Abu Bakar of Johor

Sultan Sir Abu Bakar. Sultan Johor 1885-95.

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Almarhum Sultan Sir Abu Bakar ibni Almarhum Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim Sri Maharaja Johor (1833 – 1895) was the first Sultan of modern Johor in Malaysia. He was also known as ' Bapa Pemodenan Johor ' (The father of modern Johor). His government period began in 1862 and he obtained the title of Maharaja ( "Great king ") in 1868 and later the title of Sultan in 1886. Sultan Abu Bakar was born in 1833 in Teluk Belanga, Singapore.

Family

Wan Abu Bakar was born on 3 February 1833 in Istana Lama at Teluk Belanga, Singapore. He was the eldest son of Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim, he is a patrilineal descendant of Temenggong Abdul Rahman who in turn was a matrilineal descendant of Sultan Abdul Jalil Shah IV, the first Sultan of Johor's Bendahara dynasty. [His mother was Cik' Ngah]

Abu Bakar married his first wife, Engku Chik during his stay in Pahang in 1857. Abu Bakar was related to Engku Chik by family ties; Engku Chik was the sister of Tun Koris, who was also a brother-in-law to Abu Bakar. Abu Bakar had a daughter with Engku Chik, Tunku Besar Putri.[51]

He also had a son, Tunku Ibrahim, and a daughter, Tunku Mariam with his second wife Cecilia Catherina Lange, who was the daughter of a Danish trader, Mads Johansen Lange and his Chinese wife Nonna Sangnio. Lange met Abu Bakar while she was in Singapore, and adopted the Muslim name of "Zubaidah" after her marriage to Abu Bakar in 1870.[52]

In 1885, Abu Bakar married a Chinese woman of Cantonese heritage, Wong Ah Gew, with whom he had a daughter, Tunku Azizah. Wong took on the Muslim name of "Fatimah" at her marriage to Abu Bakar, and was crowned the Sultanah in July 1886. Abu Bakar held Wong in very high esteem, who became Abu Bakar's confidant pertaining to his involvement in state affairs. Wong became a close friend of Abu Bakar's building contractor, Wong Ah Fook as they shared a common surname and dialect group. Wong died in 1891.[53]

During his state visit to the Ottoman Empire in September 1893, Abu Bakar married his fourth wife, Khadijah Khanum, who was of Circassian heritage. (Khadijah's sister, Rugayah, became the wife of Abu Bakar's brother and later the wife of the first Menteri Besar of Johor, Dato' Jaafar). He had a daughter, Tunku Fatimah with Khadijah the following February, who was later crowned as the Sultanah of Johor.[54]

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References

1. Wikipedia contributors, "Abu Bakar of Johor," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, < link (accessed February 19, 2024).

Sultan Sir Abu Bakar. Sultan Johor 1885-95.

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Almarhum Sultan Sir Abu Bakar ibni Almarhum Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim Sri Maharaja Johor (1833 – 1895) was the first Sultan of modern Johor in Malaysia. He was also known as ' Bapa Pemodenan Johor ' (The father of modern Johor). His government period began in 1862 and he obtained the title of Maharaja ( "Great king ") in 1868 and later the title of Sultan in 1886. Sultan Abu Bakar was born in 1833 in Teluk Belanga, Singapore.
Almarhum Sultan Abu Bakar telah ke London pada 18 April 1895 dan mangkat di sana pada 4 Jun 1895. Upacara menyiram dan mengkafankan jenazah baginda telah dikendalikan oleh Mufti dari Turki Uthmaniyah. Manakala Sultan Turki Uthmaniyah iaitu Sultan Abdul Hamid II (1842-1918) telah menguruskan proses membawa pulang jenazah Almarhum baginda. Queen Victoria juga turut mempastikan urusan pengkebumian menurut istiadat diRaja berjalan lancar, di mana akhbar mencatat bahawa "the Queen is anxious that all respect shall be paid to the remains of the Sultan of Johore when they quit this country". Sebagai penghormatan terakhir, Queen Victoria telah mengarahkan jenazah Sultan Abu Bakar diturunkan dari tangga Westminster dan dibawa dengan sebuah kapal khas melalui sungai Thames sejauh 11 batu ke Royal Albert Dock. Apabila kapal khas melepasi Tower of London, tembakan meriam dilepaskan dan bendera diRaja bersama bendera kapal-kapal lain di situ diturunkan separuh tiang.
Kapal P&O Company iaitu S.S. Bombay telah digunakan bagi membawa jenazah Almarhum dari Royal Albert Dock, London ke Pulau Pinang. Setelah tiba di Pulau Pinang pada 28 Ogos 1895, jenazah Almarhum kemudiannya dibawa ke Singapura dengan kapal perang Inggeris H.M.S. Mercury. Di Singapura, ianya disambut kapal Sea Belle bersama ratusan kapal dan perahu yang mengibarkan bendera putih pada 30 Ogos 1895. Dari Singapura jenazah Almarhum dibawa ke Johor Bahru dan disemayamkan di Istana Besar Johor Bahru. Tembakan penghormatan dengan meriam dilepaskan dari kapal H.M.S. Mercury dan juga dari arah Istana Besar. Jenazah Almarhum baginda meninggalkan Istana Besar dengan pedati khas di mana ianya diiringi para kerabat, pembesar dan ribuan rakyat jelata untuk dimakamkan di Makam Diraja Mahmoodiah pada 7 September 1895.
Sumber: Arkib Negara Malaysia, National Archives of Singapore, Robert Penn & Co., Josef Lebovic Gallery, & Leiden University Libraries.

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References

1. Wikipedia contributors, "Abu Bakar of Johor," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, < link (accessed February 19, 2024).