Going back in time

An artists drawing of Tun Teja - I think she looks like Datuk Siti Nurhaliza kan? Maybe all the pretty girls hail from Pahang..something in the water?



One of the main reasons why I love history is that you get to travel backward in time. Experience a whole different era, talk in an entirely different language and wear a whole entirely different wardrobe.

I still remember the first time I discovered ‘ Sejarah Melayu or the Malay Annals.

Here is a short intro to what is it all about courtesy of wikipedia - Sejarah Melayu or Malay Annals is a Malay literary work that chronicles the genealogies of rulers in the Malay archipelago and spans a period of over 600 years.


The original version of Sejarah Melayu was written during the reign of the Malacca Sultanate in Malacca. It was brought together when Sultan Mahmud Shah fled from Malacca in 1511 A.D. During 1528 A.D., the original naskhah (copy) brought to Johor from Kampar. The Portuguese seized the naskhah Sejarah Melayu in 1536 A.D while attacking the Old Johor (Johor Lama). The naskhah brought back to Johor by Orang Kaya Suguh.

When I was ten, whatever I knew about the Malacca sultanate was gathered from stories my Tok told me, old movies and history school books, (which were had really straightforward boring descriptions)


I chanced upon a copy at the school library and later I found the translation in an old bookshop in Seremban

And I have been hooked ever since. I just love almost everything about it, every time I read it I feel like am transported into another era. Where the air smelt of spices and everyone wore elaborate costumes and were polite.


The classic Malay language used is just superb. I love it.

Some of my favourite paragraphs are the paragraphs describing Tun Teja's beauty and also Hang Tuah's influence.

"Adapun pada masa itu Bendahara Pahang Seri Amar Bangsa Diraja gelarnya, akan dia itu ada beranak seorang perempuan, Tun Teja Ratna Benggala namanya terlalu baik parasnya, di dalam tanah Pahang seorang pun tiada samanya pada zaman itu..."

"...peri baik paras Tun Teja, anak Bendahara Pahang, dikhabarkan orang, tidaklah ada samanya seorang pun pada zaman ini..."

"Adapun Laksamana Hang Tuah, barang tempat ia pergi, gegak gempita bunyi orang daripada hebat melihat sikap lakunya. Jika ia di peseban, peseban gempar, jika ia di panggungan, panggungan gaduh, dan segala perempuan Jawa anak dara-dara, jikalau ia berjalan ke pasar atau barang ke mana, banyaklah yang gila akan Hang Tuah itu. Dan apabila Hang Tuah lalu, perempuan di dalam pangkuan lakinya itupun bangun hendak melihat Hang Tuah..."


Yes I’m a geek, but so far I think its the most interesting history book EVER. ;p