Burung Roc

In Islamic cosmography, heaven is often represented directly above the earth, the centre of which is marked by the Ka’ba. Represented below the earth, but in fact surrounding it, is Mount Qaf, a boundary world of jins and spirits, and further down lie the seven levels of hell. As represented in the Ottoman image on the left (above), the  Sacred trees of Islam – the Shajarat al-Tûba, and the Zaqqum tree, form a direct vertical line from the uppermost realm of Heaven, down to the gate of the Seven Hells, just as the  Pokok Pauh Janggi does in the Malay cosmology, connecting Kayangan to Dasar Laut. This lining-up of various sacred trees of Islamic cosmography might represent the intended indexing of an underlying cosmology, or it may simly be due to the limitations of 2-dimensional graphical ontology, but in any event, it an artifact of Islamic cosmographic representation. Other trees not represented in this Ottoman diagram, but that could also, hypothetically, be placed in line include the Sidrat al-Muntahā  or Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary (which marks the boundary between the astronomical and the theological Heavens), the šajaratu l-ḫuld or Tree of Immortality (which is the Tree at the centre of the Garden of Eden which Allah forbade to Adam and Eve) and the Olive Tree, whose centre is located everywhere (tawhid). In Middle Eastern mythology,  the Mountains of Qaf are also the abode of the giant bird, the Roc. In Nusantara folklore the Burong Roc nests on the top of the pokok Pauh Janggi, co-locating the ring of the Mountains of Qaf to the base of the Pokok Pauh Janggi one will find the enterance to the cavern that leads down to the Dasar Laut.

In my Pokok Pauh Janggi performance at Kappalorek Artspace the embroidered Eagle motif on a Western Bib shirt becomes a signifier for the Giant Burong Roc.

Image: https://magictransistor.tumblr.com/post/121976939786/ottoman-diagram-of-heaven-and-hell-caucasus

https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/the-great-birds-of-middle-eastern-legend-myths-or-reality–25445