A XVIIIth century tomb at Pekan Lama
W. Linehan’s brief note describes two 18th-century grave-stones found at Pekan Lama, Pahang, and records their inscriptions and associated local tradition.
Summary
The two stones stand on a small mound behind the enclosure surrounding the residence of the Tengku Empuan Tua, Pekan Lama. Their shape and ornamentation differ from other tomb stones in the area, and their Jawi inscriptions are incised rather than raised. The southern stone bears the Islamic profession of faith in a circular panel and the date of death in a rectangular panel: Hijrat 1128, 23 Shaaban, corresponding to 12 September 1716 A.D. (p. 333). Linehan notes a curious error in the inscription where the figures for the day and year are written to be read right to left rather than left to right.
According to local tradition, the grave belongs to an Achehnese named Tengku Mutahir, who killed his brother Tengku Abdullah in a fight and was himself killed in turn; they were buried side by side. Linehan located a fragment of a stone that had marked Tengku Abdullah’s grave, embedded in the soil beside Tengku Mutahir’s (p. 333).