Kota Bharu, colloquially referred to as KB, is a town in

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

that serves as the state capital and royal seat of

Kelantan Kelantan (; Jawi: ; Kelantanese Malay: ''Klate'') is a state in Malaysia. The capital is Kota Bharu and royal seat is Kubang Kerian. The honorific name of the state is ''Darul Naim'' (Jawi: ; "The Blissful Abode"). Kelantan is located in the ...

. It is situated in the northeastern part of

Peninsular Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia ( ms, Semenanjung Malaysia; Jawi: سمننجڠ مليسيا), or the States of Malaya ( ms, Negeri-negeri Tanah Melayu; Jawi: نڬري-نڬري تانه ملايو), also known as West Malaysia or the Malaysian Peninsula, ...

and lies near the mouth of the

Kelantan River The Kelantan River (named ''Sungai Kelantan'' in the standard Malay language or ''Sunga Kelate'' as it is pronounced in Kelantanese language) is the major river in Kelantan, Malaysia. It drains a catchment area of about 11900 km² in north- ...

. The town is home to many

religious building A place of worship is a specially designed structure or space where individuals or a group of people such as a congregation come to perform acts of devotion, veneration, or religious study. A building constructed or used for this purpose is somet ...

s, various museums, the unique architecture of the old royal palaces (still occupied by the

sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...

and

sultanah Sultana or sultanah (; ar, سلطانة ') is a female royal title, and the feminine form of the word sultan. This term has been officially used for female monarchs in some Islamic states, and historically it was also used for sultan's consor ...

and off-limits to visitors but viewable from outside) and former royal buildings (which can be visited). It is served by

Keretapi Tanah Melayu Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) (Jawi: كريتاڤي تانه ملايو برحد) or Malayan Railways Limited is the main rail operator in Peninsular Malaysia. The railway system dates back to the British colonial era, when it was firs ...

's East Coast Line at the nearby Wakaf Bharu Terminal Station, in the town of

Wakaf Bharu Wakaf Bharu () is a satellite town in Tumpat District, Kelantan, Malaysia. Facilities Beside the mosque and several surau, there is also a church in Wakaf Bharu. Examples of housing estates in Wakaf Bharu area are Kawasan Perumahan SBJ (), Tama ...

across the Kelantan River and

Sultan Ismail Petra Airport Sultan Ismail Petra Airport is an airport that operates in Kota Bharu, a city in the state of Kelantan in Malaysia. The airport is named after Ismail Petra of Kelantan, the twenty eight Sultan of Kelantan, who ruled from 1979 to 2010. The present ...

, located in

Pengkalan Chepa Pengkalan Chepa is a town and parliamentary constituency in Kelantan, Malaysia. Pengkalan Chepa is where the Sultan Ismail Petra Airport is located. It is located about 8 km from Kota Bharu Kota Bharu, colloquially referred to as KB, ...

Etymology

Kota Bharu means "new city" or "new castle/fort" in Malay. Occasionally, the name of the city is written as Kota Baharu.

History

Kota Bharu was founded during the late 19th century. Before the establishment, Kota Bharu was home to Kelantan's Royal Palace, then established by Sultan Muhammad II of Kelantan in 1844 as Kelantan's state capital who wanted the new state capital built in his honour. Prior to this, Kota Bharu was known as Kuala Kelantan. Before Kota Bharu assumed the role, the Kelantanese capital was divided into two which were Kota Kubang Labu and Kota Pengkalan Datu. During the 19th century, Kelantan was a prosperous and populous state with a population of around 30,000 to 50,000 people including a thousand Chinese. Production from within the state include gold, tin ore, black pepper, areca nut, rice, rattan, bamboo, agarwood and songket. Kota Bharu acts as entrepot for goods due to its strategic location beside the Kelantan River. During World War II, Pantai Sabak, about from Kota Bharu, was the initial landing point of the Japanese invasion forces on 8 December 1941, beginning the

Battle of Kota Bharu The Battle of Kota Bharu began just after midnight on 8 December 1941 (local time) before the attack on Pearl Harbor. It was the first major battle of the Pacific War, and was fought between ground forces of the British Indian Army and the Emp ...

, the first battle of the

Malayan campaign The Malayan campaign, referred to by Japanese sources as the , was a military campaign fought by Allied and Axis forces in Malaya, from 8 December 1941 – 15 February 1942 during the Second World War. It was dominated by land battles between ...

. Japanese forces captured the city and would go on to successfully engage the British in jungle warfare and ultimately capture Singapore. Kota Bharu was declared as the "Cultural City" on 25 July 1991 by the late

Sultan Ismail Petra Sultan Ismail Petra ibni Almarhum Sultan Yahya Petra ( Jawi: ; 11 November 1949 – 28 September 2019) was the 28th Sultan of Kelantan who reigned from 30 March 1979 to 13 September 2010. He succeeded on the death of his father, Sultan Yahya ...

on the basis of two important aspects – the history of Kota Bharu and the uniqueness of its local arts and cultures. Kota Bharu was rebranded as the "Islamic City" ( ms, Bandaraya Islam) by the Kelantan State Government on 1 October 2005 through its "Developing With Islam" ( ms, Membangun Bersama Islam) policy.

Government

Kota Bharu Municipal Council, officially known as the Islamic City of Kota Bharu Municipal Council ( ms, Majlis Perbandaran Kota Bharu Bandaraya Islam, MPKB-BRI, Jawi: مجليس ڤربندرن كوتا بهارو بندراي اسلام) and formerly known as the Kota Bharu Town Council ( ms, Majlis Bandaran Kota Bharu) from 1936 until 1971 and the Kota Bharu Town Board ( ms, Lembaga Bandaran Kota Bharu) from 1971 until 1978, is the local authority of Kota Bharu.

Demographics

The vast majority of Kota Bharu's population is ethnically

Kelantanese Malay Kelantan-Pattani Malay (; ; in Pattani; in Kelantan) is an Austronesian language of the Malayic subfamily spoken in the Malaysian state of Kelantan and the neighbouring southernmost provinces of Thailand. It is the primary spoken language of ...

. The language spoken in Kota Bharu is Kelantan Malay dialect. There is also a fairly large

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

population.

Religion

Kota Bharu town's population is 93% Muslim, with the remainder consisting of Buddhists, Hindus and Christians. The predominantly urban local Chinese community mainly practices Buddhism.

Culture

The Kelantanese culture is highly distinctive as compared to other states of Malaysia but also with some influences from Thailand due to its geographical proximity.

Food

Nasi berlauk Nasi campur (Indonesian for 'mixed rice'), also known as nasi rames or sega campur (; ) in Java, refers to an Indonesian dish of a scoop of ''nasi putih'' (white rice) accompanied by small portions of a number of other dishes, which includes me ...

nasi dagang ''Nasi dagang'' ( Jawi: ناسي داڬڠ, lit. 'trader's rice') is a Malaysian dish consisting of rice steamed in coconut milk, fish curry and extra ingredients such as pickled cucumber and carrots. It is a well-known breakfast food in the st ...

nasi lemak ''Nasi lemak'' is a dish originating in Malay cuisine that consists of fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf. It is commonly found in Malaysia, where it is considered the national dish. It is also the native dish in neighbouri ...

and

nasi kerabu Nasi kerabu is a Malaysian cuisine rice dish, a type of ''nasi ulam'', in which blue-colored rice is eaten with dried fish or fried chicken, crackers, pickles and other salads. The blue color of the rice comes from the petals of ''Clitoria tern ...

are popular elements of the local cuisine. Sweet cakes, or

kuih ''Kuih'' (Indonesian: ''kue''; derived from the Hokkien and Teochew ''kueh'' – ) are bite-sized snack or dessert foods commonly found in Southeast Asia and China. It is a fairly broad term which may include items that would be called cake ...

, are also popular amongst the Kelantanese. Other popular foods include

nasi tumpang ''Nasi tumpang'' is a rice dish originating in Kelantan, Malaysia. ''Nasi tumpang'' is rice with different layer of dishes wrapped in a cone shape with banana leaf packed. Traditionally, it was staple food for travelers or farmers in Kelantan to ...

, etok, akok, lompat tikam & netbak.

Climate

Kota Bharu features a

tropical monsoon climate An area of tropical monsoon climate (occasionally known as a sub-equatorial, tropical wet climate or a tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate) is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category ...

bordering on a

tropical rainforest climate A tropical rainforest climate, humid tropical climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southea ...

. Kota Bharu does not have a true

dry season The dry season is a yearly period of low rainfall, especially in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which moves from the northern to the southern tropics and back over the course of the year. The te ...

although the city experiences noticeably heavier rainfall from August through January. Also, Kota Bharu experiences slightly cooler temperatures between December and February than during the rest of the year.The city sees on average about of precipitation annually.

Transportation

Public transportation

Grab Car services, available for 24 hours a day, are provided in Kota Bharu since April 2017. Kota Bharu is serviced by

, the busiest airport in east coast of

(IATA: KBR). The closest railway station is the Wakaf Bharu station on the other side of the river, 6 km from the city centre. The under construction

MRL East Coast Rail Link The East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) (Malay: ''Laluan Rel Pantai Timur'') is a standard gauge double-track railway link infrastructure project connecting Port Klang on the Straits of Malacca to Kota Bharu in northeast Peninsular Malaysia, connec ...

will have a station at Kota Bahru. The Kota Bharu station will be located near Kampung Tunjong.

Roadways

Highway 8 is the main highway leading Kota Bharu to the federal capital

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...

Highway 3 The following highways are numbered 3, H-3, PRI-3, AH3, E03 and R3. For roads numbered A3, see A3 roads. For roads numbered M3, see M3. For roads numbered N3, see N3. For roads numbered 3A, see 3A. International * Asian Highway 3 * Europea ...

connects Kota Bharu to

Pasir Mas Pasir Mas (Jawi: ڤاسير مس, Kelantanese: ''Pasey Mah'') is a town in Pasir Mas District, in north-western Kelantan, Malaysia. Pasir Mas is Kelantan's second largest city by population (230,424 in 2020 census). History According to legend ...

and the

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

border in the west, or

Kuala Terengganu , image_seal = Seal of Kuala Terengganu City Council.png , image_flag = Flag of Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu.svg , image_skyline = , image_caption = From top, left to right:The Crystal Mosq ...

Kuantan Kuantan ( Jawi: ) is a city and the state capital of Pahang, Malaysia. It is located near the mouth of the Kuantan River. Kuantan is the 18th largest city in Malaysia based on 2010 population, and the largest city in the East Coast of Penin ...

or even

Johor Bahru Johor Bahru (), colloquially referred to as JB, is the capital city of the state of Johor, Malaysia. It is located at the southern end of Peninsular Malaysia,along the north bank of the Straits of Johor, opposite of the city-state Singapore. T ...

due south. Connection to

Penang Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...

is possible via highway 4. The Lebuhraya Rakyat, or People's Expressway, is a planned

expressway Expressway may refer to: * Controlled-access highway, the highest-grade type of highway with access ramps, lane markings, etc., for high-speed traffic. * Limited-access road, a lower grade of highway or arterial road. *Expressway, the fictional s ...

that is to connect Kota Bharu to

Kuala Krai Kuala Krai (alternative spelling: Kuala Kerai, Jawi: كوالا كراي) is a town located in the coterminous Kuala Krai District in southern-central Kelantan, Malaysia. During British protection it was known as ''Kuala Lebir''. It is 67&nbs ...

in southern Kelantan. The project has been integrated into the

Central Spine Road Lingkaran Tengah Utama Expressway, previously known as Central Spine Road (CSR) or Kuala Krai–Kuala Pilah Highway, Federal Route 34, is a new toll-free highway under construction in the center of Peninsular Malaysia. The 325 km (201 mile ...

project (assigned as highway 34), scheduled to be complete by 2020.

Education

Notable educational establishments include

Open University Malaysia Open University Malaysia, abbreviated as OUM, is the 7th Malaysian private university and it is owned by the Multimedia Technology Enhancement Operations (METEOR) Sdn. Bhd, a consortium of 11 List of universities in Malaysia, Malaysian pu ...

Universiti Tun Abdul Razak Universiti Tun Abdul Razak (UNIRAZAK) is a premier private university in Kuala Lumpur. The university was established on 18 December 1997 and is one of the earliest private universities in Malaysia, widely known as Kuala Lumpur's Premier Schoo ...

MSU College Formerly known as Pusat Teknologi dan Pengurusan Lanjutan (PTPL), MSU College (MSUC) is a Private university, private college in Malaysia. Its main campus is located in Shah Alam, Selangor. MSU College (MSUC) main campus: # Shah Alam, Selangor ...

and Wadi Sofia International School. However, the most plentiful type of school are national schools, which include *

Private schools An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British Eng ...

Islamic religious schools Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , Plural, pl. , ) is the Arabs, Arabic word for any Educational institution, type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. T ...

* National schools * Chinese Type Primary and Secondary School * Technical school, Technical secondary schools: ''Sekolah Menengah Teknik (SMT)'' * MRSM and SBP

Shopping

The most famous shopping destination in Kota Bharu is

Siti Khadijah Market The Siti Khadijah Market ( ms, Pasar Besar Siti Khadijah) is a market in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia. Name The name is derived from Khadija bint Khuwaylid, the wife of Prophet Muhammad who was a businesswoman on that time. Thus, this market ...

. Most of its sellers are women. Next to Central Market is the Kota Bharu Trade Centre (KBTC) which was opened in August 2009, with

Parkson Parkson Holdings Berhad (doing business as Parkson; ; ) is an Asian-based department store operator with an extensive network of 131 stores as of 2017, spanning approximately 2.1 million m2 of retail space across cities in Malaysia, China, Vietnam ...

as the anchor tenants for the mall. Other shopping centres in Kota Bharu are the KB Mall, Kota Seri Mutiara, G-Orange Mall, Pantai Timur and Platinum Mall. A new

Tesco Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, England. In 2011 it was the third-largest retailer in the world measured by gross revenues and the ninth-largest in th ...

hypermarket opened in 2008. In March 2010, the Mydin Mall in Bandar Baru Kubang Kerian opened.

AEON The word aeon , also spelled eon (in American and Australian English), originally meant "life", "vital force" or "being", "generation" or "a period of time", though it tended to be translated as "age" in the sense of "ages", "forever", "timeles ...

Mall in Lembah Sireh opened in April 2016. A new

Giant Hypermarket GCH Retail (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (doing business as Giant Hypermarket) is a hypermarket and retailer chain now mainly in Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and Cambodia, and formerly Indonesia and Vietnam. In 2016, Giant was the largest supermarket chain ...

located in Bandar Baru Tunjong was opened in 2016, as well as a

Mydin Mydin Mohamed Holdings Berhad (MYDIN) is Malaysia's largest homegrown Halal hypermarket and retail chain. MYDIN was founded in August 1957 by the late Tuan Mydin Mohamed in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. The first shop was a small wooden shop in Jalan ...

store at Bandar Baru Tunjong by 2021.

Tourism

Beaches

Strong surf threatens all major beaches in the vicinity of Kota Bharu with substantial erosion. The community has been implementing wave breakers by piling up massive amounts of boulders in an effort to protect the coastline. Regular beach activity has become impossible as visitors frequent beaches further south. In terms of tourism, the most famous beach in Kota Bharu is Pantai Cahaya Bulan.

Wreck diving

Diving in Kota Bharu is a relatively new activity. At present, only one dive shop operates in the area. Trips out to the wreck of the ''

IJN Awazisan Maru ''Awazisan Maru'' (淡路山丸), also known as ''Awajisan Maru'' or ''Awagisan Maru'', was a motor cargo vessel built by Tama Zosensho of Tamano for Mitsui & Co. Ltd. with intention of serving on their Yokohama to New York route. The ship remai ...

'' (known locally as the "Japanese Invasion Wreck") are among the sites offered. This Japanese transport ship was the very first vessel to sink in the

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast ...

. The wreck is a 30-minute boat journey from a jetty which is 10 minutes outside of Kota Bharu.

Notable people

;Academician & Corporate Figures * Omar Abdul Rahman * Nik Safiah Karim ;Athletes *

Badhri Radzi Mohd Badhri bin Mohd Radzi, P.S. (born 2 June 1982) is a Malaysian professional footballer who plays for Malaysian team Kelantan United and the Malaysia national team. Well known as ''Piya'', Badhri is usually deployed as a central midfield ...

, footballer. Currently playing for

Kelantan FA Kelantan Football Club ( ms, Kelab Bola Sepak Kelantan) is a Malaysian professional football club based in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. The club plays in the Malaysia Super League, the top tier of Malaysian football since 2023. Founded in 1946, the ...

Hafiz Hashim Muhammad Hafiz bin Hashim (born 13 September 1982) is a former Malaysian badminton player whose biggest success is having won the 2003 All England Open Badminton Championships. He is currently the Malaysia national junior under-15 singles coac ...

, former national badminton player. *

Khairul Fahmi Che Mat Khairul Fahmi bin Che Mat, P.B. (born 7 January 1989 in Kota Bharu, Kelantan) is a Malaysian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Malaysia Super League club Sabah and the Malaysia national team. He is also a former member of ...

, national football goalkeeper * Luqman Hakim Shamsudin, footballer. Currently playing for

KV Kortrijk Koninklijke Voetbalclub Kortrijk (often simply called KV Kortrijk or KVK) is a Belgian professional football club based in Kortrijk, West Flanders. They play in the Belgian First Division, and they achieved their best ranking ever during the 2009 ...

Mohd Hashim Mustapha Mohd Hashim Mustapha (31 January 1966 – 29 November 2022) was a Malaysian professional footballer who played as a striker. Career Hashim was born in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. In the period from the 1980s until 2000, he played for several Malay ...

, former footballer *

Roslin Hashim Muhammad Roslin bin Hashim (born 23 October 1975) is a former Malaysian badminton player. He is the elder brother of Muhd Hafiz Hashim. Career 2004 Summer Olympics Hashim played badminton at the 2004 Summer Olympics in men's singles, losing ...

, former national badminton player. * Sidique Ali Merican, former sprinter. ;Entertainers * Bienda *

Izzue Islam Muhammad Izzul Islam bin Mazlan (born 2 June 1990), better known by his stage name Izzue Islam, is a Malaysian actor, singer and host. At the 2013 Malaysia Film Festival, he was awarded in the Most Promising Actor category. Filmography Film ...

* Misha Omar *

Julia Rais Yang Amat Berbahagia Cik Puan Julia Aishah Binti Abdul Rais, known professionally as Julia Rais, (born 19 February 1971) is a Malaysian former model and actress. She is a member of the Bendahara dynasty as the second wife of Abdullah of Pahang ...

Nelydia Senrose Nik Zaris Nelydia Binti Nik Sen (born 30 July 1994), better known by her stage name Nelydia Senrose, is a Malaysian actress. She debuted in 2007 and actively appeared in a few television dramas and popular in the drama ''Setia Hujung Nyawa'' ...

;Politics *

Asri Muda Mohd Asri bin Muda ( Jawi: ; 10 October 1923 – 28 August 1992) was a Malaysian politician who served as the President of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) from 1969 to 1982, and as the Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) of Kelantan. Early an ...

Khalid Samad Khalid bin Abdul Samad (Jawi alphabet, Jawi: خالد بن عبدالصمد; born 14 August 1957) is a Malaysian people, Malaysian politician who served as the Minister of Federal Territories (Malaysia), Minister of Federal Territories in the ...

Mohamed Nasir Dato' Haji Mohamed bin Nasir ( ms, محمد بن ناصر, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset; 1916 – 21 February 1997) was a Malaysian politician. He served as the fifteenth Menteri Besar of Kelantan from 1973 to 1978. Mohamed founded P ...

Ng Yen Yen Ng Yen Yen (; born 10 April 1946) is a Malaysian politician who had served in the Cabinet of Malaysia as Minister of Women, Family and Community Developmment from 2008 to 2009 and Minister of Tourism from 2009 to 2013. Her appointment as a ful ...

Nga Kor Ming David Nga Kor Ming (; born 11 November 1972), is a Malaysian politician who has served as the Minister of Local Government Development in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim since December 2022. He serve ...

Nik Ahmad Kamil Nik Ahmad Kamil bin Nik Mahmud (7 July 1909 – 20 December 1977) was a Malaysian politician who played an active role during the country's road to independence. A prominent member of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) in the state ...

Nik Aziz Nik Mat Nik Abdul Aziz bin Nik Mat ( Jawi: ; 10 January 1931 – 12 February 2015) was a Malaysian politician and Muslim cleric. He was the Menteri Besar of Kelantan from 1990 to 2013 and the ''Mursyidul Am'' or Spiritual Leader of the Pan-Malaysian I ...

Tan Seng Giaw Tan Seng Giaw (; born 26 May 1942) is a veteran Malaysian from the Democratic Action Party (DAP). Background He was born on 26 May 1942 in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. After attending Primary and High School in Kelantan and Penang respectively, he f ...

Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh bin Tengku Mohd Hamzah ( Jawi: تڠکو غزالي بن تڠکو محمد حمزة; born 13 April 1937) is a Malaysian politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Gua Musang from August 1986 to November ...

Zaid Ibrahim Dato' Mohd Zaid bin Ibrahim ( Jawi: محمد زيد بن إبراهيم; born 10 April 1951) is a Malaysian politician, lawyer and former Minister in the Prime Minister's Department for Legal Affairs and Judicial Reform (March 2008-September ...

International relations

Sister city

, Kota Bharu has one

sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...

: *

Kasaoka is a city located in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on April 1, 1952. The municipal district also includes 31 outlying islands including seven inhabited islands in the Kasaoka Islands group. As of February 28, 2017, the city h ...

, Japan.

References

External links

* *
Kelantan
at Tourism Malaysia {{Local governments in Malaysia Populated places established in 1844 World War II sites in British Malaya