I took a photo of each panel, which you can see here. Some are pretty obvious, others not so much. I think it's a nice challenge.
I've tried Google, but they only mention that the figure that has been painted over in the 3rd panel is Prophet Mohammed.
Here's the tower's Wikipedia page, which is scarce in information.
The tower is called the Birch tower, and is a memorail for J.W.W. Birch the first british resident of Perak.
The ilustrative panels go by the name: "the growth of civilization".
Panel A (North)
The stone age:
A Hunter, A Fisherman, A Woman spinning.
The iron age:
A man and a woman
The Early Eastern Peoples :
A Nubian with gold and ivory, A Chaldean Astrologer, A Woman making pottery, An Egyptian, An Assyrian, A Persian.
Panel B (West)
The Eastern Meditteranean:
Judaism, Moses, David, A Phonecian, A woman representing the Agean civilization.
The Far East:
Confucius, Buddha, Lao Tzu.
Greece and Rome:
A woman representing Greek Art, Alexander the Great, An unnamed Greek Philosopher, Augustus.
Panel C (South)
The Byzantine Empire:
Constantine the Great.
Islam:
Mohammed.
The Age of Chivalry:
A Crusader.
The Age of Faith:
Saint Clare of Assisi
Gothic Art:
An unnamed Bishop with a model of a Cathedral.
The Renaissance:
-Science: Galileo Galilei.
-Art: Michelangelo.
-Literature: Vittoria Colonna.
-Enterprise: Columbus.
The Reformation:
Martin Luther.
The Elizabethan Age:
Shakespeare.
Panel D (East)
Physics:
Isaac Newton.
Medicine:
William Harvey.
The use of steam:
James Watt.
Easter Art:
An unnamed Embroiderer.
Music:
Beethoven.
Engineering
Robert Stephenson.
Photography:
Louis Daguerre.
Social Service:
Florence Nightingale.
Natural Science:
Charles Darwin.
Electricity:
Thomas Alva Edison.
Humane Surgery:
Joseph Lister.
References:
Most of the informationcomes from ipohWorld website, an education-based, not-for-profit organisation whose goal is to promote awareness and appreciation of the Perak region.
