The History of SuluSaleeby, Najeeb M. (Najeeb Mitry)
History
The History of Sulu
Saleeby, Najeeb M. (Najeeb Mitry)
Mindanao Island (Philippines) -- History; Muslims -- Philippines; Sulu Archipelago (Philippines) -- History
A good road runs outside the wall connecting Busbus and Tulay. Later
usage has applied the term Tulay to all parts of the town lying west
of Suba' Bawang. Formerly the name Tulay was applied only to that
part lying west of Suba' Ligayan, while the intermediate section was
known as Pueblo nuevo. The bridge across the mouth of Suba' Bawang was
termed puente del sultan. On the other side of the bridge this street
extends through Pueblo nuevo and along the central strip of u-laya,
or the delta, to Fort Asturias, thus separating the waters of Suba'
Bawang from Suba' Ligayan. Midway between Tulay and Asturias stands an
obelisk-like monument erected by General Arolas and bearing the date
1892. Further fillings in Tulay have provided for several streets,
the chief one of which is the direct street running to the Chinese
pier and then on to the blockhouse of the playa [13] and the Ligayan
River. A large bridge crosses this river to Tulay proper. The road
ends at the beach a little beyond the bridge. In the central plaza at
Tulay stands a monument erected by General Arolas in 1891 in memory of
the three renowned conquerors of Jolo. On one side the monument bears
the inscription "A la gloria de los que con su esfuerzo hicieron esta
tierra Española;" the second side bears the inscription "Corcuera,
17 de Abril de 1638;" the third side, "Urbistondo, 28 de Febrero
de 1851;" the fourth side, "Malcampo, 29 de Febrero de 1876." A
straight road about three-fourths of a mile long called the Asturias
Road directly connects Asturias with the main entrance of the walled
town. Another road starts at this latter point and running along the
right bank of Tubig Hasa'an reaches the cemetery on the opposite side
of Blockhouse No. 2. The old bridge connecting a branch of this road
with the one running from Asturias to Blockhouse No. 2 was washed
away by a severe freshet in 1904, thus breaking what had formerly
been a complete circle of roads around the town.
Busbus is wholly occupied by Moros. Its houses are dilapidated
nipa huts built on piles over the water. Back of the town is a
marsh which extends a little way toward the base of the hills. The
water from the marsh escapes into the bay by two rivulets, the first
of which runs through the settlement and is known as Tubig Uhang;
the other is artificial, forms the outer limit of the town, and is
called Buyung Canal. Persons convicted of capital crimes in the days
of the independent sultanate were tied to a tree at this place and
there their bodies were chopped to pieces; hence the name "Busbus"
which means to "chop up" or "dress wood."
TRADE
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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