On the Thon Buri side of the river, passers-by often take notice of a beautiful gingerbread house at the foot of Charoenpas Bridge. Sometimes they'll hear a call for prayer from there, because this wooden structure, a mixture of adapted Gothic style, Manila gable roofs and fine wood carvings, is Charoenpas Mosque, known among locals as Kudee Klang.
The interior of Charoenpas Mosque.
Charoenpas Mosque is the second oldest mosque of the Rattanakosin period, after Kudee Luang Mosque. It was established in the reign of King Rama I by Akayi, the second Chularatchamontri — or Sheikul Islam — of the period. More importantly, it is one of the four places of worship for Thai Muslims of Persian descent called "Khaek Chao Sen", or Muslims of the Shiite sect who respect Imam Hussein, the grandson of prophet Muhammad.
Recently, the Charoenpas community organised "Ratree Kudee Klang Fair" (Kudee Klang Night) to showcase their culture and especially food, which is a mixture of Persian roots with Thai touches. The culinary history of the neighbourhood dates back to the late Thonburi era, and their unique character is part of the cultural display of this little-known area in Bangkok.
Over 95% of Muslims in Thailand are of the Sunni sect, which is itself considered a religious minority within a minority. For the Shiites, the most important celebration takes place in the first Islamic lunar month — October this year — when the community holds a rarely-seen Chao Sen Procession, a ritual to remember the heroic deeds and death of Imam Hussein about 1,300 years ago.
Al-Quran at the heart of Charoenpas Mosque.
Dhirnand Chuangpichit, a Shiite Muslim and also Thon Buri history and culture expert, said this area is home to Muslims of Persian descent who entered Siam about four centuries ago and later settled in Thon Buri during the reign of King Taksin the Great (1768-1782).
"Muslims of Kudee Luang, Kudee Plai Na, Kudee Charoenpas and Phadungtham Islam Mosque hold the same religious beliefs. In the Muharram month, which falls in and around October, they perform rituals in memory of Imam Hussein who was killed in the 61st Islamic year in his efforts to conserve religious truths," he added.
The rituals last from the first to the 10th day of the first Islamic month. It includes rarely seen and spectacular activities, such as fire walking and self-flagellation
But all year round, authentic Persian food and beverages prepared by the Khaek Chao Sen Muslims remain popular and can be found in the community.
It is a feast that is, literally, fit for a king. According to the exhibition shown during the recent "Ratree Kudee Klang Fair", Simon de La Loubere, a French envoy to the Ayutthaya Kingdom in the reign of King Narai (1656-1688), wrote: "When this Siamese King was young, he frequently visited and had meals with Iranian families. Therefore, he was accustomed to the customs and way of life of Iranian people."
Food prepared and eaten by Muslims living along the Bang Luang canal is considered part of their culture. Several dishes reflect their identity as stated in King Rama II's well-known Verse Of Food And Desserts. They were once consumed by kings and still exist at religious ceremonies. Among them are chicken and beef massaman, muscod, lutti and rum.
Massaman is a curry prepared from coconut milk and curry paste. In the past, it was eaten with side dishes like sweet and salty dried fish with water melon (pla haeng taeng mo) and pickles called ahjad. The word massaman is derived from Musliman, the Arab and Persian plural noun of the word Muslim. Therefore, Massaman, or Musliman, means food of the Muslims.
Muscod, a Persian Muslim dessert.
Muscod is a kind of halwa — dense sweet confections. It has many names: halwa muscod, butter halwa or khanom rang noei halwa. This sweet reflects the history of seafaring routes by Western people; the word muscod is derived from Muscat, a major port city at the mouth of the Gulf of Persia near the Oman Sea. In the past, merchants had to sail from Persia (Iran), past the Gulf of Persia and stop over at Muscat before heading to the Indian Ocean.
Muscod can also be eaten with and wrapped in a sheet of lutti, a dish prepared from rice flour. There are different variations of lutti — such as lutti na kaeng kai, which is popular for auspicious occasions, while lutti khao (white lutti) is eaten with white and red halwas at funerals. Lutti na kaeng kai can still be found as part of the meals of Muslims in Thon Buri around Kudee Charoenpas, Kudee Yai and Kudee Khao, and also during merit-making ceremonies by certain groups of Muslims in Ayutthaya province.
Rum is a dish prepared by making a net of egg by sprinkling stirred duck egg yolk as thin lines onto a hot pan, cutting the net of egg into smaller sheets and wrapping shrimp fillings.
Also shown at the mosque fair was khanom jee or khanom jee phet (diamond pendant), another rare dessert hardly found elsewhere. It was a symbolic dessert for weddings of Thai Muslims of Persian descent due to its sweet and aromatic taste and white colour. At weddings, it is sprinkled with red rose petals.
Another must-try is sharbat, a Persian drink prepared from syrup and lemon, orange, pomegranate or rose juice, salt and crushed chillies. It is for ceremonies in the Muharram month and served in a small cup for sipping. The special tip is to add a few crushed chillies, as well as a bitter orange juice to this drink in order to create a better aroma.
Raban, a kind of Persian potpourri.
Also at the mosque fair, visitors were able to smell the pleasant odour of Persian and Moorish potpourri called raban. Derived from a Farsi word meaning aroma, raban, which produces aromatic fume when burnt on a stove was brought to the royal court of Ayutthaya as aromatherapy by the Persians and used in rituals of Khaek Chao Sen or Moorish people in the Kingdom. King Narai the Great's love for the pleasant aroma of raban was recorded in the book, The Natural And Political History Of The Kingdom Of Siam, penned by Nicolas Gervaise.
At the mosque fair, visitors saw the art of carving fruits and making garlands. Since the early Rattanakosin period, some families in the Khaek Chao Sen community have been working as their mosques' ceremonial arrangement officials, or phusa mala, which was borrowed from a royal term. Their duties are to decorate ritual objects using materials, such as wood, paper, clothes, fresh and dried flowers.
Kitti Buranasomphop, an Islamic scholar, explains that every family in the commuity join hands to make it happen. The family of Grandpa Kon (Kon Ahmadchula) from Kudee Klang Mosque, for example, was responsible for lotus flower decoration; the family of Grandpa Khong for flag decoration, while Siri Tangtrongjit creates the ritual objects, called king taree and torabat. All women work on fresh flowers and create long garlands called sai maoli.
In Thon Buri, Thai Muslims of Persian descent live in harmony with their fellow Thais of other religions, reflected through the local assimilation of parts of their culture.
For example, some of the seven auspicious things for the Persian people's Nowruz or New Year Day, including vinegar, coins, green apples, wheat plants, spices and red fish, have been adjusted to fit in with Thai society. Red fish, which represents new life, is replaced by red palm-leaf fish toys. In addition, a traditional Thai mortar is used in grinding and mixing spices.
Moreover, lutti in Thailand is prepared from Thai rice flour instead of wheat flour, reflecting a constant cultural fusion that is, in a way, very Thai.
- Charoenpas Mosque is raising funds for the mending of its fences.
- Visit www.facebook.com/imambarah.
Some of the Persian Muslim dishes consumed by kings from the past.
A Muslim man and woman wearing traditional costumes stand in front of the mosque.
