The Daily Brunei Resources

Rumah yang dipercayai berpuaka – tempat Tentera Gurkha menjaga keselamatan penduduk kampung di sekitar Kampong Ayer – pada tahun 1962. ’Jambatan Fail’ kayu pada tahun 1970, iaitu sempadan antara Kampung Sungai Kedayan dan Kampung Ujong Tanjung. Sekumpulan kanak-kanak yang tinggal di Kampong Ayer pada tahun 1960, kelihatan berada di pantaran. Kampung Sungai Kebun pada tahun 1959. Ristaan rumah-rumah lama Kampong Ayer September 9, 2017 Oleh Haji Mohd Daud Abdul Rahman BANYAK sejarah dan kisah-kisah lama yang masih segar dalam ingatan penulis sewaktu zaman kanak-kanak menetap di Kampong Ayer. Kanak-kanak pada ketika itu gemar berenang bersama rakan-rakan mereka terutama ketika air pasang. Keadaan sungai di Kampong Ayer pada zaman itu juga kelihatan begitu bersih dan bebas dari pencemaran. Kampung Sungai Kebun pada tahun 1959, keadaan air sungainya juga begitu menenangkan dan keindahan suasana kampung dikelilingi dengan rumah-rumah jenis ‘Rumah Beidong’ pada zama...

Teachers at Sekolah Melayu, Kampong Sultan Lama Kampong Sultan Lama is the most packed village facing the main road Kampong Sultan Lama facing Jalan Pretty Major Function are often held at Jalan Pretty A village inhabitant keeping a payau in the confined space of the kampong Rozan Yunos Bandar Seri Begawan Sunday, January 3, 2016 (Published in The Brunei Times on Sunday) BANDAR Seri Begawan, a historic city, has changed a lot in recent years. Just off the city centre, we can see a towering tower holding the cables to the cable stay bridge crossing over from Bandar Seri Begawan to the Sungai Kebun area, a journey which can take an hour before and slashed to minutes with the new bridge. The historic houses of Kampong Ayer which used to straddle both sides of the Brunei River now only straddles the far side. The Kampong Ayer houses on the town side of Bandar Seri Begawan has completely disappeared now. In its places are small mangrove trees and sandbanks. T...

Nowadays, ladies are not in the open procession anymore.   THE HISTORY OF MAULIDUR RASUL CELEBRATIONS IN  BRUNEI RozanYunos Bandar Seri Begawan Sunday, December 27, 2015 HOW LONG has the Maulidur Rasul been celebrated in Brunei? Sadly, we will never know when or how Maulidur Rasul was first celebrated in Brunei. What is known is that Islam came to Brunei in the 11th or 12th century and was entrenched further when the first Brunei Sultan, Sultan Muhammad Shah converted to Islam when he married a Johore Princess in 1363. By the time of Sultan Sharif Ali, Alonso Bertran, a Spanish traveller described Brunei’s main mosque in 1578 was as high as five storeys. Islam was already held in high regard then and most likely so was the practise of Maulidur Rasul. One very early vague account was a description in Peter Blundell’s book “The City of Many Waters” published in 1923 about life in Bunei in the late 1890s to early 1900s, was that during Maulidur Rasul, people in Brunei ...

The Heritage of Tamu Kianggeh RozanYunos Bandar Seri Begawan Sunday, December 20, 2015 Tamu Bandar Before Tamu Kianggeh Tamu Bandar Before Tamu Kianggeh LAST Monday, a news article on The Brunei Times on the closure of the Tamu Kianggeh caused a furore among vendors as well as regular visitors to the tamu. Some vendors expressed their grievances on the idea of losing the tamu, which for most of them, have been an integral part of their lives. Some were shocked and some were frustrated as most have inherited their stalls from their parents and grandparents and that it is a part of their heritage. Although some vendors agreed that even though visitors to the tamu have decreased over the years, they argued that it remains as one of the most visited locations in Brunei. Another reason for the furore was that the replacement new Tamu Gadong was not suitable for them with some vendors incapable of going to Tamu Gadong and were unwilling to abandon their livelihood at K...

Brunei Town bombed during World war II Brunei Town 1950 (Source: Rozan Yunos Collection) Brunei Town 1950 (source: Rozan Yunos Collection) Brunei: Rising from the Ruins of World War II Rozan Yunos Bandar Seri Begawan Sunday, December 13, 2015 IT WAS 74 years ago this month that Brunei Darussalam was dragged reluctantly into World War II. On 16 December 1941, 10,000 Japanese troops arrived in Kuala Belait. Within a week, they occupied the entire country. They did not face any opposition as the British, despite the treaty between them and Brunei, left only a tiny detachment of a Punjabi Regiment in Kuching, Sarawak to protect the three territories of British Borneo of Brunei, Sarawak and then North Borneo. At first, the Japanese, despite being occupiers, were not “too much hated” by the people though it was “very dangerous if one did not toe their line”. The Japanese were seen as “harsh” and “drove the workers hard”, and during the early stages of the occupation, the ...

I bought a whole bunch of black and white photographs and will be uploading them one by one. This one intrigued me the most. There were yachts on the Brunei River in the 1950s and 1960s. I have almost forgotten that the Brunei Yacht Club now in Serasa used to be located where the current Arts and Handicraft Centre is. If there are still yachts on Brunei River, it would look like Auckland or Sydney and other watery cities around the world. Though I wonder how they would cope with the criss crossing high speed water taxis!

Some of my photograph collections of Maulidur Rasul processions in the 1950s and 1960s in Bandar Seri Begawan and Seria.

This photo is from the Brunei Annual Report 1954 showing Seria Town. Some of the shops remained till today.

The caption for this postcard reads: Seria Town in the 1950s / Pekan Seria di sekitar tahun 1950an (Source: Photo from National Archives Centre)

The caption for this postcard reads: Scenic aerial view of Bandar Seri Begawan in the 1970s / Pemandangan Bandar Seri Begawan dari udara dalam tahun 1970an. This is part of a series of 9 postcards issued by the Brunei National Archives in 2012. The series showed selected old photographs that are kept at the National Archives building next to the Legislative Assembly building. (Source: Photo from National Archives Centre)

The Kajang-roofed Lapau building that was used on the occasion of the Silver Jubilee of Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin on 22 September 1949 (Photo: Postcard from National Archives Centre)

I am sometimes surprised to see old photos and what it shows. This one is taken from 1975 when the Brunei Postal Services Department was operating a Mobile Post Office. Does anybody remember?

I bought the following photograph quite a while ago. What attracted me was that these four people took a photo in front of a road Jalan Masjid. This road does not exist anymore but if memory serves me correctly and my theory is correct, this road should be the current Jalan Elizabeth II in front of the General Post Office. The mosque known as Masjid Kajang was built somewhere at the carpark area of today's TAIB Headquarters in Bandar Seri Begawan.

One of the troupes that followed the procession in conjunction with the observance of the Prophet's birthday around the 1960s. (Photo: Postcard from National Archives Centre)

The hearth mat braiding artwork made from pandan or screw pine leaves became a part of the women's activity around Kampong Ayer in the 1940s. (Photo: Postcard from National Archives Centre)

My friend, Haji Mohd Daud Abdul Rahman, a prolific writer about Brunei on Borneo Bulletin wrote this recently about Kampong Penchalap and their renown Tudung Dulang. I did not about Kampong Penchalap until he wrote this article and published it in Borneo Bulletin on 23 November 2013 as follows: +++++ Historic Kampong Penchalap Renown For Tudung Dulang Kampong Penchalap, a village comprising seven houses circa 1930 by Haji Mohd Daud Abdul Rahman  A ‘TUDUNG dulang’ is a traditional food covering weaved from Nipah leaves. Kampong Penchalap was a village renowned for making tudung dulang. This kampong was located opposite Kg Tamoi and Kg Pengiran Tajuddin Hitam at the site of where Pengiran Muda Mahkota Pengiran Muda Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah Mosque stands today. According to old stories, residents of Kampong Penchalap were very skilled in weaving Nipah leaves to produce a variety of household items including ‘tudung dulang’ (tudung segi), ‘takong’, ‘telaya’, ‘lakar’ and ‘bayo...

My friend, Haji Mohd Daud Abdul Rahman was remiscing about the Tasek Lama in the 1950s in The Borneo Bulletin 17 November 2013. +++++ Once serene Tasek Lama now a recreational spot by Haji Mohd Daud Abdul Rahman TASEK Lama is located about two kilometres from Bandar Seri Begawan’s city centre. Back then, Tasek Lama was not as easily accessible as it is today. People would have to brave the dense jungle to make their way to Tasek Lama. In 1957, people especially youths would go to Tasek Lama in groups. The trek to Tasek Lama would take 30 minutes and along the way, visitors would face various obstacles such as muddy pathways, thick vegetation and fallen branches. However, once they reach their destination, visitors were rewarded for their efforts with the natural beauty of the surroundings accentuated by the cascading waterfall. Staff of the PWD Workshop in Tasek Lama, 1957 A photo of the Tasek Lama waterfall in 1960 The water was a striking green colour and fell off ...

In the 28 September 2013 issue of The Borneo Bulletin, my friend Haji Mohd Daud Abd Rahman wrote about the history of Kampong Parit. This is not the Kampong Parit in Limau Manis but rather Kampong Parit at Mile 2 of Jalan Tutong or now known as Jalan Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha. One of the photographs is that of the graves at today's Makam Kubah Diraja which in the 1950s were still uncovered. +++++ The History of Kampong Parit by Haji Mohd Daud Abd Rahman HAJI Ghani bin Bidal, aged 87, a resident of Kampong Sumbiling Lama, Kampong Parit shared the origin and history of Kampong Parit, which was initially located at Batu Satu, Jalan Tutong, along the road leading up to Kubah Makam Diraja. Haji Ghani also added that Istana Sultan and residences of the royal family used to be situated in Kampong Parit. In fact, the pillar of Istana Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin can still be seen at Kubah Makam Diraja. Prior to Brunei’s independence in 1984, the cliff area of Sungai Kedayan includi...

This article was published in The Borneo Bulletin on 27th July 2013.   +++++   Brunei TV in the 1970s   written by Haji Mohd Daud Abd Rahman TV BRUNEI began its trial broadcast in 1974 airing programmes to the whole country. It was the first to broadcast in full-colour in Asia and in 1975 after a one year trial, TV Brunei was officially launched. It began producing its own programmes which included entertainment, drama, and religious as well as programmes for children. One of the most fondly remembered programmes for children was the “Cerita Bersama Kanak-Kanak” programme. The show would feature stories about fasting in the holy month of Ramadhan.     Children from primary schools would be invited to the RTB studio for the recording. Among those that had been on the show included Pg Fatimah and her brother Ak Yusafry. Ak Yusafry recalled being brought to a room in Studio 1 to record his voice for the programme. The show was a...

Today is Maulidur Rasul - the Birth of the Messenger. The origins of the observance can be traced back to the Fatimid dynasty in eleventh century Egypt, four centuries after the death of Muhammad as a Shia ruling class festival. Maulidur Rasul processions to celebrate Prophet Muhammad's birthday has always been with us more or less. These photographs are of those celebrations in the 1950s to 1970s. They are more disciplined, better dressed as compared to us now in the 21st century. When I was a child, I remembered chanting the zikirs or salawat all the way. Perhaps we can learn something there. I wrote an article about the changes in the Maulidur Rasul celebrations in Brunei Times which I will upload sometime this week to this blogsite. In the meantime, Borneo Bulletin also did a much shorter article as follows. In the 60s, the Maulud Nabi (pbuh) celebration was held in the afternoon. People would stand around the 'Padang Besar' (the big field) now known as Tama...