The Malay house
This is a brief illustrated note by R. O. Winstedt, published in 1929, presenting a labelled sketch of a traditional Malay house with a glossary of its structural components.
Summary
Winstedt reproduces a sketch of a Malay house originally drawn by himself twenty years earlier in Perak, with a fair copy made by W. G. Stirling for publication (p. 459). The plate is accompanied by a numbered key of 23 Malay architectural terms, ranging from foundation elements such as tiang (pillars) and susoh (wedges) to roofing components including kasau jantan (main rafters), atap (palm-leaf thatch), and perabong (double row of thatch protecting the roof-ridge). Winstedt suggests the diagram may be compared with the plan given in Snouck Hurgronje’s The Achehnese (p. 459).