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FOREWORD BY ARCHITECTURE
HEAD,
DEPARTMENT
OF
FOREWORD BY THE COURSE COORDINATOR
Assalaamualaikum warahmatullahi wabaraktuh,
Assalaamualaikum warahmatullahi wabaraktuh,
The people of Minangkabau are known for their strong connection
Alhamdulillah, the Heritage Studies 2009 has been successfully
with the customary law or adat which influenced all aspects of their
completed by the third year architecture students. Their determination
society and built environment. The history and development of
and hard work in completing the course can be seen in every detail
the Minangkabau architecture namely the rumah gadang explored
of this exhibition. Both the motivation to go to Pariangan village,
throughout the heritage studies proved to be an interesting topic.
to feel the culture and environment of the earliest settlement of
The trip was not only fruitful to the students in acquiring knowledge
Minangkabau and the gathering of information are not only for their
of the Minangkabau architecture but also developed friendship and
own personal satisfaction, but also for the benefit of others too.
network with their Muslim brothers and sisters in West Sumatra.
The heritage trip provides a holistic learning experience, not only
In this book, the rumah gadang, the architecture of Minangkabau
bounded in the classroom but also by exploring the world outside
focusing on Pariangan village shows how the Dutch colonization
the four walls of their classroom. Horizons are widened by interacting
and the advent of Islam to the Minangkabau lands influenced its
with people of other countries as well as getting accustomed to their
architecture. Islamic architecture is rich due to the different cultures
culture and built environment.
which embraced the religion. The study on Islamic architecture is very important for the Muslims to appreciate and realize the greatness of Islam as the guidance of life and its influence on the built environment. I am confident that the works done by the students will be a mean and contribute to the knowledge on the rich culture and architecture of the Minangkabau people. I would like to congratulate the third
It is hoped that all the work done by the students including this book will greatly benefit everyone. Throughout the semester we managed to foster a sense of appreciation in every student and also to hold on to the principle that knowledge is meant to be shared. Thank you, Wassalam.
year architecture students from the 9th batch 2009 for their hard work in making this book a success. Thank you, Wassalam. Assoc. Prof. Ar. Datin Norwina Mohd Nawawi Head, Department of Architecture, KAED
Asst. Prof. Dr. Zuraini Denan Course Coordinator, Heritage Studies 2009, KAED
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