE STUDY

Location

Kuala Terengganu in Terengganu is located on the East Coast of Peninsula Malaysia.

Kuala Terengganu is one of the main towns on the East Coast together with Kuantan

(Pahang) and Kota Bahru (Kelantan). This town is the historic, cultural and social centres

of the Malay community. Under the administration of Kuala Terengganu City Council

(MBKT), there are 158 traditional kampongs (Local Government Department, 2011) has

been identified. These traditional kampongs located separately in 24 sub-districts or

mukim. Kampung Tanjung Bunut located under Mukim Manir, 8km from Kuala

Terengganu Town. This Malay traditional settlement located at the corner of Sungai Nerus

(River Nerus) that connected directly to Terengganu River (Figure 1):

Figure 1. Location of Kampung Tanjung Bunut from aerial view in Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu district.

Source: Google Earth

Kuala Terengganu City centre

Kg. Tanjung Bunut

Terengganu River

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Figure 2. Distribution of houses in Kampung Tanjung Bunut. Source: Google Earth

Kampong background

Kampung Tanjung Bunut is one of the traditional settlements located near to the

Terengganu river within Kuala Terengganu district that still exist until todays. These

settlements believed have been opened at early year of 1900‟s. The name of kampong

origin from the Bunut tree (scientific name known as calophyllum macrocarpum) that

easily can be found located along the river bank in the past. However according to villagers

those Bunut trees have been dead and destroyed through the time. Otherwise the term of

„Tanjung‟ or cape refers to geographically river bank pattern that‟s shaped like the cape.

Traditionally, Nerus River was functioning as the main mode of transportation for

residents. Before Kota Baharu Road and Tengku Mizan Road build connected to the Kuala

Terengganu Town, small perahu (boat make by wooden) has been used by villagers to

cross over the Nerus River towards Batu Enam or Kampung Bukit Datu. They also can

cruise along the Terengganu River toward the city center. Those services locally

recognised as penambang. The main road only builds after year 1950‟s. According to local

villagers, Haji Alwi, 66 years (a bilal, prayer muezzin) the first kampong headman held by

Haji Musa Abdul Rahman and then by Haji Muhammad Yusof. This settlement connected

by two roads namely as Kota Bahru Road (main road) and Tanjung Bunut Road (local

road). From observation, these settlement patterns are parallel to the river bank (Nerus

River). This settlement bounded with Kampung Buluh Gading in the North, Kampung

Teluk Pasu at the South. However, another small pave road is built through the settlement.

This small road located parallel to river bank of Nerus River.

FINDINGS

Idid stated that the traditional settlement environment included settlement pattern, form

and style of kampong that located in rural area nationwide should be learn as an alternative

for the Western perspective [25]. It should help as on an understanding of how our living

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builds environment should look like or created. Lessons learnt from the traditional

settlements can contribute enormously to the development of a more acceptable design

concept for residential areas. Understanding the context of the traditional environment may

help the designers to incorporate some of the features in these settlements for adoption in

the modern design of residential areas [26]. This is because; it should be given an attention

appropriate to understand their potential and goodness for living in the high quality of built

environment. In this study, Kampung Tanjung Bunut has been visited, observed and

explore to understand the significant values that generated from kampong form and

physical pattern. From the house‟s orientation, natural landscape and geographical

element, it was shown that almost the inhabitant‟s daily activities are influenced by the

physical pattern of settlement. This settlement is like others typical vernacular settlement

that found in rural area nationwide. From the observation in Kampung Tanjung Bunut,

Kuala Terengganu between the years 2012 until 2014founded that, this paper suggests that

kampongs settlement represents manifestation of local people need and their culture that

evolved through the time in this case, more than 100 years old settlement. The following is

an author‟s personal observation on kampong environment at Kampung Tanjung Bunut,

Kuala Terengganu:

Many of traditional Malay houses located sparely in this settlement (refer to Picture 1).

Like other typical traditional kampong, houses in this kampong also arrange toward to

qiblat (Mecca) direction. Most of the house here still used wood as the main building

material and build on stilts like other typical kampong houses. The houses surrounded by

large compound and be used as communal space. The fruit trees and coconut trees has

shaded those areas and demarcated by shrubs or flower pot.

Picture 1. Typical Malay traditional houses in Kampung Tanjung Bunut. Source: Author (2012)

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According to local people, it was to avoid flooding when the river near to the kampong

has overflowed. However, some of the house has been demolished partly or fully and

rebuild with modern style by new generation residents. From the observation, the houses

located parallel with Nerus River bank and the road (Kampung Tanjung Bunut Road). In

this kampong, one mosque (name as Kampung Tanjung Bunut Mosque) was located in the

middle of settlement used for religious and community activity. The others mosques are

only located few hundred meters at next kampong called as Masjid Kampung Buluh

Gading. This mosque is bigger than at Tanjung Bunut. Otherwise, one small wooden

community hall (dewan orang ramai) also been provided for local community doing their

social activity together. This small hall also been built on still like typical Malay houses.

Near to the river bank fisherman jetty is made from plank wood and build through nipah

tree (Metroxylon Sagu) can be found easily. A few small boat owned by villages has been

tied to the nipah tree. Traditionally nipah leaf has been used widely to build a house roof

or atap (refer to Picture 2).

Picture 2. Activities and scenic view near at Nerus River. Source: Author (2012)

Villager‟s economy activities are based on the river such as fishing or prawn catching

(locally called as mengail udang). Today, most of villagers new generation worked at the

Kuala Terengganu city centre. Some of the old men from that kampong and the nearest are

still works as fisherman. The old men like to spending time at the river, catching fresh

prawn until Mahgrib prayer time. They sold fresh prawns to a regular customer who comes

to their house. From Novermber to January every year, local fisherman did not go to the

river due to the heavy raining season. Water level is rising and more speed. Thus, small

boat pull up from the river bank to avoid washed away by the flooding river.

According to local people, in the past villagers also plant paddy near to this settlement.

Nowadays the paddy field site still can be seen near to Kampung Padang Buluh Gading.

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Local people call this opened area as padang or field. Today this paddy field was just left

by their owner and used for livestock grazing (refer to Picture 3).

Picture 3. Padang. Part of open field founded at Kampung Tanjung Bunut that believed has been used as

paddy fields in the past. Nowadays the field used as livestock grazing. Source: Author (2012)

At another part of kampong, children‟s are playing together around without worrying

with heavy traffic goes through their settlement. Some of them just chatting under a banana

tree, running surrounding house and cycling around the kampong or even relaxes at small

hut and jetty located at the Nerus River bank (refer to Picture 4). Adjacent space between

the houses becomes their „natural playground‟. No special features playground likes at

formal taman (housing) todays, only football, wooden stick and plastic bottle become they

game. While woman spending their time front of the house every evening chatting with the

neighbours and sometimes change their cuisines among them.

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Picture 4. The children spend their time chatting under banana trees and Part of small paved road in the

kampong parallel to river bank through this settlement. Source: Author (2012)

Normally, in the morning after coming back from the Subuh prayer at the nearest

mosque, the jemaah (mosque members) spending time at the coffee shop, having breakfast

and spend time discussing on local issues or politic with their friends. The villagers

included children‟s can recognise people in their neighbourhoods easily. They are very

kind, friendly and hospitable even to an outsider. Especially when the outsiders married

with the local people, they will be accepted become part of the community members even

they stayed at outside of kampongs. Sometime ketua kampung call for the meeting at balai

raya (public hall) to discussed and updated issues related to kampong activities, welfare

and problem. Some of it helps to prepared drink and food for those meeting. When ustaz

(religious teachers) come to the kampong, all family members are invited to the mosque

for hearing the religious lecture. Most of the daily activity here stopped at before Maghrib

prayer time. People will go back to their home and in the next day, villagers will start again

their daily activity or routine like always. Some of them will go to the workplace, children

will go to the school and play after come back from the school in the evening and the

housewife will prepare some food, cleaning their halaman (compound) or just spend their

time chatting with neighbours under the house.

CONCLUSION

In this study, vernacular settlement like Kampung Tanjung Bunut was examined

through observation on site to explore their potential in order to propagate an ideal living

environment in the future housing pattern. The key features concerning on the physical

pattern of settlement in vernacular settlement were identified by analysing those living

settings and how it was influenced on inhabitants daily activity and their needs. From the

observation on site, this study suggests that communal space surrounding the settlement is

very important to the residents for doing their social activities. It must locate within

walking distance from the residents houses and surrounded by natural element. The

clustered houses arrangement within kampongs believed may offer for the neighbourhood

opportunities to interact more frequent. A small group of house should be connected by

small road to avoid high speed traffic past through the settlement. Then, people can be

encouraged to walk surrounding the neighbourhood by provided a plentiful of trees. A

certain distance between the houses unit should be consider in order to provided sense of

privacy. Finally, this study found that a large compound is important to the Malay

community. It can be used together during the wedding festive, playing space for the

children and for landscaping purposes. Organic living settings are given an opportunity for

the residents to shape their living space slowly through the time. The traditional Malay

kampong is an ideal housing environment that should be explore for future knowledge of

housing built environment. A kampong has evolved through the test of time and that it

represents the manifestation of the society‟s own reconciliation of the environment with

their lifestyles. Thus, it is important to professional like the designers, planner or architect

to indemnify the uniqueness of the kampongs and its environment settings in order to adapt

it on national modern housing concept rather than copy from the foreign idea which lead to

the conflict of social-culture needs.

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[3] Ibid.

[4] Oxford Dictionaries, 2012. Retrieved from

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[11] Ibid.

[12] Noor Fazamimah Mohd. Arifin (2007). Role of Cultural Landscape in Improving the Identity of the

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[15] Ibid.

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[20] Johannes Widodo (2010). Urban Environment and Human Behaviour: Learning from History and

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[23] Chen Voon Fee (1998), Editor. The Encyclopedia of Architecture. Archipelago Press, Singapore.

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[25] Idid, S.Z.A., (2011). Traditional Values in Modern Living a dilemma of Choice. Asian Planning

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[26] Ibid.