Kuala Terengganu (; Terengganu Malay: Kole Tranung), colloquially referred to as KT, is the administrative, economic and royal city of the state of Terengganu, Malaysia. Kuala Terengganu is also the seat of Kuala Terengganu District. It is also the only royal capital among the nine royal states of the country to bear its state's name. Kuala Terengganu is located about 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 and Kuala Nerus District that together form the city area has the largest population in Terengganu. The city population was 406,317 in 2010The total population and total area also includes the population and area for the district of Kuala Nerus, which was a part of the district of Kuala Terengganu, but Kuala Nerus is still under the jurisdiction of Kuala Terengganu City Council. and declined to 375,424 in 2020. City status was awarded to Kuala Terengganu with the title Bandaraya Warisan Pesisir Air (English: Waterfront 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 Lingwai Daida 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.
Establishment of the Sultanate
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 August 1883. 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.
British Colonial Period 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 until the Japanese occupation in World War II.
World War II On 18 December 1941, Japanese forces from Kota Bahru would advance towards Kuala Terengganu. On 18 October 1943, Terengganu was annexed by Thailand as part of an agreement with the Japanese. After the war, the British regained control of Terengganu.
Modern History 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.
Governance
The city is administered by Kuala Terengganu City Council, which covers the whole area of Kuala Terengganu district as well as Kuala Nerus district. The district's location at the estuary of Terengganu River divided the district into two parts, Kuala Terengganu Utara (North Kuala Terengganu), now known as Kuala Nerus, and Kuala Terengganu Selatan (South Kuala Terengganu), which is considered to be Kuala Terengganu proper. As the capital, the city is vital to the political and economic welfare of the state. It is the centre for the state and federal government agencies administration buildings, housing the offices of many ministries' departments and governmental bodies, such as the Immigration and Customs Department, State Economic Planning Unit, Pos Malaysia Kuala Terengganu General Post Office, Terengganu State Library, and many others. As the administrative capital of Terengganu, the Legislative Assembly convenes at Wisma Darul Iman, the state secretariat building. Kuala Terengganu is also the royal capital of the state, being the site of the Sultan's many palaces, for example Istana Badariah and Istana Maziah.
The Election Commission of Malaysia has divided Kuala Terengganu into eleven state assembly districts which covers the constituencies of Hulu Terengganu, Marang, Setiu, Kuala Nerus and Kuala Terengganu, which are: N8 – Batu Rakit N9 – Tepuh N10 – Buluh Gading N11 – Seberang Takir N12 – Bukit Tunggal N13 – Wakaf Mempelam N14 – Bandar N15 – Ladang N16 – Batu Buruk N17 – Alur Limbat N22 – Manir
Kuala Terengganu was first designated as a local government area in 1928 through the Municipal and Health Enactment 1928. At this time, the area only covered a small part of the current city border, specifically the historic core around the river mouth. The area, nevertheless, was enlarged slowly. In 1950, the town was administered by Kuala Terengganu Town Board under section 51(1), the Local Authority Election Ordinance 1950. Like many other town boards at that time, the process of town planning was carried out according to the Town Board Enactment 1930. Until 1979, the town continued to be managed by Kuala Terengganu Town Board that governed an area of 5.4 square miles (1,398.6 hectares), with a population of around 53,300 people. Kuala Terengganu Municipal Council (MPKT) was established due to the development that spilled over to the areas outside the jurisdiction of the former Town Board. MPKT was established on 18 January 1979 under the enforcement of the Local Government Act 1976. MPKT was created through the amalgamation of Kuala Terengganu Town Board and four local councils (North KT, South KT, West KT, and Central KT) with an area of 18,712 hectares covering 21 mukim or sub-districts, including some parts of Northern Kuala Terengganu.