Raub is a town in
Raub District,
Pahang
{{Infobox political division
, name = Pahang
, official_name = Pahang Darul Makmur
, native_name =
, settlement_type = States and federal territories of Malaysia, State
, image_skyline =
, imagesize ...
,
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 ...
. Raub is one of the oldest towns in
Pahang
{{Infobox political division
, name = Pahang
, official_name = Pahang Darul Makmur
, native_name =
, settlement_type = States and federal territories of Malaysia, State
, image_skyline =
, imagesize ...
.
History

Raub was explored and founded in the 18th century. It is historically a gold mining settlement, and the gold mining industry is now undergoing something of a resurgence as the gold price has risen. According to the history, this mining centre was named Raub after a group of miners found a handful of gold in every tray of sand they dig. This is described by J.A. Richardson in his book, ''The Geology and Mineral Resources of the Neighbourhood of Raub Pahang''. According to him (page 36), "People found that for every "''dulang''" of sand there was a handful (''raub'') of gold". The old folks' tale recounts that in the early 19th century, an old man and his two sons discovered gold every time they scooped up the earth in Raub. Thus, the town and the district derived their name from the
Malay word ''raub'' which means "scoop".
Raub became famous in the early 20th century for its mining resource (
gold
Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
). Then, gold mining in Raub was operated by Raub Australian Gold Mine (RAGM), a company registered in 1889 in
Queensland
Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. The company was initially known as Australian Syndicate Ltd and later as Australian Gold Mining Co. Ltd in 1892. RAGM operated until 1961.
The mining method used in Raub is
shaft mining
Shaft mining or shaft sinking is the action of excavating a mine shaft from the top down, where there is initially no access to the bottom. Shaft (civil engineering), Shallow shafts, typically sunk for civil engineering projects, differ greatly ...
and started at the Raub Hole. This area is now known as
Bukit Koman. The mining activity became a valuable heritage for Raub district. The main road in Raub Bibby Road, was named after the company's first manager
William Bibby Mason Road was named after the first district officer J S Mason. Bukit Koman was once dubbed "Malaysian capital of gold" as the result of rapid development of gold mining.
Communist
Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...
threat in the 1940s in Raub resulted in the erection of new settlements. Among them are
Cheroh (1948), Sang Lee (1948),
Sungai Ruan (1948),
Sungai Chetang (1948),
Bukit Koman (1949),
Sempalit (1950),
Sungai Lui (1950),
Tras (1950) and
Sungai Klau (1960).
There are a lot of
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
style buildings in Raub, especially along Mason Road (now known as Jalan Tengku Abdullah). Most of the buildings in Raub were built during the pre-
World War II era. Some examples of the pre-war buildings in Raub are the old Police Station of Raub (built in 1906) and the Raub District Council Building.
Economy
After the gold mines were depleted, the main economic activity of Raub is
agriculture
Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...
. Main commodity crops in Raub are natural rubber, oil palm, cocoa and local fruits, like
durian
The durian () is the edible fruit of several tree species belonging to the genus ''Durio''. There are 30 recognized species, at least nine of which produce edible fruit. ''Durio zibethinus'', native to Borneo and Sumatra, is the only species ...
s. The town, styled as the "durian capital of Malaysia", attracts a steady stream of visitors, especially tourists from Singapore and China.
A new company, Peninsular Gold, has restarted gold mining at the Raub mine. Initially, the company recovered gold from the tailings dumps from the old mine, but started mining fresh ore again in 2011. A major drilling campaign is in progress, exploring additional resources adjacent and below the old mine.
Government and administration
Raub is administered by the Raub District Council; its president is Haji Khairulanuar bin Mahmood.
Raub has its own constituency in the
Dewan Rakyat
The Dewan Rakyat (; Jawi script, Jawi: ), is the lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Malaysia, Parliament which is the federal legislature of Malaysia. The chamber and its powers are established by Article 44 of the Constitu ...
of the
Malaysian Parliament
The Parliament of Malaysia (; Jawi script, Jawi: ) is the national legislature of Malaysia, based on the Westminster system. The bicameral parliament consists of the Dewan Rakyat (House of Representatives, Literal translation, lit. "People's As ...
. The incumbent MP is
Chow Yu Hui
from
DAP.
In turn, Raub delivers three seats to the
Pahang State Legislative Assembly
The Pahang State Legislative Assembly () is the unicameral state legislature of the Malaysian state of Pahang. It is composed of 42 members representing single-member constituencies throughout the state.
The Assembly convenes at the Wisma Seri P ...
, comprising
Batu Talam,
Tras and
Dong.
Raub is the only place in western Pahang (Raub, Bentong and Kuala Lipis) that has state and federal-level administrative offices. There is a landmark building, situated next to Taman Bukit Koman (not to be confused with Kampung Bukit Koman), which contains most of the administrative offices, called Bangunan Gunasama Persekutuan. Inside Bangunan Gunasama Persekutuan, there are District Immigration Department, National Registry Department (District Branch) Office and other important offices in that building also. Besides that, there is Land Office which is on top of a hill, beside Taman Shahbandar, provides opportunity to renew their land title and land grant, unlike Bentong, they need to come to Raub to renew their land title. Actually, the existence of those administrative offices has its roots. During the early 20th century, because of massive gold mining activity, Raub was quickly developed and at once, it was tipped as the future administrative state capital for Pahang. However, at the last minute, Residence of Pahang decided to shift state administrative capital to Kuantan and left out Raub. Although Raub did not become state capital, however, British left a lot of administrative buildings in Raub, including the Resident's official residence (the present Raub District Officer's official residence) was situated in Raub.
Transport
Car
Federal Route 8 is the main route to Raub. Motorists from
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...
will usually exit the
East Coast Expressway
The East Coast Expressway (ECE; Malay language, Malay: , ''LPT'') is an interstate controlled-access highway running parallel to the northeastern coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The currently operational segment of the expressway runs through Karak ...
at
Bentong
Bentong, the seat of Bentong District, is a town located in western Pahang, Malaysia, at the border with the state of Selangor in the west and the state of Negeri Sembilan in the south.
Government
Bentong Municipal Council () is the local au ...
and then enter highway
Federal Route 8 to get to Raub or
Kuala Lipis
Kuala Lipis (Pahang Malay: ''Kole Lepeh'') is a mukim and capital of Lipis District, Pahang, Malaysia with a population of 20,000.
History
Kuala Lipis was a gold-mining centre before the British Empire, British arrived in 1887. In 1898, it bec ...
or exit at
Central Spine Road and exit at Mempaga then enter highway
Federal Route 8 to get to Raub or
Kuala Lipis
Kuala Lipis (Pahang Malay: ''Kole Lepeh'') is a mukim and capital of Lipis District, Pahang, Malaysia with a population of 20,000.
History
Kuala Lipis was a gold-mining centre before the British Empire, British arrived in 1887. In 1898, it bec ...
. Raub is also a stopover for motorists travelling to
Kota Bharu
Kota Bharu ( Kelantanese: ''Koto Baghu''), colloquially referred to as KB, is a town in Malaysia that serves as the state capital and royal seat of Kelantan. It is situated in the northeastern part of Peninsular Malaysia and lies near the mout ...
, which is the northern end of highway 8.
Raub is the eastern end of
Federal Route 55, which begins in
Kuala Kubu Bharu in
Selangor
Selangor ( ; ), also known by the Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the e ...
and passing through the hill resort of
Fraser's Hill in the process. As a result, Route
Federal Route 55 is an alternative to the
Karak Highway for Selangor/Kuala Lumpur/Klang Valley motorists.
Raub is also a gateway to the hill resort of
Cameron Highlands, using Pahang State Route .
Public transport
Currently stage bus in western Pahang area is being served by private stage bus company. Stage buses in Raub are operated by several companies which include Pahang Lin Siong (to Lipis), Sanwa Tours (to
Gombak LRT station, MARA Liner (to FELDA area) and Central Pahang (to
Titiwangsa station). Union and Central Pahang merged a few years ago and has been operating as a single entity under Central Pahang. Besides these local companies, other interstate express coaches also stop by Raub express bus station as the town is strategically located along routes to cities like
Gua Musang and
Kota Bharu
Kota Bharu ( Kelantanese: ''Koto Baghu''), colloquially referred to as KB, is a town in Malaysia that serves as the state capital and royal seat of Kelantan. It is situated in the northeastern part of Peninsular Malaysia and lies near the mout ...
in the eastern states of Peninsular Malaysia.
Raub is also not served by the
KTM Intercity
KTM Intercity () are diesel-hauled intercity train services in Peninsular Malaysia, operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB). Services operate along the East Coast Line between Tumpat and Gemas and on towards JB Sentral on the Wes ...
, given its mountainous terrain. The closest station will be
Kuala Lipis
Kuala Lipis (Pahang Malay: ''Kole Lepeh'') is a mukim and capital of Lipis District, Pahang, Malaysia with a population of 20,000.
History
Kuala Lipis was a gold-mining centre before the British Empire, British arrived in 1887. In 1898, it bec ...
.
Shopping malls
*TF Value-Mart Supermarket
*Tunas Manja Supermarket
*PDM Supermarket
*BS Fresh market
*Pasaraya Pantai Timor
*TMG Mart Raub
References
External links
Majlis Daerah Raub (Raub District Council)
{{Authority control
Raub District
Towns in Pahang