Malaysia 2014 Museums & Artifacts - Unveiling of the Hidden Treasures

The previous Museum & Artifacts issued  in 2013 had the artifacts at the right portions painted in termo-sensitive black ink, of which will only reveal the artifacts upon exposure to high temperature.    

Termo-sensitive ink is very useful in making  flat thermometers, battery testers, clothing, baby bottles and mugs.  But the purpose on the ink in stamp is very puzzling.

The method somehow had the stamps look awful, with a black strip on the right portions.   Although Malaysia’s weather is hot, but not to the extend of effecting the termo-sensitive ink.  The stamps will hardly ‘reveal its artifacts’ even after prolonged exposure under sunlight.  The only way to ‘reveal its artifacts’ is by soaking in hot water or over a hot pan, which is very unlikely for a stamp collector to admire their collections.

It is timely for POS Malaysia to reissue the Museum & Artifacts without the termo-sensitive ink.  Aside from the absence of  termo-sensitive ink, the design and specifications of the stamps are exactly the same.  Yet, the first day cover, the folder and the stamp sheets’ background are differently designed.   

Thus, this issue is adequately named Museum & Artifacts – Unveiling of the Hidden Treasures.

Muzium Sungai Lembing • Kiew Wheel

Muzium Adat • Keris Panjang

Muzium Tekstil Negara • Kain Sarung Limar Songket

Muzium Chimney • Menara Chimney

Muzium Perak • Elephant Skull

Muzium Negara • Dongson Bell

Muzium Lembah Bujang • Batu Bersurat Sungai Emas

Galeria Perdana • Bahtera Purba  

Muzium Kota Kayang • Acuan Pitil

Muzium Labuan • Teko Tembaga

 Technical Details

Date of Issue: 13-March-2014

Stamps

Denomination: 60 sen x 10 designs ( Strip of 4 & Block of 6 )

Stamp size: 45 mm x 28 mm

Perforation: 14

Sheet Content: 24 stamps

Paper: Tullis Russel High Reading Yellow / Green Phosphor Gummedt

Printing Process: Litography

Stamp Designer: World Communications Network Resources (M) Sdn Bhd

Printer: Southern Colour Print, New Zealand

Editions

2013 Aug 31 - Museums Artifacts

2014 Mar 13 - Museums Artifacts - Unveiling of Hidden Treasures

Malaysia 2013 Museums & Artifacts

The National Museum was first proposed by the first Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman.  The construction of the building commenced in 1958, and completed in 1962.  It was constructed on the site of the former Selangor Museum which was destroyed on the 10^th March, 1645, due to the bombing by Allied forces during WW2.

The architect of the museum, Ho Kok Hoe designed the museum in the image of a traditional Malay house imbued with the grandeur of Malay royal palace.  The museum’s façade is complemented with 2 splendid Italian mosaic murals narrating the story of Malaysian nationhood, designed by artist Cheong Lai Tong.  

National Museum was inaugurated on the 31^st August, 1963 by the 3^rd Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malyasia, Tuanku Syed Putra Al-Haj Ibni Al-Marhum Syed Hassan Jamalullaill.  

The date, 31^st August, had been selected so as to coincide with the independence day of Federation of Malaya.   

60 sen                         Muzium Sungai Lembing • Kiew Wheel

Museum Sungai Lembing is the only museum of its kind of the underground mining in Malaysia.  Sungai Lembing was once the world’s largest tin mine.  The museum is housed in a double storey bungalow located on a hill, known as The Bungalow European 1 ( BE1 ),  once a residential home for the mining company managers.   The museum has 11 galleries.  The ground floor houses the history of Sungai Lembing ; mining and process safety ; mining dioramas; and electrical machinery and appliances.  The upper level houses the History of Mining ; Geology and Geomorphology ; Arcade Mining ; Memory Mining; Equipment and Clothing ;  Mining Methods ; and Mining Economy.

•

Kiew wheel is  a tool  part  of the equipment at the kiew which was used to transport workers, goods, wood or iron up and down in a pit.

60 sen                         Muzium Adat • Keris Panjang ( Long Jagged Knife )

Muzium Adat is the first of its kind in Malaysia.  It was the idea of the Cultural, Art and Heritage Minister, Dr. Rais Yatim.   The inauguration of the museum was on 2^nd February, 2008, by Undang Luak Jelebu, Dato/ Musa bin Wahab together with Dr. Rais Yatim.  The Muzium Adat is located in Kuala Klawang, some 30km from Serembang, the capital of Negeri Sembilan.  The museum consists of 4 main galleries that emphasize on compiling several aspect of life in Malaysian society. 

•

Keris Panjang are usually honed from wood or horn.  The handle are decorated with carvings of floral blossoms, some are made to resemble horse footprints or heads of birds.  

60 sen                         Muzium Tekstil Negara • Kain Sarung Limar Songket

Musium Tekstil Negara is responsible for collecting, researching preserving, documenting and exhibit the country;s textile heritage.  The museum is located in an Mughal-Islamic style building built in 1905.  This building has been gazette as a historic building under the National Heritage Act 2005.  The museum is open to visitors starting from 9^th Janaury 2010.

•

Kain sarung limar songke’s centerfield is filled with interlocking persimmon fruit, while the head is fully decorated with bamboo shoots and floral designs.  It was a possession of the royal family of Terengganu from 1800s.

60 sen                         Muzium Chimney • Menara Chimney

Chimney Historical Museum Information Center’s building is located on the historical site of the coal mining in Tanjung Kubong, known during the British occupation as Coal Point. The unique history surroundings allows Chimney Museum to receive The International Green Apple Environment Award in 2013 by the Green Organization, United Kingdom.  

•

Chimney Tower, known as ‘Punil’ by the local, is a wellknown landmark in Labuan.  The exact function of the Chimney Tower is still uncertain.   

60 sen                         Muzium Perak • Elephant Skull

Built in 1883, Muzium Perak is the first museum established in Malaysia.  The 3^rd British Resident in Perak, Sir Hugh Low had Leonard Wray Jr, a botanist, geologist and Taman Bukit Larut Superintendent to gather a diverse collection of local zoological and herbarium specimens.  The building is characterized by elements of classical Greek and Roman which focus on the balance of each upright and crosswise side.

•

Skull of an Asian Elephant.  

60 sen                         Muzium Negara • Dongson Bell  

Muzium Negara design was inspired by the architecture of the Rumah Gadang, a Minangkabau architecture. .  The display and exhibit range from tableaux showing cultural events, festivals and costumes, to traditional weapons, musical instruments, art and crafts, ceramics, and flora and fauna.

•

The bronze bell was found in Kampung Pencu, near Muar, Johor.  it is believed to be produced around 150 CE, based on the thermo-luminescence dating, which coincides with the expansion of the kingdom of Funan.

60 sen                         Muzium Kota Kayang • Acuan Pitil  

The museum which is located in Kuala Perlis, was buil to commemorate the former center of reign established in Kota Kayang once known as the Indera Kayangan.  The museum is diided into 6 galleries includeArchaeological gallery, Guns gallery, Cultural gallery, Gallery of Great Ministers, and the Royal gallery.

•

A type of currency mold found in Sunger Perlis.  It is believed to have been used during the times of the reign of Sultan Dhiauddin, 15^th Sultan of Kedah, around 

60 sen                         Muzium Labuan • Teko Tembaga  

The Muzium Labuan exhibits, preserve and disperse the knowledge of the historical and cultural heritage of Labuan.   The museum is divided into 2 galleries, the upper and the lower.  The lower gallery consists of six-stage transition period beginning from the pre-historic era, Brunei Sultanate, as a Federal Territory and an International Offshore Financial Center.  The upper storey exhibit the socio=cultural and socio-economy of local society of Bruneian Malays, Kadayan, Chinese, Kadazan-dusun, Indians and Sikh.

•

The brass teapot was originated from China, as were other many brassware which were obtained though trades, migration and barter activities. 

60 sen                         Muzium Lembah Bujang • Batu Bersurat Sungai Emas

As the first archaeological theme mujseum in Malaysia, Muzium Lembah Bujang display archaeological collection from the pre-historic and pre-Islamic history of Bujang Valley as a premier entreport in SEA during the 2^nd – 14^th century.  The architecture of the buildings posses the same design with one of the temples found around the valley.   The museum was inaugurated on 23^rd January 1980 by the Sultan of Kedah, Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah.

•

Sungai Emas Inscriptions of the Prasasti Buddha Gupta was accidentally found during the excavation work in paddy field irrigation system in 1979 and 1980 near Kampung Sungai Emas, Site 32, Kota Kuala Muda.  The inscription may be dated back to 5^th or 6^th century AD. 

60 sen                         Galeria Perdana • Bahtera Purba

The idea for Galeria Perdana was suggested by then the Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.  The gallery was to display the various awards, souvenirs and gift Dr Mahathir and his wife received from world leaders, statesmen as well as Malaysian during his tenure.  

•

A model of an ancient ark, given by Datuk Nik Sapiea Nik Yusuf, NS Bahtera Sdn Bhd, Kelantan.

first day covers

stamp sheet

stamp sheet

Technical Details

Date of Issue : 31-Aug-2013

Date of Sale: 2-Sept-2013

Stamps

Denomination : 60sen x 10 designs (Strip of 4 & Block of 6)

Stamp size : 45mm x 28mm

Paper : Tullis Russell High Reading Yellow / Green Phosphor Gummed Stamp Paper

Printing Process: Litography

Stamp Sheet

Sheet Content : 24 stamps

Perforation : 14

Stamp Designer : World Communications Network (M) Sdn Bhd

Printer : Southern Colour Print, New Zealand

Editions
2013 Aug 31 - Museums Artifacts
2014 Mar 13 - Museums Artifacts - Unveiling of Hidden Treasures

Malaysia 2011 Artifacts of National Heritage

On 14^th February 2009, 10 artifacts owned by Jabatan Muzium Malaysia were listed in the National Heritage Register.  These artifacts categorized as Obvious Objects aare amongst 173 heritage objects proclaimed as National Heritage.  The National Heritage Register is a register that contains the list of the details of national heritage under Section 23 of National Heritage Act 2005.

60sen · Melay Belt Buckle

The pending is an ornamental belt buckle which was worn by Malays as part of their ceremonial costume to secure the sarong or samping as early as the  15^th century.   The Malay Buckle featured is embossed with a plaited wire design with granules and lotus flower motive.  The entire buckle is studded with a variety of coloured germs.

60sen · Gold Coin

The coin feature on the left is the observe of a gold coin, depicts a deer, believed to have been used during the 16^th century .   On the right is the reverse of the coin which is inscripted in Jawi “Malik Al Adil”

60sen · Sireh Set of Sultan Abdul Samad

The sireh set featured belongs to the late Sultan Abdul Samad of Selangor.  The artifact is made of silver and platted with gold.  The casing is embossed with the design of ‘ketumbit’ flowers, butterflies and the state seal.  The receptacles place inside and the shears are also plated with gold.

60sen · Gold Coin of Sultan Muzaffar Shah, Johor

The coin was minted from gold and was used during the reign of Sultan Muzaffar Shah of Johor.  On the left is the observe side of the coin with the name of Sultan Muzaffar Shah inscripted in Jawi.  The reverse of the coin is depicted on the right with the title of the Sultan as ‘Khalifatul Mukminin’ also inscripted in Jawi.

60sen · Arch of Sitting Buddha

The statue of sitting Buddha made of terracota was found at Pengkalan Bujang, Bujang Valley, Kedah.  It is estimated to be dated between 1000 – 1100 CE.

60sen · Royal Terengganu Tabacco Box

The gold tabacco box featured belongs to the Terengganu royal family from the 18^th century .  it is made in the shape of a 10-pointed star with multi-petal motive designs.  In the middle bears a flower design with inlaid with a red ruby with red glass stones surrounding its.

60sen · Gold Coin Sultan Alau’uddin Riayat Shah

The coin was used during the reign of Sultan Alau’uddin Riayat Shat of Johor.  On the left is the observe side of the coin with the name of the sultan inscripted in Jawi.  The reverse of the coin inscripted ‘Khalifatul Mukminin’ in Jawi.

60sen · Dong S’on Bell

This bronze Dong S’on bell was found in a village named Kampung Pencu, Muar, Johor.  The designs on the bell indicates that is originates from Don S’on, Vietnam.  It is dated sometime during the 15^th century of the Funan Empire.

60sen · Gold Coin Sultan Zainal Abidin II

The gold coin was used during the reignof Sultan Zainal Abidin Shah II of Terengganu.  On the lfet is the observe side of the coin with the name of the sultan inscripted in Jawi.  The reverse side of the coin is encripted with ‘Khalifatul Mukminin’ in Jawi.

60sen · Statue of Avalokitesvara

The Statue of Avalokitesvara was found in a tin mine that belong to Anglo Oriental, at Bidor, Perak in 1936.  It is mad of bronze and has 8 arms of which however, one hand is broken.  It is dated sometime between the 7^th and 12^th centuries AD, when the region embraced Hindu-Buddist.  The statue weighs 63kg and stands at 93cm high.

Technical Details

Date of Issue 11-Apr-2011

Stamps
Stamp Value : 60 sen (Strip of 5 x 2), 10 designs

Stamp size : 40mm x 30mm

Perforation : 14

Stamp Sheet
Sheet Content : 20 Stamps (2 sheets)
Paper : SPM Watermarked, Phosphor Coated
Printing Process : Lithography
Printer : Percetakan Keselamatan Nasional Sdn Bhd
Stamp Designer : Kawan Kreatif Sdn Bhd

First Day Cover
Value : 30 Sen

Folder
Value : RM5.50

Israel 2002 The Menorah

 

 

 

 

Different and varied artifacts were found in the Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem as were found in other ancient places of worship. Three objects were particular only to the Jerusalem Temple: The Table of Showbread, incense altar and the seven-branched menorah made of pure gold. The menorah became the symbol of the people of Israel. The Bible contains descriptions of both the seven-branched menorah and the menorah in the vision of the prophet Zechariah, (Exodus 25 31-40,37 17-24; Zechariah 4 1-7). With the destruction of the First Temple by Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon (586 B.C.E) the menorah was taken, along with other treasures, from the Temple to Babylon and its fate was unknown.

When the Second Temple was built a new golden menorah was made, probably from the original mold, and this was sanctified for hundreds of years until the destruction of the Second Temple by the Roman army led by Titus (70 C.E.)  The Roman army paraded with the sacred vessels in their triumphal procession throughout the streets of Rome.   An illustration of the procession was engraved in a stone victory arch, which was built in Rome and shows the Judean prisoners carrying the sacred vessels with the seven-branched menorah in the center.

According to written descriptions, the sacred menorah had a tripod base and this is how it is illustrated in hundreds of works of art, as a symbol of Judaism, for generations after the destruction of the Temple. Illustrations from the Second Temple period were found in the archeological excavations of the Jewish quarter and include an engraving of the menorah, with a tripod base, on the wall of one of the houses.

 The menorah on the Arch of Titus actually shows a solid base and not a tripod base. In addition ,animal reliefs appear on the engraving – something that did not exist in Jewish art of the Second Temple period and certainly not on holy objects of the Temple. The Romans might have added pagan images to the menorah.
 A few months after the declaration of the State of Israel, (15 May 1948) the first Israeli government decided on the country’s emblem and flag (10 February 1949). It was natural that the seven-branched menorah be chosen as the emblem of the re-born State, since, more than anything else, it was the symbol of the Jewish people from the time of the Second Temple. Indeed Professor Michael Avi-Yona, one of the great scholars of ancient Jewish art, recommended the menorah from the Arch of Titus for the State’s emblem. Graphic artists, Gabriel and Maxim Shamir designed the emblem. Professor Avi-Yona chose the Titus Arch Menorah since the procession in Rome represents the destruction of Jewish independence and two thousand years later independence was renewed. The State’s emblem was therefore based on the Titus Arch Menorah with the animals slightly blurred but the base as a whole and not a tripod. Two olive branches surround the menorah on the emblem. This motif was taken from the Book of the Prophet Zechariah which tells of the prophet’s vision of menorah and olive branches. The word “Israel” is written beneath the menorah on the emblem. This is the name of the new country but also relates to Jewish inscriptions found in synagogues at the time of the Mishna and Talmud and also relates to the inscription “ Shalom al Yisrael” which appears under the seven-branched menorah on the mosaic floor of the Jericho Synagogue from the 7th/8th century.

Israel 2000 The Aleppo Codex

 

The Aleppo Codex is the earliest known manuscript comprising the full text of the Bible.  In all probability, it is also the most authoritative, accurate and sacred source document, both for the biblical text and for its vocalization, cantillation and “Massorah”.  As such it has achieved a position of pre-eminence among Hebraic and Judaic manuscripts and has greater religious and scholarly import than any other manuscript of the Bible.  The Codex was copies by the scribe Shlomo Ben-Buya’a over one thousand years ago.  The text was then verified, vocalized and provided with the “Massorah”” by Aaron Ben-Asher the last and most prominent member of the Ben-Asher dynasty, which shaped the Hebrew “textus receptus” of the Bible.  A time-honored tradition invests the Codex with a unique aura of authority, reverence and Holiness.  The tradition maintains that this was the manuscript consulted by Maimonides when he set down the exact rules for writing scrolls of the Torah (Deduced from his comment: “I used it as a basis for the copy of the “Sefer Torah” which I wrote according to the Law” (Mishneh Torah, Book II, “Ahavah, Hilkhot Sefer Torah, viii, 4).

 

 Recent research bears out the traditional account of the manuscript’s origins and establishes the likelihood that Maimonides indeed sanctified and codified everything that he found in the Aleppo Codex for future generations.  Furthermore it is widely believed that the Codex represents the first complete manuscript of the Bible ever written.  This explains why it is termed a “crown” and elucidates the adage that “crowns are holier to the people than are Scrolls of the Law”.

 

^The Codex was written in Eretz Israel in the early tenth century, looted and transferred to Egypt at the end of the eleventh century and deposited with the Aleppo community at the end of the fourteenth century, perhaps by the great-great-great grandson of Maimonides.

 

The rabbis and elders of the community guarded it jealously for some six hundred years.  During the riots against Jews and Jewish property in Aleppo in December 1947, which followed in the wake of the United Nations’ resolution to establish a Jewish state in Palestine, the community’s ancient synagogue was put to the torch and the Codex, which was kept in the synagogue’s “Cave of Elijah”, suffered damage.

 

Members of the community managed to save most of it and concealed the salvaged sections for about ten years in several hiding places.  In 1957, two elders of the community entrusted the surviving portions of the Codex in the hands of Mordechai Faham, who smuggled it out of Syria into Turkey.

 

On January 23, 1958, the Aleppo Codex was brought to Jerusalem and entrusted to President Ben-Zvi.

 

Unfortunately, the manuscript in our possession today contains no more than 295 of the original 487 leaves.  Only the last six chapters of the Pentatech have survived.

 

The manuscript was entrusted to the Ben-Zvi Institute and is exhibited in the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.

 

 

 

 

The stamp shows an open book.  The words “Keter Aram Zova” written in the same lettering as in the original Codex are emphasized on the stamp.  Characters that appear at the beginning of each chapter of the Bible as well as characters and letters from the Massorrah can be found on the stamp, its tab and on the first day cover.

 

A sketch of the east wing of the Aleppo Great Synagogue is depicted on the top left side of the stamp.  Underneath are names of people connected with the Codex: Shlomo Ben-Buya’s, Aron Ben-Asher, Rambam and names of places where the Codex was written and discovered: Tiberias, Haleb and Jerusalem.

 

An illustration of the reader’s desk (tebah) in the Aleppo Great Synagogue in Syria is shown on the first day cover.  The illustration is taken from the Jewish traveler’s diary “Casale Pilgrim”, Italy, 16th century in which is written, “in Aleppo there is a large and beautiful synagogue”.  The diary is housed in the University of Leeds, Brotherton Library, Cecil Roth Collection.

Israel 1985 Rosh Hashanah "Tabernacle Furnishings"

According to the Hebrew Bible the tabernacle, also known as the Tent of the Congregation, was the portable earthly dwelling place of God used by the tribes of Israel from the Exodus, when they were in the desert, until they entered the land of Israel.