Besar Island ("Big Island", , in
Jawi Script
Jawi (; ; ; ) is a writing system used for writing several languages of Southeast Asia, such as Acehnese, Banjarese, Betawi, Magindanao, Malay, Mëranaw, Minangkabau, Tausūg, Ternate and many other languages in Southeast Asia. Jawi ...
: ) is an island approximately 13 km off the coast of mainland
Malacca
Malacca (), officially the Historic State of Malacca (), is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state in Malaysia located in the Peninsular Malaysia#Other features, southern region of the Malay Peninsula, facing the Strait of Malacca ...
in
Malaysia
Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
. It is served by 15-minute private motorboat rides from the towns of Pernu and Umbai and 30-minute scheduled ferry rides from Anjung Batu Jetty in
Umbai
Umbai is a mukim and town in Jasin District in the Malaysian state of Malacca.
Tourist attractions
* Sultan Ali of Johor Mausoleum ()
* Umbai Floating Ikan Bakar Village ()
Transportation
* Anjung Batu Jetty () – Jetty for ferries to Besar I ...
.
Tourist attractions
There are a few attractions which spread across the island, including the tombs of Baghdad-born Islamic preacher Sultan Al Ariffin Syeikh Ismail and his relatives, who were part of an entourage responsible for the spread of Islam throughout the Malay Archipelago after arriving at the island in 1495.
There are also tombs of local figures, unmarked graves and numerous mystical and legendary old wells and rock formations. According to local legends, one of the wells is believed to contain salt water at high tide and fresh water during low tide. The island is believed to be the home of elves known as
Orang bunian
In Malaysian, Bruneian and Indonesian folklore, Bunian people or Orang bunian () are supernatural beings said to be invisible to most humans, except those with "spiritual sight". While the term is often translated as "elves", it literally trans ...
and there is a cave known as Yunos Cave (), where warriors were said to practice mysticism and learn silat (a type of Malay martial arts) in the past.
The Besar Island Museum (), operated by the state's Museum Corporation displays various information related to the island's sights and legend.
Facilities
There is one religious school located on the northeastern tip of the island, adjacent to the jetty. One resort – Putera Island Resort is currently operating on the east side of the island. However, another resort – Marina Resort on the west side is currently abandoned.
A 4.2-kilometre long sea-crossing
overhead power line
An overhead power line is a structure used in electric power transmission and distribution to transmit electrical energy along large distances. It consists of one or more conductors (commonly multiples of three) suspended by towers or poles. ...
supported by 12 monopoles, which began operations on 28 February 2015, was built to supply electricity to the island from nearby Siring Beach in
Serkam,
Jasin District
Jasin District, formerly known as Southern District, is one of the three administrative Districts of Malaysia, district in Malacca, Malaysia. It borders Tangkak District of Johor to the east, Tampin District of Negeri Sembilan to the north and A ...
.
Gallery
Water Islands
Besar Island along with 6 nearby islets form the Water Islands Group.
See also
*
List of islands of Malaysia
This is a list of islands of Malaysia. According to the Department of Survey and Mapping, Malaysia, there are 879 islands in the country. The state of Sabah has the most islands with 395 islands within its waters. Apart from that, Malaysia also h ...
References
Melaka Tengah District
Islands of Malacca
Islands of the Strait of Malacca
Tourist attractions in Malacca
{{Malaysia-island-stub