‘We walk past so much history’

FROM young, Sabri Zain, 65, has taken an interest in Malaysia’s history.

Born in Singapore, he moved to Kuala Lumpur as a child and later, to Cambridge in the United Kingdom at 40.

As an adult, he developed a hobby of collecting old photographs of places and landmarks, especially of those in Kuala Lumpur.

In 1998, he set up a website where he uploaded his collection.

He later started the Facebook page “Sabri Zain’s Malayan History Society”, which has over 52,000 followers.

Many images depicted roads and buildings in Kuala Lumpur from before and shortly after Malaysia achieved independence.

He makes sure that the information given is accurate and from a credible source, like national archives and research institutes.

It is challenging doing the research, said Sabri.

“Sometimes I have to go through dozens of books, journals and websites just to find a small nugget of information.

“A lot of academic resources are locked behind paywalls, limiting access,” he noted.

His advice to amateur historians is to start with a good selection of books.

This photo taken in 1953 shows the junction of a coconut palm-lined Batu Road (today Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman) and Campbell Road (Jalan Dang Wangi). Moviegoers can be seen queuing at Odeon Cinema.

He suggested Prof Emeritus Datuk Dr Khoo Kay Kim’s Kuala Lumpur: The formative years and JM Gullick’s A history of Kuala Lumpur 1856-1939.

He also recommended Cuthbert Woodville Harrison’s An illustrated guide to the Federated Malay States, which contains descriptions and maps of Kuala Lumpur in the early 1900s.

“There are many publicly accessible collections that offer vintage pictures of Kuala Lumpur.

“Places in London offering these old photos include the Wellcome Collection Museum and the Colonial Office at The National Archives,” said Sabri.

Vintage postcards of Kuala Lumpur are another great source of information.

Sabri, who works as a policy director at a nature conservation organisation, said his lack of formal education in history was not an issue.

He said his job involved analysing and writing reports, skills which were also useful when gathering historical information.

Asked what inspired his love for history, Sabri said it was the opportunity to connect with and learn from the past.

“History shapes who we are today. Yet we walk past so much history in Kuala Lumpur without even realising it,” he said.