PEKAN: The mood was sombre as the people of Pahang bade their ruler a final farewell today.
Thousands, dressed in black or white, thronged Istana Abu Bakar to pay their last respects to Sultan Ahmad Shah Al Musta’in Billah Ibni Almarhum Sultan Abu Bakar.
Thousands more lined the route from the palace to the Sultan Ahmad Shah Mosque and the Royal Mausoleum.
It was an emotional send-off for Sultan Ahmad Shah, who passed away at the National Heart Institute in Kuala Lumpur at 8.50am on Wednesday.
The funeral rites, steeped in tradition, began upon the arrival of the sultan’s remains at the Royal Malaysian Air Force base in Kuantan.
His remains was then taken in a hearse to Pekan, 37km away. By then, thousands were already waiting along the route to pay tribute to the man who had been a big part of their lives. For most of them, Sultan Ahmad Shah was the only ruler they ever knew, given his long reign of 45 years.
By the time the hearse arrived at the palace, members of not only the Pahang royal household but also royalty of other states were already waiting to receive Sultan Ahmad Shah’s remains and to pay their last respects.
Members of the Johor royal family arrived at 12.20pm followed by the Kedah royal family a short while later. Also present was Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah of Perak.
Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad arrived at about 11.10am. Also present was former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak.
After the lying-in-state, the sultan’s remains were taken to the Sultan Ahmad Shah Mosque for Zohor prayers led by Pahang mufti Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Osman.
The ceremony lasted about 20 minutes before the late sultan’s remains were taken on the final leg of his journey to the Royal Mausoleum, 2.2km away.
An 88-gun salute, for each year of his life, was fired along the way.
