Cultural values in Museum within heritage site:  Kota Johor Lama

Norizan bte Daud
 

Kota Johor Lama is a national heritage complex located in the state of Johor approximate 378 kilometres from Kuala Lumpur. It is 27 kilometres from Kota Tinggi city centre on the north and 34 kilometres from Desaru beach resort on the east. A visitor’s centre in the complex was opened in 2008 soon after the Department of Heritage was formed. This complex is one of few strategic fortresses formed by the Melaka Empire after the fall of Melaka by the Portuguese in 1511.

 

To capture the atmospheric journey, it is best to board on the historical guide river cruise from Kota Tinggi to Kampung Johor Lama.  The journey will take approximate 2-3 hours travelling time along the Johor river, stopping at Kota Sayong Pinang, Batu Sawar , Kota Seluyut, Kampung Makam ,  Kota Panchor  with the final destination being Kota Tinggi . This visit includes an ancient tomb ‘Makam Sultan Mahmud Di Julang’ which was the location of a famous movie made during the 50’s.

 

If you intend to drive, the nearest town centre is Teluk Sepat, a quiet fishing village approximately a 15 minutes’ drive from the complex. The heritage site is surrounded by orchards, agricultural land such as palm plantation.  These lands once belonged to the federal government and were handed over to the public to develop as agricultural land   during the first 5 year Malaysian plan with the objective to assist the rural area. The government succeeded to repurchase part of the land, 2.19 acres of the land in early 80’s upon establishing the historical significant of the site. Kota Johor Lama is one of the few fortresses conserved and preserved under the jurisdiction of the Heritage Department, Malaysia.

 

The complex once the centre of administration of Johor Lama is strategically located on an elevated ground and can be entered via two entrances. The first access to the complex was built by KEJORA, an organization representing most villagers to address the massive number of visitors arriving on coaches at occasion.

 

However the second entrance is rather charming in comparison. The sense of arrival to the complex greets you with the traditional kampong atmosphere, unstructured and meandering. This road takes the visitors through an ambience of traditional Malay village. Visitors experience a nostalgic moment of rural setting, encouraging visitors to take time walking whilst exchanging conversations before arriving to the complex.

 

Before turning into the complex, an ancestral cemetery of Malays, Achehnese, Bugis tombstones can be found. An archaeological site located next to a villager’s house few yards from the complex was the latest finding within the area. The first impression of the complex is quite appealing.

 

The compound of the Kota was once grounds of bloodshed, a battle site between the Melaka Kingdom, Acheh and Portuguese was described as one of the horrific history of the Malay kingdom. After the rulers of the Malay kingdom fled Melaka, they set a new trading centre and a fortress was built in 1540 by the orders of Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah. However their presence upset the Acheh Kingdom and was often attacked, and finally the Sultan was captured and later died during the captivity.

 

His son, Radin Badar, was appointed as the next successor and became the 3rd Sultan Johor, taking the name Sultan Muzafar Shah. He moved his empire further in at Seluyut. Kota Johor lama was left abandon until Raja Umar of Pahang took the throne in 1571 and restored the fortress as his administration centre and made it the capital of his kingdom.  With full intension to claim power over Melaka, he cunningly established a relationship with Acheh and Portugese.  In January 1587, Raja Umar ( Sultan  Ali Jalla Abdul Riayat Shah)  made an attack on Melakan soil of which angered his enemy, the Portugese. With assistance of Paula de Lima Pereira from Goa, Johor Lama empire was destroyed by a huge fleet.  The kingdom was finally captured and destroyed. Sultan Ali Jalla escaped and set his new kingdom in Batu Sawar and never returned to Kota Johor Lama.   

 

This heritage complex is facilitated with a visitors centre in a replicated Malay house located on a lower ground nestled between the matured trees. The ground of the complex are well kept with regular maintenance by the local gardener from the village nearby. The building contains few exhibits only. As any typical Malay house, the building consists of Serambi which acts as a lobby area. In the main house, the displays are divided into 3 main area. The first gallery ‘Anjung’, introduces the history of the fort. The curator with the assistance of a local artist portrayed a version of the history through his painting an impression during the battle with Portuguese and Acheh. 2nd area focuses on weaponry used during the battle, such as the lembing and Malay dagger. The final area displays collection of archaeological findings around the site of bullets and cannons used during the battle.

 

The complex is surrounded by beautiful river scape and natural surroundings overlooking the magnificent Johor River.  It is believed numerous archaeological evidences are to be explored.  The local community of Kampung Johor Lama of approximate of 100-150 people located few minutes’ away feel a strong connection to the history of the place. The locality to other attractions such as Desaru,  Johor Baharu  are relatively remote in comparison to any developments to appreciate its historical importance. Groups of visitors from Singapore make their stop on their way to Desaru. Another type of visitors are students and researchers. The complex does make any attempt to make the visit pleasurable by only providing minimum facilities for visitors.

 

The village is rather quiet, with few villagers doing their daily chores outside their houses. The majority of the community are fisherman. There is a primary school and community hall within the village. The eagerness of the villages to develop their ‘kampung’ as a tourist attraction may have caused harm as short term development have caused an eyesore as ‘make shift’ chalet industry takes place.   The opportunity to connect this heritage site with other stakeholders to create a historical holiday site is highly potential. The future of Kota Johor lama is uncertain unless all responsible parties play their role to look at history and heritage as a subject of lifetime educational and leisure activities.

 

Reference

Daud, N (2013).Cultural Values in Museums within Heritage Sites in Malaysia; Kota Johor Lama, Kota Lukut and Kota Kuala Kedah.