Teuku Iskandar

Teuku Iskandar is an Indonesian scholar, literary critic, and lexicographer. Teuku Iskandar is one of the native Indonesians (Acehnese) who are eager to explore the books that record the Sumatra's civilizations (mainly Acehnese and Malay).

Teuku Iskandar
Born	(1924-10-19) 19 October 1924 Trienggadeng, Pidie, Aceh (part of modern-day Indonesia)
Cause of death
Spouse(s)	Gerda Cornelia Maria Iskandar-Herder (m. 1955–2012)
Children	Tjut Rosmanida a.k.a. Cut Rosmanida Tjut Njak Ubit Iskandar a.k.a. Cut Nyak Ubit Iskandar
Academic background
Education	PhD
Alma mater	Leiden University
Academic work

Background

Teuku Iskandar was born at Trienggadeng, Pidie, Aceh (part of modern-day Indonesia). He is a native Acehnese who was born to a father who are an uleebalang (lit. 'district chief' in Acehnese) in Aceh.

Early life

In 1947, a day after Queen Juliana appointed as regent, the 18-year-old Teuku Iskandar was able to continue his study at Leiden University in Leiden (part of Netherlands.

In 1955, he earned his doctorate from Leiden University with a dissertation which was later published as a book, De Hikajat Atjeh (lit. 'Acehnese Annals'). Topics related to Aceh has became his personal interest, which also became his dissertation. His insterest is mainly driven by his personal background because at that time he was part of the first generation of Acehnese who studied at Leiden University. Moreover, at that time there were not as many Acehnese books written by native Indonesians. In addition, Teuku Iskandar adore the Acehnese culture so much, as he told to his children.

1960s

In the 1960s, Teuku Iskandar asked by Sukarno (the first president of Indonesia) to be part of the founders of a state university in Aceh which later known as Syiah Kuala University and briefly served as the dean for the Faculty of Economics for several years.

Studies

His diligence in studying Malay literature and culture in Sumatra attracted another countries interest, such as Malaysia who had no capable scholars at that time as newly created country, he is offered to work at the Dewan Pustaka dan Bahasa (lit. 'Language and Library Council') of Malaysia. During his tenure, Teuku Iskandar asked by Malaysia's linguistic council to copied the Bahasa Indonesia dan Pembakuannya (lit. 'Indonesian Language and its Standardization') and Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia (lit. 'Great Dictionary of Indonesian Language') who are developed by Raja Ali Haji (an Indonesian scholar) since 19th century and Anton Moeliono in 1969 to re-branded and claimed it as the Kamus Dewan (lit. 'Dictionary of Malay Language') that published in 1970 to became the main linguistic reference for Malay language. At the same time, he was also asked by the Sultan of Brunei Darussalam to become a lecture at the University of Brunei Darussalam and he received a professorship from the university. His works are still used as the main linguistic source for Standard Malay until nowadays.

Return to Leiden

Teuku Iskandar later returned to Leiden to give lecture. At his alma mater (Leiden University), he became a professor for Acehnese and Malay literature, and also gave special classes in the Acehnese language. As a Acehnese lover, he also continues to produce his works related to Aceh including the Catalog of Acehnese Manuscripts compiled with Voorhoeve, two large volumes of the Catalog of Malay, Minangkabau and South Sumatra, and Manuscripts in the Netherlands.

Perspectives from his daughters

Studying classical literary manuscripts is a job that not many people can do. It takes passion, perseverance, thoroughness and high concentration. But indeed, such qualities seem to be attached to Teuku Iskandar. "Dad really likes history and art", said Tjut Njak Ubit Iskandar who are the second daughter of Teuku Iskandar. Teuku Iskandar is very thorough even in reading the books he referenced.

As a close daughter, Tjut Njak Ubit Iskandar often found his father's handwritten notes in reference books, which indicated that the information in the books could be referenced or questioned. Ubit also said that his father is the type of person who reads and contemplates a lot. Despite his abundant knowledge, he is not an 'outsider' or talkative person. Not all of his interlocutors can also make him interested in talking. But if he meets someone he thinks is sharp-minded, this father of three will be an extraordinary storyteller. “When there is a moment like that, my mother usually asks me to bring a recording device to save the interesting conversation,” recalls Ubit.

Teuku Iskandar is also a scholar and person who holds principles. He's not the kind of person who wants to please others but rather be himself. In Ubit's eyes, his father was not interested in politics even though he loved Sumatran (especially Acehnese and Malay) culture very much, he was an intellectual who carried himself as a citizen of the world. Also not many people know that Teuku Iskandar is very fond of architectural history. According to Ubit, it can be said that his father's first love was precisely in architecture. However, because his chemistry skills were not sufficient to become a scholar of architecture, he then chose to study literature.

Architecture

Teuku Iskandar's passion for architecture can be found in his residence in Jakarta which he designed himself. He also built a rest house with an English garden-style garden in Bogor, which he also designed his own architecture. At his home in the Netherlands, Teuku Iskandar designed a fireplace made of wood from a bridge from the 17th century with Acehnese decorations. One of his other hobbies is sketching. Teuku also once conveyed his dream to his sons and daughters, he wanted to build a farmhouse in Aceh. "I have a dream (to develop) in Aceh", Ubit remembers his father.

Translations

In one of his works, a book that discusses Bustanas-Salatin by Nuruddin ar-Ranniry, Teuku Iskandar asked Ubit to translate it into English. For years, father and daughter studied books by 17th century clerics who were read by scholars and sultans in the Kingdom of Aceh. For Ubit, it was a wonderful experience that was unforgettable.

Reputation

As a respected scholar (mainly in Indonesia), Teuku Iskandar is a very down-to-earth person. Cut Rosmanida, his first daughter who lived in Medan, said, “Father is a humble and simple person. His demeanor is mediocre. When you go home to Aceh, you always ask for Acehnese food to be cooked. He likes all Acehnese dishes.” A valuable lesson from his father that he always reminded him to be proud to be Acehnese and proud to speak Acehnese language.

Awards

Teuku Iskandar awarded with the ‘Satyalancana Budaya’ award by the national government of the Republic Indonesia due to his revolutionary and persistent works especially in terms of Sumatra's linguistic and culture (mainly Acehnese and Malay). Responding to the award given by the government to his father, Cut Rosmanida expressed his gratitude. “I am happy and excited that my dad are one of the recipients of the award. I thank God and thank the government (for these honour)", said Cut Rosmanida beaming.

List of notable works

• De Hikayat Atjeh (lit. 'Acehnese Annals'). ‘S-Gravenhage: Nederlandsche Boek-en Steendrukkerij V. H. H. L. Smits. (RCLOS 992.1 ISK), 1959.
• Some Aspects Concerning the Work of Copyists of Malay Historical Writings // Peninjau Sejarah, 3 (2), 1968.
• Kamus Dewan. Kuala Lumpur: DBP, 1970 (second edition 1984)
• Hikayat Aceh: Kisah Kepahlawanan Sultan Iskandar Muda (lit. 'Acehnese Annals: The Heroic Story of Sultan Iskandar Muda'). Banda Aceh: Proyek Rehabilitasi dan Perluasan Museum Daerah Istimewa Aceh, 1978.
• Kesusasteraan Klasik Melayu Sepanjang Abad (lit. 'Classic Malay Literature Throughout the Centuries'). Bandar Seri Begawan: Jabatan Kesusasteraan Melayu Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Brunei, 1995.
• Catalog of Acehnese Manuscripts. Leiden, University Library / ILDEP 1994 / (Codices Manuscripti XXIV) (with P. Voorhoeve).
• Catalog of Malay, Minangkabau, and South Sumatran manuscripts in the Netherlands. 2 vols., Xiv, 1095 pp. Leiden: Documentatiebureau Islam-Christendom, 1999.
• Hikayat Aceh (lit. 'Acehnese Annals'). Kuala Lumpur: Yayasan Karyawan (R 959.81 ISK), 2001.
• Aceh as a Muslim-Malay Cultural Center (14th-19th Century) // First International Conference of Aceh and Indian Ocean Studies February 24–27, 2007. Organized by Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore & Rehabilitation and Construction Executing Agency for Aceh and Nias (BRR), Banda Aceh, Indonesia 2007.

Indonesia

1. Teuku Iskandar Street (Indonesian: Jalan Teuku Iskandar), a street located at Lamteh, Banda Aceh City, Aceh Province.
2. Teuku Iskandar Street Block Rose (Indonesian: Jalan Teuku Iskandar Lorong Mawar), a street located at Ceurih, Banda Aceh City, Aceh Province.
3. Teuku Iskandar Street Block Jasmine (Indonesian: Jalan Teuku Iskandar Lorong Melati), a street located at Lambhuk, Banda Aceh City, Aceh Province.

Further reading

• "Teuku Iskandar: Pencatat Peradaban Aceh dan Melayu" [Teuku Iskandar: Recorder of Acehnese and Malay Civilizations]. kebudayaan.kemdikbud.go.id (in Bahasa Indonesia). Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Diplomacy, Directorate General of Culture of the Republic of Indonesia. 2017.