Blast from the past: The new clock tower is located about 15m from where the original was built. — Bernama
KUALA TERENGGANU: Stepping into Pasar Kedai Payang 1 – which began operations on Aug 1 – one is instantly mesmerised by the local crafts on sale, including Terengganu’s jewellery, which is a major attraction.
Amid the bustling trade, many, especially those from outside the area, might not know that the site of Pasar Kedai Payang 1 was once home to a significant monument commemorating the country’s independence on Aug 31, 1957.
“A clock tower was built at this location at the end of 1957 by the Terengganu Public Works Department architect, inscribed with the words ‘Merdeka 31st August 1957’,” Datuk Mohd Yusof Abdullah, CEO of the Royal Terengganu Institute for Historical and Legal Studies (R-TIHiLS), told Bernama recently.
Mohd Yusof said the tower with a four-cornered roof was designed with motifs of traditional Terengganu houses.
“On each of the four walls of the clock tower were murals depicting the economic activities of the people at the time, including fishing, rice planting, copper work, and ‘songket’ weaving,” he said.
However, the clock tower had to be demolished around the 1980s to make way for the development and expansion of Pasar Kedai Payang and the surrounding area.
Now, decades after its demolition, the Federal Government, through the Housing and Local Government Ministry, has rebuilt the clock tower, in line with the redevelopment of Pasar Kedai Payang 1.
Project architect Abdul Rahim Abu Bakar said the 12m-high clock tower was located about 15m from the original site of the previous clock tower, and among the reasons for building the tower was for it to serve as a new attraction at Pasar Kedai Payang 1 and 2.
“The construction of this clock tower is more about creating a monument or landmark for Pasar Kedai Payang 1 and 2 and the surrounding area. As architects, we are aware of the trend where people like to take photos for memories, so the construction of the clock tower is a direct response to this universal culture, and the results can be seen today,” he said.
The architect said that by retaining the square shape, the tower also features a spire inspired by the pulpit of Masjid Abidin (State Mosque) located about 200m from Pasar Kedai Payang 1 and 2.
“The architectural feature with the ‘bangau’ motif on the dome of the clock tower is an adaptation of the ‘bangau’ carvings on the bow (front) of traditional fishing boats,” he said.
As requested by the Kuala Terengganu City Council, he said, the area around the clock tower also had space for rickshaw pullers to gather with their rickshaws, which can attract visitors to take photographs.
A ‘keropok’ seller at Pasar Kedai Payang 2, Zainun Jusoh, 65, said she was very happy with the reconstruction of the clock tower, which she believed would attract more visitors.
She said she had often heard stories from her mother, Halijah Taib, 84, about the old clock tower that was demolished.
“My mother had been trading there even before Pasar Payang existed. So she witnessed how the old clock tower was built and then demolished.
“Now my mother is too frail to leave the house and sometimes her memory is impaired. I showed her a photo of the new clock tower, and she was very excited to see it,” she said.
