The Traditional Malay House

� THE�

TRADITIONAL
MALAY HOUSE

Abdul Halim Nasir
Wan Hashim Wan Teh

� THE�

TRADITIONAL
MALAY HOUSE

Abdul Halim Nasir
Wan Hashim Wan Teh

PENERBIT FAJAR BAKTI SON. BHD.
(008974-T)

SHAHSHAAlAHMALAM

Pe11erbit Fnjar Bnkti Sd11. Bhd. (008974- T)
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Foreword

MOST people have a general idea about houses or dwellings, but the
traditional Maloy house is n sepnrate subject in itself. Many do not know
much nbout the history of Malay houses, the various shapes and forms
these houses take, and the wny in which they hove evolved and changed
over time. For those of us who Rre not specialists in the field of
nrchitectme, it is difficult to differentiate among houses from the Maloy
stntes of Perlis, Kedah or Perak.

I welcome the publication of The Traditional Malay House, whid1 is in­
deed a timely publication trnci.ng, in a simple manner, the origins and
historical development of the various houses fotmd in the cotmh-y, from
the past, up to the present dny. Because of the rapid replncement of the
traditional Malay house by modem buildings, sud1 doctm1entation of
findings on Maloy houses is imperntive if this precious heritage of the
Malays is to be preserved for posterity.

I have been informed that this book is the first of a series of works by
the Institute of the Malay World and Civilization (ATMA). Other books
that will be published in this series include Mosques iu Malaysia, The

Heritage of Malay Architecture, Palaces aJf(/ the Malay Goverwnent Rnd The
Aesthetics ofMalay Architecture.

I take this opportwuty to congrntulnte both the authors of this book:
Abdul Hnlim Nnsir who is a writer with ATMA, ond Professor Dato' Dr.
Wan Hnshim Wan Teh, who has recently been nppointed Director of
ATMA. I also extend my appreciation to the publishers who have
presented this book in a form thnt is both appealing and appropriate for
public scrutiny. I am pleased thnt this book hns been trRnslated into
English, so that there will be a wider readership.

Vice-Chnncellor PROF. TAN SRI DATO' DR. HJ ABDUL HAMID
UKM HJ. ABDUL RAHMAN
1993

Preface

MANY Malays of the present generation have been brought up, and
have lived in, traditional Malay houses. However, socio-cultural
changes as well as changes in the way of life (a result of moving from
villages to towns), coupled with upward socio-economic mobility (a
result of education ), have resulted in many Malays living in towns,
in houses that can no longer be considered traditional Malay houses.

In this book, we endeavour to introduce the reader to the typical
features of two types of traditional Malay houses, namely the long­
roofed house (rumah bumb1mg pnnjnng), and the house with a pyrami­
dal roof (rumah bumbung limns). In the ancient past, the most common
Malay house was the long-roofed house of many different designs and
variations.

This type of house is not easy to build and requires the workman­
ship of many for the framework to be completed. However, the spirit
of togetherness and co-operation among the Malays at that time
enabled the onerous task to be completed with relative ease. There
are even some old palaces which were fashioned in the style of the
long-roofed house. Apart from utilizing local labour and teclmology,
the Malays obtained almost all of their building materials from their
immediate surrotmdings. One unique feature of these houses is indeed
the fact that they can be built without a single nail.

The nineteenth century witnessed the introduction of another type
of house, namely the pyramidal-roofed house. Whereas the building
of the long-roofed house was largely dependent on the skills and
craftsmanship of Malay builders, the pyramidal house could also be
built by non-Malays.

PREFACE vv

Besides making use of materials such as wood and nails, builders
of the pyramidal house gradually began to use tiles for the roof, cement
and bricks for some portions, if not for the entire house.

With the exception of Negeri Sembilan and Melaka, the traditional
long-roofed Malay house is no longer wid�ly built in Malaysia today.
It has been replaced by the pyramidal-roofed house and other modern
types of houses. In fact, the pyramidal house is slowly being replaced
by other modern creations.

Nevertheless, there is evidence of a return to traditional architec­
ture in several new government and private buildings, which have
been built with modern materials, with only minor modifications.
This has been the result of a national consciousness, sparked off by the
spirit of national culture .

One interesting feature of the traditional Malay house is that it did
not merely fulfil the basic function as a place of shelter. It was also of
aesthetic and architectural significance. These feahtres are especially
apparent in the houses of those who are better off. In addition, the
houses were suitable for, and in harmony with, their natural
surroundings. These houses were further enhanced by compounds
with a variety of flowering plants and fruit trees .

Being aware of the inevitable disappearance of the traditional Ma­
lay house, we have travelled the cow1try in order to document the
types of Iylalay houses and their characteristics. Our purpose was not
only to acquaint the reader with features of traditional Malay houses,
but also to record for posterity the heritage and development of
Malay civilization. It is indeed the responsibility of The Institute of
the Malay World and Civilization of National University of Malaysia
to document the historical and cultural heritage of the Malays.

We wish to extend our gratitude to Professor Tan Sri Dato Dr. Hj.
Abdul Hamid Hj. Abdul Rahman, the Vice Chancellor of UKM (until
31 August 1993) for writing the foreword to this book.

The Institute of the Malay World A HALIM NASIR
and Civilization WAN HASHIM WAN TEH

National UniversihJ of Malaysia
1993



../ '-- ill

Contents iv

Foreword Vlll
Preface X
Colour Plates
Plates Xl
Figures
1
1 The Traditional Malay House-Introduction
2 Malay Architecture 8
3 The Malay House-Its Concept and Function
4 The Malay House-Its Structure 11

5 The Long-roofed Malay House 18
6 The Pyramid-roofed Malay House
7 The Modern Malay House 25

Glossary 68
Bibliography
Index 76

79
83
87

_./ '--

Colour Plates

Between pages 28 nnd 29.
1 The pillars were buried in the ground to a depth of 0.5 m.
2 Pillars of the house reinforced with either a concrete base or hard

stone.
3 Structure of the pillar, showing the position of the beam, joists and

crossbeam.
4 Position of the long and short beams.
5 Position of long beam, short beam, joists a11d crossbeam.
6 Tiang seri, the first pillar to be erected.
7 Carved main pillar.
8 & 9 Framework of floor consisting of joists and crossbeams.
10 Stairs with rungs secured with rabbet and tie-fastenings
11 Stairs with rungs secured using rabbet and nails.
12 Stairs with a special porch.
13 Wooden stairs with wooden balustrade on either side.
14 A Malay house in Melaka with concrete stairs.
15 Bamboo wickerwork walls of a kutai house in Perak.
16 Wattlework walls, with a simple weave.
17 A patterned wall made of bamboo strips.
18 A wall made of vertical planks.
19 A wall made of horizontal overlapping planks.
20 & 2 1 Windows of panelled planks-trellis work below the window

allows ventilation.
22 & 23 The gable end of the roof with decorative designs depicting the

sun's rays.
24 A house with a zinc roof.
25 A thatched roof made from palm fronds.
26 A tiled roof.
27 An early Malay house in Perak.
28 A Bugis house in Johor with walls made of planks.

COLOUR PLATES ix

29 Walls made of panelled planks in a bujang house in Kelantan.
30 A rumnh bujnng in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. The roof is tiled using

Senggora tiles.
31 A tiled roof (Senggora tiles) on a rurnah bujang in Terengganu.
32 A bujang house with verandah in the Museum Complex in Losong,

Kuala Terengganu.

33 A traditional long-roofed Malay House in Temerloh, Pahang.
34 A long-roofed house in Temerloh, Pahang.
35 A long-roofed house in Jasin, Melaka.
36 A long-roofed house in Melaka.
37 A traditional Malay long-roofed house in Melaka. The verandah is

not fully walled but is surrounded by a low railing.
38 A Malay house in Kampung Kela11ang, Kuala Langat,Selangor.
39 A long-roofed house in Kuala Langat,Selangor.
40 A long-roofed house in Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur. This house

strongly resembles the long-roofed house of Melaka.
41 A kutai house in the Kuala Kangsar district of Perak.
42 A kutni house that has been relocated in the PasirSalak Historical

Complex.
43 A house with an annex (gnjnh menyusu) in Bayan Lepas, Pulau

Pinang.
44 A long-roofed house i11 NegeriSembilan.
45 The house of a former Lesser Undang ofSungai Ujong. Located in

Kampung Ampangan,Seremban, this house has front and back
verandahs.
46 A Malay house in Kampw1g Ampang Batu, Rembau, Negeri
Sembilan. This house has a loft.
47 A long-roofed house in Kampung Kodiang Lama, Kedah.
48 A Kedah long-roofed house in Kampung Kodiang Lama.
49 A bujnng house i11 Kamptmg Oran, Perlis.
50 A Malay house with a five-ridged pyramidal roof in Kuching,
Sarawak.
51 A Perak-type pyramidal house i11 Kampung Katup Lenggeng, Negeri

Sembilan.
52 A Dutch-type house in Kuala Terengganu.
53 A five-ridged pyramidal house (bungkus) in Kuala Terengganu.

54 Pak Ali's pyramidal house i11 Kampung Kerdas, Gombak,Selangor.
55 A house owned by a wealthy family i11 Kuching,Sarawak. The roof

incorporates features of the Mmangkabau house.
56 A house belonging to a wealthy family i11 Kota Bharu, Kelantan. The

roof of the house ilKorporates features of the twelve-pillared house of
Kelantan.

Plates

1 Houses near rivers are built with taller pillars to keep

flood waters out. 9

2 A Malay house belonging to the lower income group:

local wooden materials are used. 11

3 A house that has been modified with concrete steps and �

a zinc roof. Not all the building materials are local. 12
I4 A pyramidal house of the well-to-do: the roof is tiled and
I

the pillars are concrete. 13

��
Figures

1.1 Structure of the early Malay house. 2
1.2 Structure of a long-roofed house. 4
1.3 Layout of the Perak-type pyramidal house. 6
3.1 Layout of a Malay house. 16

4.1 Structure of a watcher's hut (rumah dangau) showing 20

the joints and rabbets. 20
4.2 Structure of a long-roofed house, with drilled holes in 24
32
the pillar, fitted with blades.
4.3 Structure of roof. 35
5.1 The twelve-pillared house in Kelantan and Terengganu.
36
5.2 A bujnng house with level verandah in Terengganu and 38
41
Kelantan. 42
5.3 (a)-(c) The various roof structures of houses in Kelantan 47

and Terengganu. 51
52
�5.4 The long-roo ed house in Pahang. 53
55
5.5 The twelve-pillared, long-roofed house in Melaka. 58
5.6 The long-roofed house in Melaka with sixteen pillars. 61
5.7 The long-roofed house in Selangor. 64
70
5.8 A twelve-pillared kutni house without a porch, with 72

wickerwork walls.

5.9 A kutai house with side verandah.
5.10 Roof structure for the kutni house.

5.11 A house in Pulau Pinang with verandahs and corridors.
5.12 The sixteen-pillared long-roofed house of Negeri Sembilan.
5.13 Roof-structure of house with a loft in Negeri Sembilan.
5.14 The long house of Kedah (similar to the long house of Perlis).
6.1 The five-ridged pyramidal house.
6.2 The pyramidal house of Perak.



1

The Traditional Malay House­
Introduction

IN the beginning, the Malays constructed their dwellings in a simple
manner. They used banana leaves or palm fronds which they wove to
form the roof shaped like an inverted 'V'. A ridge was fitted along the
apex of the roof, while at either end were fixed two erect wall-like
structures resembling the letter 'A'. These gable ends were known as
the tebar layar in Kelantan.

The dwelling resembled a stage since the floor was raised high
above the ground. The elevated floor, supported by stilts, had an
important function. Occupants were protected from natural disasters
like floods, as well as from wild animals. The vacant area below the
house allowed for the circulation of air in and around the dwelling.
Fresh air was especially important to the occupants living in these
enclosed areas.

The early Malay dwelling, or hut, was easy. to build. It was built
with round wooden pillars. These were grooved slightly in order to
support the beams of the house. The joints of the pillars, floor and
roof of the house were secured with cane or creeper. For the walls,
either split and flattened bamboo or wickerwork, made from woven
blades of bamboo, was used. The roof of the house was covered with
woven leaves from sago or nipah palms. Sometimes, other dried
leaves were used. Thus, the traditional Malay house was built with
its characteristically simple appearance, before it developed in size
and complexity.

Following this, houses with long roofs appeared. These houses
were made possible by the availability of better building implements
like the saw, chisel, plane and tools for digging. Builders of Malay

2

3

4 THE TRADITIONAL MALAY HOUSE

main house
doubled palm frond
roofing for main house
single slope roof
for the verandah

space
under
house

stairs to the

passageway

. ;.

crossbar window --H'==
of

Fig. 1.2 Structure of a long-roofed house.

THE TRADITIONAL MALAY HOUSE-INTRODUCTION 5

houses were able to use these tools to build better houses. The pillars
of the house were shaped with an axe. Next, they were planed down
for a smoother finish. The joints at the pillars and roof were no longer
tied. Instead, a hole was bored and a dowel and a wedge were
inserted. This ensured that the pillars and roof were firm and stable.

With these new implements, builders of Malay houses came closer
to perfecting their work. The walls of houses that were previously
made of bamboo or wickerwork were now made of smooth overlap­
ping planks. This gave the walls more regularity and made them

much stronger. At the head of each pillar, projections (kuku tiang)

were made and these were fitted into holes made in the crossbar.
Thus, tying was no longer necessary. Likewise, the floor structure
was not tied, but holes were drilled at appropriate places for sup­
porting beams to pass through. To strengthen the structure, dowels,
or wooden nail-like implements and wedges were used.

The houses with long roofs came in various shapes, and in each
Malay state they were known by different nan1es and possessed their
own distinctive characteristics. However, as time passed, the long­
roofed house was modified. For example, the palm-leaf roofing was
replaced with roofing. This was made of wooden shingles, later
replaced with tiles.

The colonial period, especially the later British period, had con­
siderable influence on the building of Malay houses. When the
British erected offices, schools, hospitals, police stations and houses
for government officers, they introduced to the cow1try a different
kind of roof. By the middle of the nineteenth century, they had built
many houses with pyranud-shaped roofs with five ridges. These

roofs were known as bumbung Iimas. The origin of the word Limas is

difficult to determine. However, according to Haji Muhamad bin
Ismail, a house builder in Lenggong, Perak, the word is a corruption

of the Malay word lima, meaning five. He says that these roofs had
five ridges, and the word Iimas was used simply because it sow1ded

pleasant to the ear.

Builders of Malay houses began to construct Iimas roofs for they

considered them easier to build than the roofs for the long-roofed

houses. In the Iimas houses, nails were used to strengthen the joints,

as well as to secure the grooves at the ends of the beams. Because
these houses were simpler to build, many builders of Chinese origin

6 THE TRADITIONAL MALAY HOUSE
Front elavation

Side elevation

kitchen

Floor plan
Fig. 1.3 Layout of the Perak-type pyramidal house.

THE TRADITIONAL MALAY HOUSE-INTRODUCTION 7

preferred to build them. For example, almost all such houses in
Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur, that have been standing for many
years, were built by Chinese builders.

The Iimas houses also underwent various modifications. They
began as Iimas houses with five ridges and evolved into the Perak­
type Iimas house. Then appeared the Iimas house with the tiered roof,
a type of house readily seen in the towns of Kota Bharu and Kuala
Terengganu.

After Independence, the art of building Malay houses saw further
change. The traditional Malay house was adapted to suit the eco­
nomic status of the occupants. Malays who were financially better-off
renovated their houses. For example, the area below the house that
was previously left vacant, was now made into a room, garage, or a
shop. The kitchen area was demolished and replaced with a concrete
building demonstrating the fact that the Malays were not bound by a
set of passive house-building traditions. Nor were they merely build­
ing houses to suit basic needs. There appeared a growing p�eference
to live in modern, double-storey, terraced houses. However, today
there is a tendency to build brick houses that retain some aspect of
the Malay tradition, at least in the roof. It is felt that if everyone were
to return to traditional Malay architecture, some elements of the
heritage of Malay architecture will be preserved.

2_,�2

""'
___.,\.)...._

Malay Architecture

THE traditional Malay house satisfied the basic needs of the Malays.
The form of the house was greatly influenced by factors such as the
natural surroundings, the way of life of the owners, their economic
status and the climate.

The surroundings were perhaps the most important influence on
traditional Malay architecture. It was in their surroundings that the
Malay builders observed various plants growing, each one with its
own particular characteristics; they observed how birds built their
nests selecting their material from branches and twigs that were at
hand and not from distant places. The terrain was an important con­
sideration in house-building; the builders ensured that the site was
suitable.

The climate was another factor that influenced the form of the
Malay house. The tropical climate, with its hot, wet weather the whole
year round, was a problem for the builders. In order to overcome the
problem posed by such weather conditions, they built houses on
stilts, with floors raised high above the ground. Raised floors served
to reduce the effects of dampness from the land beneath and fa­
cilitated ventilation. In addition, they kept the house well above the
flood waters during the rainy season. The floors and walls were
made of woven bamboo with minute holes. The area under the
overhang of the roof was left open to allow for ventilation so that the
interior of the house would be neither hot nor damp.

The roof of the house was high and sloped by as much as 45 de­
grees. In this way, the run-off of rain water was efficient, preventing
absorption, seepage and subsequent leaks in the roof. In most cases,
the roof of the house was made from the leaves of various palm trees.

MALAY ARCHITECTURE 99

1 Houses near rivers are built with taller pillars to keep flood waters out.

The architecture of Malay houses cam1ot be dissociated from the
Malay way of life. A life-style that changed constantly led them to
modify, improve and even change their architecture. It was for this
reason that traditional Malay houses were said to represent 'tmofficial'
architecture, especially since they were built without consultation
with an architect and did not require any formal plan.

Nevertheless, a certain amount of continuity was maintained in
the architecture of Malay houses because of the Malay tradition of
handing down practices from one generation to another. The Malay
community held fast to its traditions, customs and beliefs. The
Malay culture of today is the result of what was handed down from
generation to generation, mingled with culture from abroad, primarily
Islamic. There were also influences from the neighbouring region.
Some of this influence is apparent in Malay architecture, though it is
the Islamic influence that dominates. This is evident in the way the
interior of the house was portioned into rooms to meet the tenets of

10 THE TRADITIONAL MALAY HOUSE

Islamic belief. Several provisions were made in order to accommodate
males and females in different rooms. The living-room and front por­
tion of the house were reserved for the menfolk, while the passageway
and kitchen were for the womenfolk.

Cultural influences from the Malay Archipelago, from peoples
such as the Achinese, Minangkabau, Bugis, Bajau and the Javanese,
also played an important role in adding variety and colour to Malay
architecture in the Malay Peninsula. Culh.ual elements from the
Archipelago were brought over to the Peninsula by groups of people
originating from the neighbouring regions. These varied and enriching
influences contributed greatly to the forms of the traditional Malay
house.

Values also influenced traditional Malay architecture. A combina­
tion of spiritual, aesthetic and ethical values influenced the Malay
mind. Influences from the West also had an impact on Malay attitudes
and ways of thinking and had a direct bearing on Malay architech.ue.

3

.._,.

The Malay House-Its Concept
and Function

THERE are three main categories of dwellings the world over­semi-
subterranean dwellings, surface dwellings and pile dwell­ings. The
traditional Malay house falls into the last category.

--
- --·

/-:.:. -

2 A Malay house belonging to the lower income group: local wooden
m·aterials are used.

12

THE MALAY HOUSE-ITS CONCEPT AND FUNCTION 13

4 A pyramjdal house of the well-to-do: the roof is filed and the pillars are
concrete.

From the ft.mctional, social and utilitarian points of view, a
dwelli.J.1.g is a temporary shelter; having been built, it can never­
theless be demolished, shifted or rebuilt on another site. There
are, however, houses that stand permanently on one site. Modern
developments in architectme enable us to differentiate between
houses that accommodate small families and those that accom­
modate larger families; we are also able to recognize dwellings
that are used as detention centres, shops, offices and the like.

The word rumah is an ancient Malay word, which according to
Koesuhara (1984), was derived from the Javanese word griya or
giri. Both these words mean hill, and a hill is a nahtral phenome­
non that is highly respected. The word bhodo was also used by the
people of Java to refer to a house, although it had a much wider
application than the Malay word rumah. It was used to refer not
only to houses, but also to other types of buildings that were not
necessarily dwellings.

Houses serve a basic but nevertheless important human need.
A house has two important characteristics. From the physical
point of view, a house affords protection from the elements. It is