Malaysia Houses FDCs

Malaysia FDCs
Name: Traditional Houses
Date of Issue: 09 July 2009

Traditional houses are a part of the valuable architectural heritage in Malaysia. There are a variety of traditional houses that can be seen throughout the different states in Malaysia. Traditional houses in Malaysia are reflected by the architectural designs that focus mainly on the styles, culture, skill, creativity, purpose and craftsmanship in building a place for shelter using the raw and organic materials that are available during the particular era.

This collection of 16 stamps depicts the different houses of the states of Malaysia. Each traditional house differs in the architectural designs and style and has their own unique features.

Denominations:
50sen: Malay Traditional House (Selangor)
This house bears many similarities to the long roofed houses in Malacca partly due to the historical ties between these two states. The original traditional Selangor is built on 12 main pillars with 6 tall pillars at the verandah area. The skeletal structure is a combination of Cengal, Giam, Damar Laut, Kapur and Kempas wood. The roof is made from Rumbia and Nipah palm.

50sen: Dusun Lotud Traditional House (Sabah)
This house is the traditional house for the Dusun and Kadazan tribe, the largest ethnic group in Sabah and can be found in the Tuaran district. The structure that makes up the Lotud house comes from the by-product of the forest, mainly mangrove trees, bamboo, nipah palm and rattan.

50sen: Kutai House (Perak)
This house can only be found along the river banks located in Perak Tengah, Hilir Perak and Kuala Kangsar. The walls are made from bamboo and the roof is made from palm leaves.

50sen: Twelve Pillars House (Kelantan)
This house displays architectural heritage that can only be found in Kota Bahru, Kelantan where it has existed over 1,000 years ago. Its close proximity to the Thailand has great influences in its architectural design mainly in the construction of roof and wooden carving decorations. The skeletal structure is mainly made of Cengal, Meranti and Kapur wood while the roof is made of senggora tiles.

50sen: Iban Long House (Sarawak)
The long house is culturally unique. Within one longhouse, there are several units that houses different Iban families. The roof is made from sago palm such as blue-leave Pantau and Mulong trees. The walls and flooring are made from the bark tree namely Terentang Bark or from bamboo. Till today, the architectural heritage is still preserved, unaffected by the current rapid growth of modern development.

50sen: Semai House (Pahang)
This house displays the handicraft from usage of plants and nature. Young hardwood trees such as Cengal and Petaling are used for the poles and bertam leaves are used for making the roofs. With regular fumigation from kitchen fires, a well-made thatched roof can last more than five years. Mengkuang leaves are used for weaving decorative wall panels. Bamboo is cut into mat-like strips for flooring and rattan is stripped to make strings to tie the bamboo strips.

50sen: Limas House (Johor)
This house is mainly found in Pontian, Johor. It is characterized by its primary long ridge roof interconnected to four other secondary ridges which protract towards the edges of the roof. The fascia is decorated with wooden carvings to reflect traditional Malay architecture. Material used is mainly Cengal, Keranji and Meranti wood.

50sen: Long House (Kedah)
The unique feature of this house is the gable end at both the front and back of the house. The main building stands on stilts or wooden pillars. The exterior walls and the interior partitions are made of bamboo strips interwoven into crisscrossed pattern with senggora tiles.

50sen: Limas Bungkus House (Terengganu)
This house displays architectural heritage that can only be found in Besut, Terengganu. The roof construction comprises of one long ridge interconnected with four shorter ridges which protract downwards towards 4 respective edges to form the roof.

50sen: Adat Minangkabau House (Negeri Sembilan)
This house resembles those found in Minangkabau, Sumatera, Indonesia. Its distinctive difference from any other house in the other states is its unique roof architecture design where the two ends of the roof arches upwards. The area under the roof is usually a bedroom for the daughters or for storage.

50sen: Elephant Milking Verandah House (Pulau Pinang)
This house know as the house with the 'Nursing Elephant' verandah which reflects the combination of the main roof at a higher level adjoining the lower roof, thus giving the appearance of an elephant feeding her young. The skeletal structure of the house is made from Cengal and Meranti wood while the roof is made of palm leaves, Rumbia or Nipah palm.

50sen: Long Roofed House (Perlis)
The Malay traditional house in Perlis is characterized by its long roof and the skeletal structure of the house consists of over 24 main pillars made of Cengal and Damar Laut wood. The external and internal walls of the house are made of bamboo strips interwoven into a criss-cross pattern while the roof is made of senggora tiles.

50sen: Melaka Malay House (Melaka)
This house is distinctively different from other houses in Malaysia mainly due to the unique staircase at the entrance of the house. The beautiful staircase with multicolored tiles indicates traces of Chinese and Colonial influences. The main structure is usually built from Cengal, Meranti or Damar Laut wood. The roof is made from either from Rumbia or Nipah palm.

50sen: Bajau Laut House (Sabah)
A cluster of houses built on stilts in the sea off the southeast coast of Sabah is typical of a Bajau Laut house. Know to outsiders as Bajau Laut, these nomads distinguished themselves as 'people of the sea'. Boats are their main mode of transportation and they live exclusively by fishing and inshore gathering, collecting among other things, shellfish and sea cucumbers for trade.

50sen: Verandah House (Pahang)
This house displays 1,000 years old architectural heritage currently found in villages in Pahang. It comprises of two main structures namely the main unit and a walled covered verandah unit along the front of the main structure. The main unit is further divided into two main areas by a passage called 'Selang'. The unit is characterized by its long roof and a covered verandah.

50sen: The Bidayuh Longhouse (Sarawak)
The most outstanding features of the Bidayuh Longhouse is the circular head-house, with it conical roof, known as baruk or rumah pangah (the community centre). This is where the village chief and elders discuss local politics and communal issues with the people. It is also where the shamans conduct ceremonies and festivals are celebrated. A raised platform around the inside perimeter of the headhouse acts as seating and sleeping area for Bidayuh bachelors. Their headhouse is supported by a timber frame tied together with rattan.