Monday, April 21, 2008

History of Nong Chik

HillsideHoneycomb Housing

The hillside Honeycomb project in Johor Bahru is in an old part of the city. Old government quarters will be demolished to make way for new housing. Not everyone looks forward to the change: there are memories here...

So I did a little research.


Syed Muhammad Alsagoff (1836- 1906) and Maharaja (later Sultan) Abu Bakar of Johor (reigned 1862-95)

Syed Muhammd Alsagoff, also known as Nong Chik, obtained concession land in Johor Bahru and gave his name to the kampong that he established. He was the grandson of Tuan Syed Abdul Rahman Alsagoff, an Arab businessman from Hadramaut in Yemen who came to the new British colony of Singapore with his son, Syed Ahmad, in 1824.

Syed Abdul Rahman established Alsagoff & Company in Singapore in 1848 which traded in spices, rubber, sago, coffee, coco, pineapples and others.

Apart from trading it also had a plantation, the largest sawmill in the region and the Straits Cycle & Motor Company.

When Syed Abdul Rahman died, all his business were inherited by Syed Ahmad. Syed Ahmad married Raja Siti, the daughter of Hajah Fatimah of Sulawesi who was herself a rich business woman who owned many cargo ships.

When Hajah Fatimah died, her business was run by her son-in-law Syed Ahmad, adding to his wealth.

Syed Ahmad had three girls and one boy. When he died in 1875, the family's wealth was passed down to Syed Muhamad Alsagoff.

Syed Muhammad Alsagoff was close to Sultan Abu Bakar of Johor; apart from the Nong Chik land, he also received a large concession in Kukup. He set Constantinople Estates which grew rubber, sago, cocoa and pepper. He even received permission from the Sultan to issue his own currency at the Costantinople Estate!


One Dollar. Notice the Arabic Chinese and English used on the note!

Source: kukupnet.tripod.com

Monday, April 14, 2008

Visiting Chernobyl



Mark Resnicoff responded to my post last week:
I personally visited the Chernobyl area for two days in June 2006 with a friend and former resident of Pripyat. We toured the Chernobyl Plant (including the Reactor 4 control room), several of the abandoned villages, and Pripyat. I have posted a photo journal of my trip titled at:

My Journey to Chernobyl: 20 Years After the Disaster




Really worth reading!

Source: Mark Resnicoff

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Pripyat near Chernobyl



The Chernobyl nuclear reactor disaster of April, 1986 happened towards the end of the Soviet era. You could see the power plant from one roof of one of its apartments. It is now a ghost town that will take centuries to become safe again.

Nuclear energy holds so much potential that many people now see it as essential for the world's future. I think that they are probably right, but sometimes, things go terribly wrong...


Last days of Pripyat

Post apocalyptic winter tour here!
Related post: Ghost Towns

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

The Mud Fortresses of Ait Benhaddou

A man’s home is his castle, goes an English saying. But it is in this in traditional Moroccan village where families literally live in their own fortress kasbahs, each stretching some ten metres into the air.


i-cias.com/morocco

Established in the 11th century, it served as a stop for caravans carrying salt south across the Sahara and returning with ivory and gold. This scenic village has been very much favoured by film makers, from David Lean’s “Lawrence of Arabia” to Scott Ridley’s “Gladiator”.


i-cias.com/morocco


leesmethurst

Still the mud houses, which need lots of maintenance after each rainstorm, have been steadily crumbling. Only about 10 families live in there now, the majority preferring to live in a modern village across the river.


leesmethurst

Sources: http://i-cias.com/morocco/ait_benhaddou.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A%C3%AFt_Benhaddou

Monday, April 7, 2008

Tessellation Planning in India?



I came to the idea of Tessellation Planning while trying to solve the problem of qiuality, affordable housing in Malaysia. I hope it might also be practical in other countries. Which is why I am very open with my ideas in my blog and website.

A 3rd year architectural student at Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, India, sent me drawings her housing project as part of her resumee.

I was very happy that my website had helped her along! I think her work is pretty good. The different types of housing - 150sm detached house, 110sm two storey apartments and 75sm three storey apartments - are nicely blended together.





My thanks to Stuti Bhatnagar.