Documentary Shooting: Part 3

Click here for Part 1 and Part 2 of my East Coast Adventure :)

Hey there, we meet again! This time I will update about copper (tembaga) and silver (perak) at Pasar Besar Siti Khadijah, Kota Bharu Kelantan. According to the website of Perbadanan Kemajuan Kraftangan Malaysia, copper is among the earliest metal used by human and it has been utilized since pre-historic time in Malaysia itself. According to history, copper was brought in by the Funan community when they settled in Tanah Melayu long time ago. Yeap, this can be a good way to refresh our knowledge in Malaysian History that we have long forgotten since school age. 

The artwork of copper is still maintained in Kelantan and Terengganu and the artisan (tukang) still preserves the old ways of making copper items. Among the classic Malay items made of copper are tepak sirih, kaki lilin, kuali, periuk, and pahar. The colour of copper is the closest to gold (emas) with a very high thermal and electrical conductivity. 

The process of making copper begins by pouring the molten (lebur) mixture of the metal into the mold (acuan) made from the combination of clay (tanah liat) and wax (lilin). When the copper hardens, the mold is broken and the metal will be cleaned and polished. You can view the photos in the blog post here, thank you to the Visit Terengganu webpage. 

This is the mold (acuan) of my favorite kuih during hari raya! Yes, kuih ros or some people call it kuih loyang. Imagine the crispy and warm kuih made using this authentic copper mold that really adds up the flavour, miam-maim! Does any of my blogger friends know how to make this kuih? Can you please deliver the kuih to me and we can be very good blogging mates in time hehe :)

This shop also sells silver (perak) kitchen utensils such as cerek, bekas nasi, periuk and mangkuk tingkat, a great choice for feasts (kenduri) and as collectible items. 

Acuan bahulu and other kuihs made up of silver metal are also sold here with a really affordable price. Please bear in mind that silver and copper materials takes a lot of effort to produce unlike plastic materials, hence it is quite pricey. Please head on to Level 3 of Pasar Besar Siti Khadijah, Kota Bharu Kelantan because I believe that there are only two shops that still sell copper items in the building (correct me if I am wrong).

I like Pasar Besar Siti Khadijah; this is the place where women rule the business and they do it very well! Its original name is Pasar Besar Buluh Kubu but Y.A.B Tuan Guru Dato' Nik Abdul Aziz Bin Nik Mat, the Chief Minister of Kelantan changed its name to Pasar Besar Siti Khadijah (the name of Prophet Muhammad's wife) to commemorate the role of women in the industry. 

Pasar Besar Siti Khadijah is the most photographed market in the country due to its uniqueness. This market is located in the heart of Kota Bharu and it is surely a 'must visit' destination for tourists. The three-storey building houses hundreds of stalls that sell all sorts of fresh produce, traditional local delights, batik, silver, copper and household products. The market is open from 8 AM until 6 PM and please cash out your money before heading here because you will surely be rambang mata to shop!

Okay, that is all for today and please feel free to drop your comments about my East Coast Adventure, shooting for a documentary with Galaxy Features Network Sdn. Bhd. Insyaallah, the documentary will be aired on our local TV stations and http://dtubes.tv/ insyaallah. Take care and God bless, I will see you in the next part of my adventure :)