Ipoh Heritage

This is the story of the trail of discovery and the efforts made by concerned citizens to preserve Ipoh Heritage.

Ipoh is the name of the tree, known to the Malay and the aboriginal to produce a poisonous latex. The latex is processed for the dart heads used for the blowpipes.

Ipoh Heritage :Dato Panglima Kinta Mosque along Jalan Masjid was built in 1898 by Datuk Panglima Kinta Mohammad Yusuff in memory of his wife who died in the same year. It is designed with both Mongul and neoclassical motifs.

IPOH is also the name of a city in Malaysia. It is the third largest after Kuala Lumpur and Penang. It was the site for the largest tin mining activities, probably the largest in the world, before the mining was stopped due to the sharp drop in the price of tin.

The city is rich in history and heritages. A number of concerned citizen, formed a group, called the Kinta Heritage Group, worked to preserve the Ipoh Heritage and to promote it potential to attract tourist. The efforts were made in conjunction with the state government, Ipoh City Council and the organisation known as "Tourism Perak".

They had identified the locations of the heritages, and produced a touring map, called "Heritage Map 2".

About 20,000 copies of the maps were produced and distributed for free to those interested in the heritage of Ipoh and wanted to participants in the trail of discovery.Heritage lovers can join the trail which would be organised on Sundays starting January 2011.

Some of the heritage that the participants are going to discover are listed below:

Ipoh Heritage showing an Old dwelling: A Malay house in Kampung Kucai with roof proch extending from the entrance of the building over the driveway. It was probably built by a wealthy Malay in the early 20th Century.

The earlier trail map, Ipoh Heritage 1 focused on colonial buildings around Ipoh Railway Station. The Heritage Trail Map 2 will take participants on a slightly different route starting from the playground near Sungai Kinta.

The trail ends at Dato Panglima Kinta Mosque along Jalan Masjid.

Traditional remedies: Eu Yan Sang, 36-38 Jalan Bandar Timah (Leech Street) was founded by tin miner Eu Kong, as a shop prescribing herbal cures to opium addicts. His son Eu Tong Sen (1877-1941) took over the business and turned it into a Chinese pharmaceuticals empire.

Those interested to join Ipoh Heritage Trail 2 can contact Kinta Heritage Group at 5, Jalan Raja Dr Nazrin Shah, 30250 Ipoh, or email kintaheritage@gmail.com for more details.

There will be a guide to brief participants on historical aspects of the buildings.

The Ipoh Heritage efforts are commended as it will preserve the rich historical past. It will make the new generation appreciate the hardships the forefathers had undergone to build a nation.

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Appreciation:

The article as the thestar newspaper:
zing a new trail
By ANTHONY LAW
north@thestar.com.my