Doc Ahmad Hajiri

From an American-built lighthouse to a Tausug-built Masjid. The search for the missing “Eye-Fall tower” did not take me long to finish for three reasons:  I already know where to look for it (the wharf in Jolo);  The people in that community are pretty friendly; and  The Sulu National Museum gave me all the answers.  What I just did then is visit the place and confirm the site where it still stands now, talk with the people around, link the stories and tadaa! Mission accomplished! And so, ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to present to you all, the Sulu Parula (Parola), then and now… The Sulu Parula (Parola) and the  Block House This is one of the oldest photos linked to our missing structure: the Sulu lighthouse, commonly known to the locals as the “Parula”. This photo of a building IS NOT the actual parula, but actually the "office" of the coast guards known to most as the “Block House”. This photo can also be found in one of the photo archives in

==This is an old version of the "Meet Ahmad" Page.=== updated May 10, 2015 Ahmad is a proud (yet humble)young Muslim Tausug. He was born in the small, small town of Jolo in the far, far island of Sulu. (Trivia: of all 5 siblings, he was the only one born in their humble home) He loves books, and pens, and papers (he claims that he cannot live without them). He loves to write (even though he's not really good at it). He loves to read stories (and pretend he can write one someday). He loves to share stories too (and jokes, but they are all too corny). He loves to shoot photos (even though he don't have his own camera). He loves Tausug Food (and anything Halal). He loves the sea (it's part of his life). He loves to swim (just the regular freestyle swims, I swear!). He also loves to travel (and climb mountains :) He loves to dream (oh, the endless and impossible dreams). He loves to sleep. (Even though... Yeah, he really loves to sleep).

Bismillah Years back when I was still in High school and studying in one of the Madáris ( Madrasah : Islamic Schools) in Jolo, Sulu, there was this peculiar masjid nearby. When our morning classes ends at 11 AM, me and my classmates would go to a nearby kadday (small Tausug restaurants), eat our lunch together then hastily come to this masjid called Masjid Shariful Hashim in Jambatan (Sea Port) to pray Zhuhur. The masjid itself is just a simple building that you see in most masjids in Jolo, no intricate designs outside, with metal roofs and wooden domes (and the usual moon-and-star). A set of wooden stairs lead to the second storey reserved for women who wanted to pray in the masjid. What I meant when I said this masjid is “peculiar” or “odd”, is this octagonal room inside the masjid.  At first I thought that room was just a separate room designed by the architect of the masjid, or something like a storage room. But what really made me scratch my head is its locatio