[Kabar-indonesia] Andi Syarifuddin: Preserving culture through old books

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The Jakarta Post
Saturday, October 7, 2006

Feature

Andi Syarifuddin: Preserving culture through old books 

Khairul Saleh, Contributor, 
Palembang, South Sumatra

In this modern age, marked by progress in every area of life, it is quite 
difficult to find someone seriously concerned about the assets of the nation.

For Kemas Haji Andi Syarifuddin, 35, knowledge of the past, as recorded in 
old books, allows people to appreciate the cultural richness of the nation. 

In Palembang, there are about 12 people like Andi. However, Andi's collection 
is the largest. He has some 70 old manuscripts at his Umariyah Library, to be 
found at his house on Jl. Faqih Jalaluddin, Ilir subdistrict, Palembang, 
where he lives with his wife, Christiana, and two children. 

Andi is also a member of the management committee of the Palembang Grand 
Mosque. 

Unlike other collectors, who often hunt for old manuscripts, Andi inherited 
the collection from his parents, Kemas Haji Ibrahim Umari and Nyayu Hajjah 
Fatimah. 

Most of these works are related to aspects of Islam and Islamic literature. 
In addition, there are also a record of historic events, a collection of 
prayers, diaries and a list of the couples whose marriage ceremonies were presided 
over by the head of a local mosque. 

A graduate of Palembang's Raden Patah State Institute of Islamic Studies 
majoring in tarbiyah (education), he said at first he was not aware of this 
invaluable legacy. 

"One day while I was cleaning the attic I came across an iron chest. When I 
opened it, I found a lot of old books. I was then drawn into an intense study 
of history," said he when The Jakarta Post met him at his house recently. 

One of the items in the collection is a 250-year-old Koran. The cover of the 
book is adorned with 18-carat-gold ornamentation, while the handwritten verses 
in it are decorated with carvings unique to Palembang. 

Unfortunately, due to poor maintenance, this Koran, the legacy of the 
Palembang sultanate, is about to fall apart. 

"As we don't have enough money, we cannot give this collection special 
treatment. All we can do is keep the books in a glass cabinet and put some camphor 
in it," Andi said. 

Old books, he added, needed special treatment. The pages, for example, must 
be interleaved with wax paper. Unfortunately, the books in Andi's collection 
are too old to be treated that way. 

"As for this old Koran, it's not possible to insert wax paper as the pages 
are so fragile. If you insist on it, the pages may detach themselves," he said. 

Nevertheless, this Koran, five centimeters thick, 31 cm long and 19.5 cm 
wide, has attracted much public attention. Many people admire the uniqueness of 
the volume, which was left behind by Andi's grandfather. Many antique collectors 
have made an offer to Andi but he has refused to sell it. 

"Some promised to finance our haj pilgrimage in exchange for this old Koran. 
However, I have stuck to a promise made to my parents to take care of it, said 
Andi, who believed that a buyer would resell it at a higher price to a 
foreigner. 

Andi has also declined offers for other old books in his collection. He said 
he would try his best to take good care of them. 

As the Palembang and South Sumatra administrations are aware of the 
collection, they planned to offer financial assistance to preserve it. After the 
tsunami that hit Aceh in 2004, South Sumatra approached him. 

"They came to me to gather data about the collection but have yet to extend 
any financial assistance," said Andi. 

Despite scant attention paid by the local administrations, other parties have 
shown great interest in the collection. 

Prof Dr Sugahara Yumi of Tokyo University and Yanassa (Nusantara Manuscript 
Foundation) of Jakarta, for example, borrowed some items from the collection. 
They produced a document titled Catalog of Palembang Old Manuscripts. 

"I feel proud that people from overseas have carried out research on these 
old manuscripts. However, I'm concerned at the government's lack of attention," 
Andi noted. 

The collection also contains books written by the famous Syeikh Abdussomad Al 
Palembani bin Abdurrahman Al Jawi, who was born in 1150 Hijriah (in the 
Islamic calendar) or A.D. 1736. He went to study in Mecca and died there in 1288 
Hijriah/A.D. 1872. 

The collection also contains a work by Imam Al-Ghazali, which he translated 
in 1193 Hijriah/A.D. 1778 into Malay. Many people still study the book today. 

Undeniably, Andi is a young man deeply concerned about the nation's cultural 
and historical legacy. With the passage of time, the old manuscripts in his 
collection may become more and more difficult to read. 

However, his seriousness and sincerity in preserving such superior literary 
works in his collection will never fade. 

"This legacy is invaluable as it can be used as a source of historical 
research. You don't have to travel abroad to find this source. Hopefully, the 
collection will benefit the young generation as well as those interested in old 
manuscripts," he said. 

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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