The Collection of Paper Aircraft

Sekolah Dato Abdul Razak.(SDAR)

                                                            Sekolah Dato Abdul Razak


      Sekolah Dato' Abdul Razak (SDAR) is an all-boys boarding school in Malaysia, named after Allahyarham Tun Abdul Razak. Being one of the oldest "Fully Residential Schools" in Malaysia, SDAR is considered as a "Premier School". SDAR has been awarded various titles by the Government of Malaysia based on the school's achievements and track record. The school was known as a "Smart School", before becoming a "Cluster School" in 2008. In 2010, SDAR was selected as one of the 20 "High Performance Schools" in Malaysia. Currently located in Sungai Gadut (Seremban, Negeri Sembilan), SDAR has had a long history of moving from one place to another since its inception.

      SDAR was founded in Johor Bahru on 1 May 1956, and was first known as the Malay Secondary School, or "Sekolah Menengah Melayu". The founding principles of this school were based on the suggestions included in Penyata Razak 1956 (the Razak Report). Among its objectives was to give opportunities for young Malay students in primary schools, especially those from poor and rural backgrounds, to further their studies at the secondary level. The concept was quite different from certain other Premier Schools in Malaya that were originally set up for the children of aristocrats and those who were more well-off in society.

When the Sekolah Menengah Melayu was founded, there was no dedicated site nor building for the school. The first group of 80 students and three teachers were temporarily housed at Sekolah Bukit Zaharah, Johor Bahru. In early 1957, half of the students (40 pupils) from the first group re-enrolled to study at the new premise in Ipoh, Perak.Along with other pupils from across the country, they became the pioneer batch of students in what then became Sekolah Tunku Abdul Rahman (STAR).

In May 1957, the remaining students from the first group in Johor Bahru were relocated to Tanjung Malim, Perak, where they shared the campus of Sultan Idris Teachers College (SITC), now known as Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI). Along with other pupils who registered there, the number of students increased to 119. Mr. R.A. Goodchild, the SITC Principal, was assigned as a temporary Principal for this new school. Two months later, Mr R. A. Goodchild was replaced by Mr. C.F. Daniels. During this period, the teaching staff was 11, which included two part time teachers.

On 5 January 1958, the new buildings for the school, situated next to SITC, were opened. En. Ariffin Mohd. Nam was appointed as the first school Principal.

        On 29 November 1958 the school was renamed. The Education Minister, En. Mohd Khir Johari announced the name as Sekolah Dato' Abdul Razak, after the name of the previous Education Minister (who was later to become the Prime Minister). Allahyarham Tun Abdul Razak had himself graced the event and blessed the new school name. "Berilmu Untuk Berjasa" (Having Knowledge to Serve) became the school's motto. 

         The building at Tanjung Malim could no longer accommodate the increasing student population. In 1971, the Negeri Sembilan State Government allocated an area of 16.36 acres (66,200 m²) in Jalan Sikamat, Seremban to build a new school complex. In 2 January 1972, SDAR officially relocated to its new site in Seremban even though the dining hall was not ready and its Remove Class students had to temporarily use the Maktab Harian building (a teachers training college - now known as Maktab Perguruan Raja Melewar). The Principal, Tuan Syed Jaafar Al-Idrus, remained as the Principal in the early 1970s.

On June 17, 1973, Dato' Hussein bin Onn, the Education Minister visited the school. He thought for a premier school such as SDAR, the complex was too small and requested the Negeri Sembilan State Government to provide more space. The State Government could not do anything as the land for such a purpose was limited. There was a proposal to relocate SDAR to Selaru in Kuala Pilah where about 50 acres (200,000 m²) of land was offered. The suggestion was declined as it was not in line with the Government's aim to expose the students to town-life (as most of them were from rural areas), while public facilities and infrastructures were still lacking. Thus the school remained in Jalan Sikamat, Seremban.

On November 3, 1973, the SDAR campus in Seremban was officially opened. The opening ceremony was graced by Tun Hajjah Rahah Bt. Tan Sri Haji Mohd Noah, the wife of then Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussein. Also present was Dato' Hj Murad Noor, the Director General of Education, Malaysia, and En Annuar Ayeob, Director General of Education, Negeri Sembilan.

In line with SDAR's status as a Premier School in Malaysia, the Ministry of Education was to further improve the school's infrastructure which required a larger site than the Sikamat campus. The school began the 2002 academic year on a new campus in Sungai Gadut, Seremban and the opening was officiated on 2 February 2002. The new campus occupies an area of approximately 40 acres (160,000 m²) and comprises building blocks to accommodate the administration department, 3 teachers' room and 25 classrooms, together with 4 four-storey boarding hostels, a mosque, a dining hall, and apartments for academic and non-academic staff. The campus has a large sports field, as well as basketball, tennis, badminton, sepak takraw and volleyball courts. In 2010, the Minister of Youth and Sports, Y.B. Dato' Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek, launched the new futsal court in SDAR.

        The SDAR community comprises the school administration, staff and students. The school administration includes the Super Principal; Tn Hj Zakaria Md Zin, the Senior Assistant for Academic Affairs; Tn Hj Sahak Ahmadun, the Senior Assistant for Student Affairs; Mr Yazid Abd Wahab, and the Senior Assistant for Co-Curriculum; Mr Salehuddin Pungut. There are 4 Heads of Department, Counsellors, and well-trained educators. The non-academic staff and the students make up the rest of the community. Students are selected from throughout Malaysia based on their achievements in Primary School. Amenities and facilities provided by the Ministry of Education continues to ensure the success of the students. The students are divided into 4 Houses ( Bendahara, Syahbandar, Laksamana and Temenggung ) and live in the student dormitories. Some educators also live in the campus complex.

          SDAR has a history of achieving excellent results in nation-wide school examinations. In the 1998 PMR examination, for instance, the school had the best results in the country with 94 of its 110 candidates getting As in every subject. In 2001, the school welcomed in a new principal named Mohd. Rauhi Mohd. In the 2003 PMR examination, the school again achieved the best results in the country when 110 of its 122 candidates obtained As in every subject. In the same year, 53 students obtained straight As in the SPM examination and SDAR was ranked the third best residential school in Malaysia. By the end of 2003, the principal was transferred to the Malay College Kuala Kangsar. In a few of the more recent years, SDAR continued to achieve the best results in the country for nation-wide school examinations.

           Rugby is one of the most popular sports played in SDAR. SDAR Lions is the name of the SDAR rugby team, established since the school was founded. Throughout the years, many SDAR rugby players have represented the State and Malaysia in various championships.

Just before moving to the Jalan Sikamat campus in Seremban from Tanjung Malim, the school's rugby team won the Perak state title and went on to win the MORI Cup in 1971. SDAR also won the Negeri Sembilan school rugby championship and became the only school to win the title in two different states. The SDAR "rugby culture" is also associated with the annual rugby match with King's College of Thailand, which has become a tradition for both schools since 1973. In 1998, SDAR Lions won the National Premier Schools Rugby Championship. SDAR Lions also featured in the final of the 1999 and 2001 seasons. A number of SDAR rugby players were also selected to play in the Malaysian national rugby team. Other popular sports in SDAR are football, basketball, hockey, tennis, badminton, sepak takraw and volleyball.

SDAR has also produced good orators and strong debating teams. The SDAR Debate Teams participate in the annual Prime Minister's Cup or Piala Perdana Menteri (PPM), a prestigious competition among Fully Residential Schools in Malaysia. For the Malay Language category, SDAR emerged as PPM Champions in 1982 and 2010 as well as top runner-up in 1978 and 1980. For the English Language category, SDAR emerged as PPM Champions in 1985. A decade later, in 1996, a member of the SDAR English debate team was selected to represent Malaysia in the World Schools Debating Championship held in Sydney and Canberra, Australia. In the previous year, the SDAR English debate team had become the State Champions for the Piala Tan Sri Dato' Wira Abd Rahman Arshad. In 1998, the SDAR English debate team became the State Champions for the Piala Tan Sri Dato' Wira Abd Rahman Arshad again, after defeating Kolej Tunku Kurshiah.

The school band was founded in the early 1970s in Tanjung Malim. Originally, it was only a bugle band which then evolved into a brass band, a marching band and now a symphonic band. The band had won first place in the Marching Band Competition at state level in 2002 and 2004. They also represented Negeri Sembilan at the National Level Marching Band Competition in 2002.

The band went through a period of changes during 2004 under the guidance of then instructor Mr. Edwin Yeap Hock Beng and was later known as SDAR Symphonic Crew. Later in the year 2005 under the then Conductor and Band President, Azhan Zhafri, the band achieve its first major achievement when they emerged as first runner-up. In 2006 they emerged as second runner-up under the then Conductor Nizar Nordin. In 2007, they were first runner-up in the Wind Orchestra Competition held at the Putrajaya International Convention Center (PICC). The school band had been awarded the gold status for five consecutive years since 2002 for their performance. Apart from performing as a wind orchestra, they are still active as a marching band but currently on hiatus. SDAR Symphonic Band is the champion in the Malaysia Wind Orchestra Competition in 2009, beating well known teams from other schools and also from other universities. SDAR Symphonic Band also has built an excellent reputation to grace its enthusiastic community through its annual concert, 'La Reverie' in March 2010 and entered the international level competition, Singapore International Band Festival (SIBF) 2010 in Singapore to broadens its horizon through the international platform and gain quality music and knowledge.

SDAR has a strong chess team. In 1999, 2000 and 2001, SDAR won the state trophy after defeating nine other districts. In the years to follow, the format of the chess tournament had changed to an individual format. However, starting from 2003, there has always been a representative from SDAR in the nationals representing the state. In 2005, the Negeri Sembilan state champion was from SDAR.

Berilmu Untuk Berjasa I

                           

Ilmu Untuk Berjasa

Tujuan SDAR utama

Sama menuntut ilmu

Hingga kita jaya maju

Berilmu Untuk Berjasa

Kepada nusa dan bangsa

Tata tertib patuhi nyata

Tutur bahasa sama serta

Panduan hidup untuk diri

SDAR kekal abadi

Berilmu Untuk Berjasa

Kita tetapkan berjaya 

                                       

The Islamic Golden Age In Andalusia (Mosque Of Cordoba)

The building was begun around the year 600 as the Christian Visigothic church of St.Vincent.

After the Islamic conquest of the Visigothic Kingdom, the church was divided between the Muslims and Christians. When the exiled Umayyad prince Abdul ar Rahman I escaped to Spain and defeated the Andalusian governor Yusuf al-Fihri, he allowed the Christians to rebuild their ruined churches, and purchased the Christian half of the church of St. Vincent. Abd ar-Rahman I and his descendants reworked it over two centuries to refashion it as a mosque, starting in 784. Additionally, Abd ar-Rahman I used the mosque (originally called Aljama Mosque) as an adjunct to his palace and named it to honor his wife. Traditionally, the mihrab of a mosque faces in the direction of Mecca; by facing the mihrab, worshipers pray towards Mecca. Mecca is east-southeast of the mosque, but the mihrab points south.

The Great Mosque of Córdoba held a place of importance amongst the Islamic community of al-Andalus for three centuries. In Córdoba, the capital, the Great Mosque was seen as the heart and central focus. To the people of al-Andalus “the beauty of the mosque was so dazzling that it defied any description.”

The mosque underwent numerous subsequent changes: Abdul ar Rahman III ordered a new minaret, while Al-Hakim II, in 961, enlarged the building and enriched the mihrab. The last of the reforms was carried out by Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir in 987. It was connected to the Caliph's palace by a raised walk-way, mosques within the palaces being the tradition for the Islamic rulers of all times. The Mezquita reached its current dimensions in 987 with the completion of the outer naves and courtyard.

The main hall of the mosque was used for a variety of purposes. It served as a central hall for teaching and to manage law and order within al-Andalus during the rule of Abd ar-Rahman.

The Great Mosque of Córdoba exhibited features, and an architectural appearance, similar to the Great Mosque of Damas, therefore it is evident that it was used as a model by Abd ar-Rahman for the creation of the Great Mosque in Córdoba.

The building is most notable for its giant arches, with 856 columns of jasper, onyx, marble, and granite. These were made from pieces of the Roman temple which had occupied the site previously, as well as other destroyed Roman buildings, such as the Merida amphitheatre. The double arches, pictured above, were a new introduction to architecture, and helped support the tremendous weight of the higher ceilings. The double arches consist of a lower horseshoe arch and an upper semi-circular arch. The famous alternating red and white voussoirs of the arches were inspired by those in the Dome of the Rock.

They resemble those of the Aachen Cathedral, which were built almost at the same time. The mosque also features richly gilded prayer niches. A centrally located honey-combed dome has blue tiles decorated with stars. The mihrab is a masterpiece of architectural art, with geometric and flowing designs of plants. Other prominent features were: an open court (sahn) surrounded by arcades, screens of wood, minarets, colourful mosaics, and windows of coloured glass. The walls of the mosque had Quranic inscriptions written on them.

The mosque’s floor plan is seen to be parallel to some of the earliest mosques built from the very beginning of Islam. It had a rectangular prayer hall with aisles arranged perpendicular to the qibla, the direction towards which Muslims pray. The prayer hall was large in size, flat, with timber ceilings held up by arches of horseshoe-like appearance.

One hundred fifty years following its creation, a staircase to the roof was added, along with a southward extension of the mosque itself. A bridge was built linking the prayer hall with the Caliph’s palace. The mosque was later expanded even further south, as was the courtyard which surrounded it. The mosque was built in four stages, with each Caliph and his elite contributing to it.

Until the eleventh century, the courtyard was unpaved earth with citrus and palm trees irrigated - at first by rainwater cisterns, and later by aqueduct. Excavation indicates the trees were planted in a pattern, with surface irrigation channels. The stone channels visible today are not original.

In 1236, Córdoba was captured by King Ferdinand III of Castile in the Reconquista, and the mosque was turned back into a Christian church. Alfonso X oversaw the construction of the Villaviciosa Chapel and the Royal Chapel within the mosque. The kings who followed added further Christian features, such as King Henry II rebuilding the chapel in the 14th century. The minaret of the mosque was also converted to the bell tower of the cathedral. It was adorned with Santiago de Compostela ' s captured cathedral bells.

The most significant alteration was the building of a Renaissance cathedral nave right in the middle of the expansive structure. The insertion was constructed by permission of Charles V, king of Castile and Aragon.

The Great Mosque's conversion to a Christian church, the Catedral de Córdoba, may have helped to preserve it when the Spanish Inquisition was most active. Artisans and architects continued to add to the existing structure until the late 18th century.