The town was reputedly founded earlier than its historical neighbour Melaka. Ewe Paik Leong visits some heritage buildings there
1. MASJID JAMEK SULTAN IBRAHIM
A fusion of Victorian and Muslim architectural elements has resulted in a building of grandeur and eclectic style. There are wide verandahs with balustrades and spindle-shaped balusters and the corners of balconies end in pinnacles. Sturdy columns support semi-circular arches and basket-handle arches. There are towers topped with domes and pitch roofs. Inside, a series of semi-circular arches line the perimeter of the prayer hall.
2. CLOCK TOWER
Located at Jalan Abdullah, the clock tower stands in Padang Nyiru and doubles as a roundabout. It consists of a round tower resting on a two-tiered structure. The ground level sports semi-circular arches supported by pillars while the first level has a balcony. A spiral staircase leads to the top of the tower but it is inaccessible to the public as the door is padlocked. The square face of the clock does not have any numerals.
3. KIM SAN PUBLIC COOKED-FOOD MARKET
Located at Jalan Haji Abu with its name painted in red, this is an old hawker cen-tre packed with stalls selling char kway teow, duck noodles, otak otak, bak kut teh, porridge, kuih-muih and other local fare. What’s interesting about the building is, of course,its nameandyearofconstruction - 1952. The top of the facade wall is stepped and there is a small wooden attic atop the building’s flat roof.
4. FORMER HIGH COURT BUILDING
The layout of the former High Court Building comprises a rectangular two-storey block with two side porches. The top of each porch is adorned with a triangular-shaped pediment with dentils.
Thick rectangular pillars support the porches. A verandah runs along the length of the building on the first floor, which is supported by rectangular pillars fused with semi-circular columns. The latter are adorned with volutes.
5.BANGUNAN SULTAN ABU BAKAR
Built in 1921 on Jalan Petri, this imposing building houses the Muar District Office. Its central main entrance is accessed by a grand staircase which has balustrades, from which project wrought-iron stands fitted with lamps. The arabesque designs of the stands add a touch of elegance to the staircase.
The tympanum of the pediment at the top of the main entrance carries the Johor coat of arms. It consists of a shield topped with a helm and sided by two tigers ram-pant. A mixofrectangularpillars andround columns painted blue, white and gold sup-port the verandahs of the building.
6. CUSTOMS & EXCISE BUILDING
Erected in 1909 on the banks of the Muar River, this building has a three-tiered clock tower atop a two-storey building. The original clock tower imported from England featured a hip roof which was later replaced by a dome. There are four clock faces with Roman numerals. The gateway to the building’s compound has an overhead metallic arch with floral designs and is adorned with the Johor coat of arms.
7. NAN HAI FEI LAI TEMPLE
Located at Jalan Maharani, thistemple was built in 1913, and is the oldest temple in Muar. It is dedicated to the Thousand Arm Goddess of Mercy. Services offeredinclude fortune-telling, luck-cleansingandrituals. The temple’s front courtyard is enclosed by walls on three sides and its gateway entrance is topped with a roofed archway decorated with dragons.
8. ENG CHOON HUAY KUAN
The two-storey building of the Hokkien Association on JalanMaharaniwas erected in 1938. Its facade walls are covered with small rectangles in relief and thick, sturdy pillars support the front porch. The latter was created by sealing off both ends of its front sidewalk.
The building’s main iron door and front windows feature vertical bars that hark back to days of yore. All minorside wooden doorsare gilded with goldenChinesechar-acters. The roofline displays a triangular-shaped pediment with upturned ends, and itisdecoratedwithphoenixesanddragons.
9. MUAR HIGH SCHOOL
The present building of Muar High School on Jalan Meriam was constructed in 1914 but it was established in 1902 as a wooden structure on present-day Jalan Maha-rani. Square pillars support semi-circular arches on the ground floor while spindle-shaped columns prop up the verandah roof on the first floor. Louvred panels run beneaththe beam of therooflinetokeepout rainwater but allow light and air. Wooden windows are louvred.
The building is covered with a pitched roof and sports a new vertical-railed fence that looks pretty much out of place.
10.CHIANG CHUAN ASSOCIATION BUILDING
Erected on Jalan Ali, this is a two-storey building crowned by a three-tiered pagoda tower. Two side porches abut from the structure. The pillars on the ground floor are flutedsemi-circularcolumnsconjoined withconcreterectangularposts. Thelatter are painted grey withrelief designsinwhite for prominence.The grey themeisrepeated on the balcony pillars of the first floor.
Other embellishments include red lanterns, kylins and stone lions. A simple metallic railing fence separates the front porch from the sidewalk.
