1.3 Value of cemetery

The understanding of Cemetery in Malaysia is like an archive to the people. It helps people to identify the origin, the background, or even remind people about someone’s history. It is not only important to individual relatives but also to the community.

Unlike European culture, Malaysian would visit the tomb during festivals or the new year. It is always an opportunity to share about the past of the deceased they visit. The story comprises historical, cultural, and even individual memory. But this often happens once or twice a year, other times cemetery exists as an inactive green space.

Speaking in the context of a multicultural society, this is an occasion to have a better understanding of other Malaysian cultures when visiting the cemetery. Sharing our own perception of the past history or individual cultural story with others. That would help in building public memory and subsequently foster the understanding of each other’s cultures.

The peaceful and harmonious spatial quality cemetery possessed, making the time to visit the cemetery a great moment to remember the past and share the memory as a story either to your younger family members or a stranger who also visit the cemetery at the same time.

Origin of the deceased

Figure 1.3.1: The urban value of cemetery as a memory archive (monumental value). Source: Google image

Figure 1.3.2: The cultural and heritage value of cemetery in space, time & event. Different ethnic group visit cemetery once a year. Source: Google image