250-year-old graves, an important reminder of village's history, left neglected

The old graves with their marker stones have been left neglected as few know the remarkable story of the two brothers, Sheikh Akhil Khan Mohammad and Sheikh Ghulam Khan Mohammad, who came from Afghanistan and were traders and Islamic preachers.

Penang Malays Tourism and Heritage Association (Sahabat) president, Syed Kamalrul Sufian Syed Kadiron Mustafa said not many people, especially among the younger generation, knew about the life of these two brothers who had sailed here.

"Now the only thing left to remind us of their significant contribution to the local community are their graves located in Kampung Bagan Dalam. Unfortunately, these have been neglected into oblivion.

"It is sad that their graves, identified as the oldest in the village, are also now surrounded by undergrowth. Once in a while, the Rohingya community living nearby would clean up the grave area.

"There should instead be a narrative on the two brothers and a signboard to say that Kampung Bagan Dalam was founded by these two Islamic preachers. We have to admit that we have now lost a lot of the history of the local communities in Penang," he lamented.

In this regard, Syed Kamalrul urged the relevant authority, whether the state or federal government, to put up a signboard at the grave site and build a lane leading to it to enable students, history researchers and tourists to visit the site.

He also urged that the centuries-old graves be gazetted as a state heritage site.

Bagan Dalam which in the old days was a well-known Malay settlement, is located near the mouth of Sungai Perai in the south and facing Tanjong Penaga and near Penang waters in the north.

Bagan Dalam also used to be synonymous with external and domestic trade, especially with the populace living in and around Georgetown, Seberang Perai and northern part of the peninsula.

Its close proximity to the river mouth and sea also made it strategic for ships and boats to berth at the jetty.

Waka Mohd Nor, 72, a fifth generation family member from the two brothers' side said it was not just trade that was significant to the area at that time, but the presence of Sheikh Akhil Khan and Sheikh Ghulam Khan had also changed the lives of the Malay community there.

Waka said he got to know the history of Bagan Dalam from a 100-year-old granny called Nek Ya when he was in his twenties, and according to her, the two traders and religious preachers from Afghanistan had contributed much to its growth.

He said Sheikh Akhil Khan and Sheikh Gulam Khan who were ethnically Pashtuns, came to Penang by ship in 1765 and later married local women and stayed on until their death.