House of Raja Haji Abdullah (Rumah Raja Haji Abdullah) in Tanjung Pinang. Raja Haji Abdullah, or Abu Muhammad Adnan, was one of the grandson of late writer Raja Ali Haji. A painter, sculptor and writer fluent in Arabic, Raja Haji Abdullah had studied in Mecca, Istanbul and Paris. He was also once a judge in The High Court (Mahkamah Besar) of Riau-Lingga Sultanate in Penyengat Island (Pulau Penyengat). After the Riau-Lingga Sultanate was ended by Dutch colonial rule in 1913 CE, he was also appointed as Kadi (Judge in Islamic Affairs) in Landdraad (Dutch Colonial Court) in Tanjung Pinang. Raja Haji Abdullah passed away on Penyengat Island (Pulau Penyengat) in 1925 CE. His body was laid to rest in the Engku Puteri Raja Hamidah Graveyards Complex.
In 2000, artist and academic Gilles Massot's focus turned to research with the 2003 book “Bintan, the phoenix of the Malay Archipelago”. Our collective archive features a selection from Gilles Massot's photography slides archive of Riau Islands taken between 2000-2003, which were made during the course of his research.
PDF of his book is available online: https://www.academia.edu/43507986/Bintan_Phoenix_Of_The_Malay_Archipelago
House of Raja Haji Abdullah (Rumah Raja Haji Abdullah) in Tanjung Pinang.
Side view of the house of Raja Haji Abdullah (Rumah Raja Haji Abdullah) in Tanjung Pinang.
Ubah Rumah is an art residency and archive inspired by stories of our region.
