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New Straits Times
10 hours ago
- New Straits Times
George Town's Lebuh Acheh - 'the second Jeddah' immortalised in Penang haj gallery
GEORGE TOWN: Nestled among the bustling tourist spots at the Unesco World Heritage Site, here is an area that once served as a vital hub for Muslims in the region embarking on their haj pilgrimage. Lebuh Acheh was historically a significant gathering point for haj pilgrims from various regions of the Malay Archipelago, including Perlis, Kedah, Perak, Kelantan, Thailand, Sumatra, and Sulawesi. This location served as both a spiritual and physical preparation centre for the pilgrimage. The Masjid Melayu Lebuh Acheh, established in 1808, acted as a place of worship, a venue for haj briefings, and temporary accommodation for pilgrims. Senior Lecturer at the Department of Philosophy and Civilisation Studies, School of Humanities, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Associate Professor Dr Aiza Maslan@Baharudin said the era of sea travel for pilgrims was so vibrant at the time that the gathering point for pilgrims before departure was located at Lebuh Acheh, which came to be known as the "Second Jeddah" among pilgrims and locals alike. She said Lebuh Acheh serves as a historical artery connecting Malaysia to Makkah and symbolises regional Muslim unity in fulfilling the haj pilgrimage. Endowment houses, madrasah, and warehouses were established to support the needs of pilgrims. "Lebuh Acheh also became a hub for economic activities during haj season. Locals took the opportunity to trade goods such as supplies, food, clothing, batik fabrics, and more. "It was almost like a 24-hour fair due to the presence of a large number of pilgrims and their families. "Interestingly, the traders were multiethnic — including Chinese and Indians, not just Malays," she said in an exclusive interview with Bernama at the Penang Haj Gallery in Lebuh Acheh. Since Lebuh Acheh was the central gathering point for pilgrims, Aiza said that 'Sheikh Haji,' licensed haj agents monitored by the Penang Haj Control Centre, played a crucial role. As no formal body had been established to regulate haj affairs, these matters were handled by individuals, agents, shipping companies, and Sheikhs, who managed everything from ticketing to accommodation in Jeddah and Makkah. "These were the individuals responsible for preparing haj passes and passports, purchasing ship tickets, and making lodging arrangements in Jeddah. "They also communicated with Sheikhs in Jeddah and handled the 'Sahara box,' a storage chest used by pilgrims. "These Sheikhs served as the backbone of the haj logistics system before the establishment of Tabung Haji, with ship ticket prices ranging from RM769 to RM1,000, depending on the class," she said. Aiza, who earned a PhD in the History of Malay Haj from Universiti Malaya, said sea voyages for the pilgrimage began around 1786. These journeys were made using cargo ships, a fact documented in the diary of Sheikh Omar Basyir, a well-known scholar from Penang. "In 1950, pilgrims requested a dedicated ship for the haj. "The first such ship to operate from Penang was the Tyndareus, a former warship that was converted after the end of World War II, with the capacity to carry up to 2,500 passengers," she said. She lauded the effort by Yayasan Islam Pulau Pinang (YIPP) to establish the Penang Haj Gallery at Lebuh Acheh, which once functioned as a haj centre and ticketing office from 1828 until the 1960s. The gallery, she said, preserves essential historical records of the pilgrims' journey in fulfilling the fifth pillar of Islam. It evokes nostalgia for the hardships faced along the way, including cramped voyages and the necessity of bringing multiple bags and a 'Sahara box' for the pilgrimage. YIPP chairman Datuk Mohamad Abdul Hamid said that the gallery, being the only one of its kind in Malaysia, aims to revive the history and experiences of Muslims who once undertook the haj in this manner. He said the gallery has welcomed over 10,000 visitors from Malaysia and various countries, including Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, the United States, and Singapore, since its opening this year. It has also been officially recognised by the Malaysian Book of Records as the country's first haj gallery. "It is open Monday to Friday from 10am to 4.30pm, showcasing historical items used by pilgrims and offering insight into Malaysia's spiritual connection to haj," he said. The Penang Haj Gallery features around 40 exhibits, including the book 'Chateten ka-Tanah Suci', old postage and coins, pieces of the Kiswah (Kaaba cloth), and photographs of ships that once ferried pilgrims to Makkah.
Los Angeles Times
03-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Costa Mesa names UC Irvine poetry instructor Danielle Hanson its first poet laureate
Danielle Hanson in 2016 left a thriving corporate communications job in Atlanta to devote her time to her first love — poetry. That departure kicked off a six-year period of serving as a volunteer editor at various small publishing companies and literary journals, during which Hanson saw her own work published before securing a job as a part-time instructor in UC Irvine's School of Humanities. 'The curse, and also the blessing, of writing poetry is you're absolutely never going to make a living doing this,' the 53-year-old Irvine resident quipped in an interview Monday. Still, despite that rule of thumb, Hanson seems to be making a pretty good go at a life steeped in verse. In addition to teaching poetry, she's published two books of her own work, 'Ambushing Water' in 2017 and 'Fraying Edge of Sky' the following year. And she's currently working on a third. For those reasons and more, Hanson has been named the first-ever Costa Mesa Poet Laureate, a position that runs for two years and will see the UC Irvine instructor lending poetic flair to a host of city-sponsored events and creative programs. Officials announced Hanson's selection in a news release Monday, explaining the laureate program is one more investment being made to promote Costa Mesa's status as 'City of the Arts.' 'Not every city has a poet laureate, and I'm pleased to hear that we have one now,' Mayor John Stephens said in the release. 'Poetry is an important literary art form that provides a wonderful complement to the city's exciting performing and visual arts.' The program stems from the city's Arts & Culture master plan, a document adopted in 2021 to guide the development of cultural programs and initiatives. Selection of a poet laureate adheres to a goal stated in the plan to 'professionalize and elevate the status of arts and culture in city government.' Costa Mesa arts specialist Laurette Garner worked with members of the Arts Commission to review candidates for the new role. She said Tuesday the program is a conscious effort to include the literary arts among the city's rich cultural offerings. 'We needed someone who was solid, could work independently and could kind of take the reins,' Garner said of the ideal candidate. 'We weren't sure what we were looking for because it was a new program, and we didn't know what direction to go in. But, across the board, everyone liked Danielle.' Working on a $2,500 annual stipend, Hanson will produce original poetry and make appearances and lead workshops at city events, such as Costa Mesa's ARTventure. Hanson — who fell in love with verse as an undergrad at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and went on to earn two master's degrees, in creative writing and applied mathematics — is married to UCI Dean of Engineering Magnus Egerstedt and has twin daughters attending college. She encourages her students to read poetry and then try it for themselves by responding to prompts or phrases intended to inspire their creative thinking. And while she's not worked out the details of her two-year stint in Costa Mesa, Hanson is already thinking of bringing poems to local parks and organizing 'poetryoke' sessions, in which people recite famous works in an open mic format. 'I see who likes poetry among those whom I interact with, and I know they're representing a sample of all people out there who would like poetry if they interacted with it,' she said Monday. 'So how do we get it out there where people already are?' Costa Mesa is not alone in appointing poets laureate to further the cause of literary arts on a civic level. A countywide program, launched in 2021, selected Natalie J. Graham to a two-year term through a joint effort of the nonprofit LibroMobile Arts Cooperative and Orange County Public Libraries. Gustavo Hernandez is the county's current poet laureate. Municipally, the Laguna Beach Arts Commission named resident Kate Buckley poet laureate in 2017 as a means of 'promoting the literary community and celebrating the written word,' Cultural Arts Director Sian Poeschl confirmed Monday. In later years, that program shifted to a wider literary focus and then into a pandemic-era Artist-in-Residence program, followed by a Creativity in a time of Crisis grant program, that later morphed to an Artistic Innovation Grants program, the latter of which this year bestowed $100,000 to artists in varying stages of their careers, according to Poeschl. While the city of Anaheim has a Poet Laureate program, no such titles exist in Huntington Beach or Newport Beach, although the latter did maintain a program as far back as 1978, a city spokesperson reported Monday. Hanson's own city, Irvine, has no laureate program, but the UC Irvine instructor was able to apply for the Costa Mesa designation, after the city extended eligibility to published poets throughout Orange County, and is glad she did. 'At its best, a poet laureate position is like a cheerleader for poetry out in the community,' she said of her new position. 'That's how I approach it.'
