Kuala Terengganu

Kuala Terengganu (Malaysian pronunciation: [ˈkuˈala ˈtəˈrengˈganu] Jawi: كوالا ترڠڬانو‎, Chinese: 瓜拉登嘉楼; pinyin: Guālādīngjiānú), often abbreviated as K.T., is the administrative capital, royal capital and the main economic centre of Terengganu, Malaysia. Kuala Terengganu is also the administrative centre for the eponymous district of Kuala Terengganu. Kuala Terengganu is located about 440 kilometres northeast of Kuala Lumpur on the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The city is situated at the estuary of Terengganu River, facing the South China Sea.

As a district, Kuala Terengganu is the smallest in terms of area, but it (together with the district of Kuala Nerus that form the city area) has the largest population in Terengganu with a population of 406,317 in 2010. City status was awarded to Kuala Terengganu with the title Bandaraya Warisan Pesisir Air (English: Coastal Heritage City) on 1 January 2008.

Besides being a major political and economic centre to the state, the city is also the main gateway to many of the state's tourist destinations. The attractions in and around the city include Kampung Cina, Pasar Besar Kedai Payang, Terengganu State Museum, and Batu Buruk Beach. Even though the city is not spared from modernity and development, Kuala Terengganu still retains strong Malay influences that are intermixed with other cultures from its long history as a port.

Etymology

In Malay, kuala can have the meanings of "river mouth", "estuary", or "confluence". Thus, the name Kuala Terengganu is roughly translated as "the confluence/estuary of Terengganu", referring to the broad expanse of the Terengganu River estuary which empties into the South China Sea. There are several theories regarding the name Terengganu. One such theory attributes the name's origin to terang ganu, Malay for 'bright rainbow'. Another story, which is considered to be the most popular version, is said to have been originally narrated by the ninth Sultan of Terengganu, Baginda Omar. It tells of a party of hunters from Pahang roving and hunting in the area of what is now southern Terengganu. One of the hunters spotted a big animal fang lying on the ground. A fellow party member asked to which animal did the fang belong. The hunter, not knowing which animal, simply answered taring anu (Malay: 'fang of something'). The party later returned to Pahang with a rich hoard of game, fur and sandalwood, which impressed their neighbours. They asked the hunters where did they source their riches, to which they replied, from the land of taring anu, which later evolved into Terengganu.

History

Among the earliest references of Terengganu are in Chinese historical sources. A Chinese writer’s note during the Sui dynasty has mentioned about a state named Tan-Tan that sent tributes to China. The state was presumably located somewhere in Terengganu. Tan-Tan sent tributes to Sui dynasty and then to the Tang dynasty after Sui dynasty has collapsed. It ceased to send tributes to China after it came under the dominance of the Srivijaya during the 7th century. Chinese history books such as Ling-wai-dai-da (嶺外代答) written by Zhou Qufei (周去非) in 1178 and the book Zhu fan zhi (also romanised as Chu-fanchi) written by Zhao Rugua (趙汝适; also romanised as Chau Ju-Kua) in 1226 mentioned Teng-ya-nu and Teng-ya-nung respectively, as being a vassal state of San-fo-ts’i (三佛齊), which is thought to be Srivijaya. After Srivijaya fell during the 13th century, Terengganu came under the influence of Majapahit. In the 15th century, Majapahit was vying with Ayutthaya Kingdom and the nascent Malacca Sultanate for the control of the Malay Peninsula. Malacca Sultanate prevailed and Terengganu then came under its influence. When the Malacca Sultanate fell in 1511 to the Portuguese, the newly established Sultanate of Johor exerted its influence on most of the former territories of the Malacca Sultanate, including Terengganu. Terengganu was briefly under the influence of the Aceh Sultanate during the early 17th century, but Johor managed to exert its influence again on Terengganu in the late 17th century.

The present Sultanate of Terengganu was established in the 1708. The first Sultan of Terengganu, Sultan Zainal Abidin I established his court near Kuala Berang, then he moved his court a few more times until he settled near Bukit Keledang, Kuala Terengganu. During the early 18th century, Kuala Terengganu was still a small town. It was described as having about one thousand houses that were scattered around the town. The Chinese were already present in Kuala Terengganu at that time. Half of the population were Chinese and they were engaged in agriculture and trading. After the death of Sultan Daud in 1831, a brief civil war erupted between two claimants to the throne, namely Tengku Mansur and Tengku Omar. Tengku Omar was based at Bukit Puteri while Tengku Mansur was based at Balik Bukit. Tengku Omar was defeated by Tengku Mansur and he fled from Terengganu. Tengku Mansur became the next Sultan as Sultan Mansur II. His son, Sultan Muhammad succeeded him as the next Sultan after his death in 1837. However, in 1839, Tengku Omar returned to Terengganu with his entourage to reclaim the throne. He defeated Sultan Muhammad and forced Sultan Muhammad to flee. Tengku Omar reoccupied his fort at Bukit Puteri and was throned as the next Sultan, Sultan Omar.

In 1862, ex-Sultan of Riau-Lingga, Sultan Mahmud IV Muzaffar Shah went to Terengganu from Bangkok on a Siamese vessel. The British requested that the ex-Sultan to be withdrawn because the British accused the ex-Sultan and also the Sultan of Terengganu, Sultan Omar of supporting Wan Ahmad. Wan Ahmad had constantly attacked Pahang using Kemaman as his base and British trade there were disrupted by the constant attacks. The Siamese agreed to British request, but they have yet to follow through with their agreement. The Strait Settlements Governor, Sir Orfeur Cavenagh sent three ships, HMS Scout, HMS Coquette and a steamer Tonze to Kuala Terengganu, under the command of Captain Corbett, accompanied by Major MacPherson. They were sent with orders to compel the ex-Sultan of Riau-Lingga to be sent back by the British to Siam, and to call upon the Sultan to cease supporting Wan Ahmad. After the Sultan of Terengganu declined to surrender the ex-Sultan to the British, the ships bombarded Kuala Terengganu. The Sultan of Terengganu and the ex-Sultan had fled Kuala Terengganu during the bombardment. The ships then returned to Singapore. Kuala Terengganu was ravaged by a fire in 1882. The fire that swept through Kuala Terengganu destroyed many buildings, including Green Palace (Istana Hijau), the Sultan’s palace. Maziah Palace (Istana Maziah) was later built to replace the destroyed palace.

Kuala Terengganu continued to be Terengganu's capital when it was still a vassal state of Siam and during the early years of British colonisation of Malaya. Terengganu fell under the administration of Britain through the Bangkok Treaty of 1909 and was forced to accept a resident "British advisor". Terengganu, along with four other states were grouped under the term of Unfederated Malay States. British maintained its rule on Terengganu except during the Japanese occupation in World War II. In 1957, Malaya achieved its independence, and subsequently in 1963, Malaya, North Borneo (now the state of Sabah), Sarawak, and Singapore merge to form Malaysia. On 18 January 1979, Kuala Terengganu Municipal Council was established to oversee the development of the town. The Municipal Council was upgraded to Kuala Terengganu City Council on 1 January 2008.

Geography

The eastern part of Terengganu district that faces the South China Sea is characterised by sandy coastal beaches that cover the entire stretch of both parts. Small bays and coastal plains can be found. The district is divided into four major drainage basins: Terengganu River basin, Nerus River basin, Ibai River basin, and other small rivers basin. Certain parts of the rivers of Kuala Terengganu are lined with swamp forests. Hills between 200–600 metres mostly dominate the western part of the district, with more than 70% of the district made up of lowlands less than 20 metres high because of its geographical proximity to the coast. The city itself has a few high points with the highest being Bukit Besar, followed by Bukit Kecil. Bukit Puteri is centrally located in the city, just near the Terengganu River estuary. The lowlands provide the district with suitable areas for plantations such as paddy, palm oil trees, and rubber trees.

Public facilities and infrastructure

Transportation

Transport facilities that are available in Kuala Terengganu include the taxicab and Kuala Terengganu Bus Terminal where the local bus services and interstate coaches to all major cities and towns in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore operate. There is a limited service tourist bus that plies back and forth to tourist areas such as the Nor Arfa batik outlet south of the city, and the jetty for ferries to the island resorts at Redang and Perhentian islands. Kuala Terengganu has its own special bus service known as Bas Bandar or Town Bus, operated by the state-owned firm Cas Ligas Sdn. Bhd. The buses have the characteristics of a traditional old Malay house through the unique roof design to reflect the state cultural identity. The buses cover three lines in and out of the city. A token fare of MYR1 should be paid for each ride.

There are also trishaw services although this service is dying fast and is not as extensive as the ones in the states of Malacca and Penang. In Kuala Terengganu, pedestrian-pulled rickshaws were gradually replaced by trishaws (beca in Malay). Trishaws were ubiquitous up to the 1970s in cities. Since then, rapid urbanisation has increased demand for more efficient public transport, resulting in dwindling trishaw numbers. Today, trishaws are operated mostly as a tourist attraction in Kuala Terengganu. The city's only taxi rank stands nearby to the city's bus terminal.

As with the rest of Terengganu, KTM does not serve Kuala Terengganu. Nevertheless, numerous proposals have been drafted to connect Kuala Terengganu with Tumpat in Kelantan.

The Sultan Mahmud Bridge, a three-kilometre bridge over the Terengganu River, provides a road link between the two banks of the river (connecting Kuala Nerus to Kuala Terengganu) and Duyong Island. The city and suburbs are relatively easy to negotiate by car. Kuala Terengganu is connected to other towns via a good network of roads that are accessible from many major towns and cities in Peninsula Malaysia. The East Coast Expressway (LPT) E8, which starts from Gombak until Kuala Terengganu, has shorten the time for travellers to drive from the West Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It takes four hours to drive from Kuala Lumpur to reach the city via the LPT. Visitors can also drive to Kuala Terengganu by using the Federal Route 3 from Kuantan (besides using the LPT), Kota Bharu, and Johor Bahru that offers a more scenic view of the coastline and villages. From the north of the peninsula, Kuala Terengganu is reachable via East-West Highway 4 and Second East–West Highway 185.

The nearest airport which serve the city is the Sultan Mahmud Airport (IATA: TGG, ICAO: WMKN) serving domestic and international routes located in the neighboring Kuala Nerus District. The airlines serving this airport are Malaysia Airlines, Firefly, AirAsia, Malindo Air, and Sriwijaya Air. Until December 2014, the airport was served by 5 cities which operated daily and weekly flights from/to Kuala Lumpur–International, Kuala Lumpur-Subang, Medan, Miri, and Singapore. Malaysia Airlines also brings passengers to Mecca via Jeddah and Medina during the hajj season. In 2013, the airport handled 699,310 passengers with 11,402 aircraft movements. The terminal was designed to handle 2 million passengers every year.

The city also has water transportation that ply the Terengganu River. The lifeline between the north and south parts of the city are the water taxis more popularly known as bot penambang. Bot penambang are engined, roofed wooden boats made to carry passengers from Seberang Takir Jetty and Pulau Duyong Kecil Jetty to Kuala Terengganu Jetty. It is the easiest and shortest way to get to the city. There are also ferry services to the resort island of Redang and other small islands, although these services are mainly carried out by modern express ferries. The ferries dock at Syahbandar Jetty, just in front of the General Post Office.

Banking services

The Malaysian central bank, Bank Negara Malaysia maintains its east coast branch in Kuala Terengganu. Major Malaysian commercial banks also have their branches here. This includes Maybank, CIMB Bank, AmBank, Public Bank, RHB Bank, and Hong Leong Bank. Many of these banks have their main offices near to one another at Jalan Sultan Ismail and the adjacent areas.

Courts of law and legal enforcement

All types of courts in Kuala Terengganu can be found in Jalan Sultan Mohamad. The High Court, Sessions Court, and the Magistrate Court are housed under one building complex. Another type of court, the Syariah Court is situated not far from the Terengganu Courts Complex. The headquarters of the Royal Malaysia Police's Terengganu Police Contingent and the Kuala Terengganu District Police Contingent are at Jalan Sultan Omar. Other small police stations are located in and around the two districts that make up the city. There is no prison complex in the district, but temporary lock-up cells are to be found in most police stations here. The main fire station is at Jalan Kemajuan, near Bukit Kecil. This is the biggest fire station in Kuala Terengganu. Another fire station is located just beside Pasar Payang in the city centre. The headquarters of the Malaysian Civil Defence Department, the civil defence services agency in Malaysia, is at Jalan Lapangan Terbang, near to Terengganu Sports Complex. The 18th Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment of the Malaysian Army has its camp in the northern part of the district at Kem Sri Pantai in Seberang Takir, near to the airport and Teluk Ketapang Beach. The camp is currently undergoing restoration and upgrading processes.

Healthcare

Unlike other major cities, Kuala Terengganu does not have a lot of hospitals. The main hospital is Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital (HSNZ), formerly known as Kuala Terengganu General Hospital, the largest hospital in the state with 821 beds. This is a public government hospital that began to provide its services during the 1920s. Kuala Terengganu Specialist Hospital is the first and largest private hospital in the state, operating since September 2006. There are other types of clinics such as private and public health clinics, village clinics, and 1Malaysia clinics operating in the district.

Religious institutions

There are no shortages of mosques or Muslim prayer buildings, the most famous among these religious buildings and are considered as tourist attractions are Abidin Mosque and Tengku Tengah Zaharah Mosque. There are two Buddhist temples, Ho Ann Kiong Temple and Tien Hou Kong Temple nearby Chinatown. Two Presbyterian churches, the largest being Jalan Air Jerneh Presbyterian Church and another one in Chinatown, and an Anglican church known as St Andrew's Church can also be found in the city. For Hindu adherents, there is temple that is known as Sri Kali Yuga Durga Lakshmi Aman Temple, located in Jalan Cherong Lanjut.

Tourism and culture

Attractions and recreation spots

The Terengganu State Museum is located in Kampung Losong. It is acclaimed to be one the largest museum complexes in Malaysia and South East Asia with an area of 27 hectares. The architecture is based on the traditional Terengganu Malay house known as rumah tele. It has eight different galleries and other open air exhibits such as Petronas Gallery, Maritime Gallery, Islam Gallery, exhibits of traditional Terengganuese houses, and many others. The museum is also the home of the Terengganu Inscription Stone, the oldest artefact with Jawi writing in this country.

Near the museum is the Islamic Heritage Park (Malay: Taman Tamadun Islam). This park is an educational entertainment park that showcases various replicas of famous mosque from all over the world. Among the replicas are Al-Masjid al-Haram, Qol Sharif Mosque, and Masjid Negara. The Crystal Mosque is also located here. Boat cruise services along Terengganu River are also provided for the visitors.

A small hill known as Bukit Puteri can be found nearby to Pasar Payang. The hill is about 200 metres high, located near the banks of Terengganu River. Because of its strategic location, it was used as a fortification by the sultans of the state. Old artefacts, a graveyard, and monuments can be found on top of the hill. During the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, a century-old brass bell known as genta will be rung to signify that it is time for iftar, or the end of the fasting on that day.

The Chinatown of Kuala Terengganu (Malay: Kampung Cina, Simplified Chinese: 唐人坡, local pronunciation: Teng-lang-po) is one of the main tourist attractions. This settlement is a row of shophouses from the prewar era, with some of them dating back from the 1700s. Most of the houses are 2 stories high, mainly made of bricks or concrete, with wooden flooring for the second storey. Some have kept the intricate wood carving windows, huge heavy wooden front doors, and olden plaques. The centuries-old buildings now consists of sundry shops, local coffee shops, offices, souvenir shops, restaurants, kopitiam, and other services. It is home to two Chinese temples, Ho Ann Kiong and Tien Hou Kong, which was built in 1801 and 1896. Another landmark is the 19th-century Low Tiey water well, erected in 1875. After years and years, it still supplies clean water to Chinatown's residents. Many of the buildings here have undergone restoration or beautification programmes to make them more appealing, but without destroying the heritage value. The recent attractions in Kampung China are its back alleys, many of which are transformed into thematic lanes containing various information, decorations and murals.

Pasar Besar Kedai Payang or Central Market (more commonly known as Pasar Payang) is the main market of the city. This double-storey building houses different kinds of goods, ranging from fresh produce, poultry, sea products, traditional delicacies, home products, clothes, and handicrafts such as batik, songket, and brass ware. Pulau Duyong is a river island located at the Terengganu River estuary. It is popularly known for its traditional boat making activities. Pulau Duyong also contains a historical monument known as Kota Lama Duyong (Duyong Old Fort). It is a traditional Malay house built with local and European elements.

Kuala Terengganu has various places for recreation. Amongst the most prominent one is Batu Buruk Beach, located not far from the city centre. The beach has many amenities and facilities for the visitors. They can go for many activities at the beach such as horse riding, horse carriage rides and kite flying. However, visitors are not recommended to swim in the waters there because of strong waves. Taman Shahbandar is another recreation place in Kuala Terengganu, located by the Terengganu River estuary. This park is close to other attractions in Kuala Terengganu such as Pasar Payang, Bukit Puteri and Istana Maziah. Other recreational places in Kuala Terengganu are:

• Kuala Terengganu Waterfront, located south of Pulau Warisan by the Terengganu River. It offers a view of Pulau Duyong and Sultan Mahmud Bridge.
• Taman Awam Lagun Kuala Ibai, a park 4 kilometres away from the city centre, in which the Tengku Tengah Zaharah Mosque is located.
• Taman Awam Pantai Teluk Ketapang, a recreational beach and public park located in Kuala Nerus near Sultan Mahmud Airport.

The Abidin Mosque is Kuala Terengganu's old state royal mosque built by Sultan Zainal Abidin II between 1793 and 1808. It is popularly known as Masjid Putih (White Mosque). The mosque is also the location of the Royal Mausoleum. Seberang Takir is a fishing village situated on the northern bank of Terengganu River estuary and can be easily reached by using the bot penambang from Kuala Terengganu jetty. Here, visitors can see for themselves many cottage industries such as the producing of keropok lekor (a local fish cracker), batik printing, and drying salted fish, and the making of belacan (shrimp paste).

Food

Keropok lekor (especially keropok lekor Losong), a local delicacy made from fish and other traditional dishes such as nasi dagang, laksam, laksa Terengganu, otak-otak, sata, pulut lepa, ketupat sotong, and roti paun can be found in the city. In the area of Kampung Cina, Peranakan Chinese cuisine that combines Malay and Chinese cooking styles and other traditional Chinese dishes are available.