Terrapuri Heritage Village

Terrapuri Heritage Village sits in a small fishing community on Penarik Beach, right next to the Setiu Wetlands, which are home to painted terrapins, marine turtles, mangroves, and even fireflies at night. But what really makes it special are the houses themselves. These are 17th-century-style Terengganu Malay houses, built entirely from cengal wood, and they use pasak, wooden pegs, instead of nails. That means you can dismantle the whole house and move it somewhere else. The locals call it masang, which means to assemble.

Terengganu itself was part of the Langkasuka kingdom from the 2nd to the 16th century and the early Malays here came from Champa in Indochina. The modern village is the vision of Alex, the founder. He spent years buying up old houses, dismantling them, and storing them until the right time came. In 2006, he found a freehold plot on Penarik Beach and started building Terrapuri. It wasn’t easy, and he spent RM10 million (USD 2.4 million), sold his own properties and cars, but he stayed committed because he wanted to preserve these houses. Since opening, Terrapuri has inspired other restoration projects across Terengganu.

Terrapuri Heritage Village is really a celebration of Malay craftsmanship at its finest. Terrapuri means Land of the Palaces in Sanskrit. The houses are between 100 and 250 years old, originally built by Terengganu royalty and wealthy families, some going back to the early 1800s. Alex, the current owner, spent years rescuing these houses and then carefully restoring and reassembling them here.

When you walk in, the gate itself feels like you are entering an old temple. Inside, there is a big courtyard with a moat, palms, and flowering plants. And then you see the houses, all on stilts, with steep gabled roofs and wide verandas. Underneath, there are old tools, coconut scrapers, even boats, just like in a real kampung back then. Inside the houses, you see traditional wardrobes, wooden chairs, brass trays, jars, and everything like it would have been in a rich Malay home hundreds of years ago. The doors and windows even have old-style latches. Over 50 craftsmen worked on this, doing all the carving of Sobek and kerawang, and polishing the wood until it shone like it did originally.

One thing people always notice is the pasak system. They didn’t use nails. Everything is held together with wooden pegs, so the houses can actually be taken apart and moved, kind of like Lego. Most of the wood is Chengal, which is really tough and lasts for centuries. They oil it, which keeps it strong and gives it a nice glow. You can even see history in the design itself with Siamese touches and influences from the Langkasuka kingdom.