A carpenter receives Mercedes Benz as payment for his unique cengal table
Encik Mohd. Zainasir Taib shows a cengal wood table traded for a Mercedes car in Kampung Teluk Pasu, Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu. Utusan Picture by Puqtra Hairry In Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia, the country's Malay-language prestigious newspaper Utusan Malaysia reported on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, the uniqueness of a table made from a Cengal tree stump over 100 years old lies not only in its creative design featuring a "fish pond," but also in its distinct value—so much so that it was traded for a Mercedes-Benz worth hundreds of thousands of ringgit. Born from the creativity of 61-year-old woodworker Encik Mohd. Zainasir Taib from Kampung Teluk Pasu, the table took about two years to complete using a combination of traditional woodworking techniques and modern methods. He shared that the idea to create the table sparked after he acquired a Cengal tree stump that wasn’t originally planned to be turned into furniture. Upon noticing the stump’s natural shape, which featured...