Kota Bharu

Kota Bharu(Kelantanese:Koto Baghu;Jawi:کوتا بهارو‎), colloquially referred to asKB, is a town inMalaysiathat serves as the state capital and royal seat ofKelantan. It is situated in the northeastern part ofPeninsular Malaysiaand lies near the mouth of theKelantan River.
The town is home to manyreligious buildings, various museums, the unique architecture of the old royal palaces (still occupied by thesultanandsultanahand off-limits to visitors but viewable from outside) and former royal buildings (which can be visited). It is served byKeretapi Tanah Melayu'sEast Coast Lineat the nearby Wakaf Bharu Terminal Station, in the town ofWakaf Bharuacross the Kelantan River andSultan Ismail Petra Airport, located inPengkalan Chepa.
Kota Bharu means "new city" or "new castle/fort" in Malay. Occasionally, the name of the city is written as Kota Baharu.
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 10 km (6.2 mi) from Kota Bharu, was the initial landing point of the Japanese invasion forces on 8 December 1941, beginning theBattle of Kota Bharu, the first battle of theMalayan campaign. Japanese forces captured the city and would go on to successfully engage the British in jungle warfare and ultimately captureSingapore.
Kota Bharu was declared as the "Cultural City" on 25 July 1991 by the lateSultan Ismail Petraon 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" (Malay:Bandar Raya Islam) by the Kelantan State Government on 1 October 2005 through its "Developing With Islam" (Malay:Membangun Bersama Islam) policy.
Kota Bharu Municipal Council, officially known as theIslamic City of Kota Bharu Municipal Council(Malay:Majlis Perbandaran Kota Bharu Bandar Raya Islam, MPKB-BRI,Jawi: مجليس ڤربندرن كوتا بهارو بندراي اسلام) and formerly known as theKota Bharu Town Council(Malay:Majlis Bandaran Kota Bharu) from 1936 until 1971 and theKota Bharu Town Board(Malay:Lembaga Bandaran Kota Bharu) from 1971 until 1978, is the local authority of Kota Bharu.
Kota Bharu was declared an Islamic city on Saturday, 1 October 2005 at 10pm by the Sultan of Kelantan, DYMM Sultan Ismail Petra ibni al-Marhum Sultan Yahya Petra at the Sultan Mohammed IV Stadium. The inauguration was accompanied by a fireworks display as an inauguration gimmick and performances of poetry, dikir barat, nasyid and singing by special guests, namely Mawi, M. Nasir, Halim Yazid, Kumpulan Rabbani and Akhil Hayy. The inauguration was also witnessed by thousands of attendees who had to watch on screens installed in several places around Kota Bharu.
After the inauguration, the Kota Bharu Municipal Council (MPKB) was renamed the Islamic City of Kota Bharu Municipal Council (MPKB-BRI).
However, this declaration did not mean that the city of Kota Bharu had received the status of a city like others, but simply called Kota Bharu a city with Islamic characteristics.
The vast majority of Kota Bharu's population is ethnicallyKelantanese Malay. The language spoken in Kota Bharu is Kelantan Malay dialect. There is also a fairly largeChinesepopulation.
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.
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.
Nasi berlauk,nasi dagang,nasi lemakandnasi kerabuare popular elements of the local cuisine. Sweet cakes, orkuih, are also popular amongst the Kelantanese. Other popular foods includenasi tumpang, etok, akok, lompat tikam & netbak.
Kota Bharu features atropical monsoon climatebordering on atropical rainforest climate. Kota Bharu does not have a truedry seasonalthough 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 2,600 millimetres (100 in) of precipitation annually.
Grab Carservices, available for 24 hours a day, are provided in Kota Bharu since April 2017.
Kota Bharu is serviced bySultan Ismail Petra Airport, the busiest airport in east coast ofPeninsular Malaysia(IATA:KBR).
The closest railway station is theWakaf Bharu stationon the other side of the river, 6 km from the city centre.
The under constructionMRL East Coast Rail Linkwill have a station at Kota Bahru. The Kota Bharu station will be located near Kampung Tunjong.
Kota Bahru is served by local bus services, and intercity bus services. There are two bus terminals in the city, and buses connect to bigger towns and border towns such asSungai KolokandGua Musang.
Highway 8is the main highway leading Kota Bharu to the federal capitalKuala Lumpur.Highway 3connects Kota Bharu toPasir Masand theThailandborder in the west, orKuala Terengganu,Kuantanor evenJohor Bahrudue south. Connection toPenangis possible viahighway 4. TheLebuhraya Rakyat, or People's Expressway, is a plannedexpresswaythat is to connect Kota Bharu toKuala Kraiin southern Kelantan. The project has been integrated into theCentral Spine Roadproject (assigned as highway 34), scheduled to be complete by 2020.
Notable educational establishments includeOpen University Malaysia,Universiti Tun Abdul Razak,MSU Collegeand Wadi Sofia International School. However, the most plentiful type of school are national schools,which include
The most famous shopping destination in Kota Bharu isSiti Khadijah Market. Most of its sellers are women. Next to Central Market is the Kota Bharu Trade Centre (KBTC) which was opened in August 2009, withParksonas 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. ATescosupermarket opened in 2008, later renamedLotus's. In March 2010, the Mydin Mall in Bandar Baru Kubang Kerian opened.AEONMall in Lembah Sireh opened in April 2016. A newGiant Hypermarketlocated in Bandar Baru Tunjong was opened in 2016,as well as aMydinstore at Bandar Baru Tunjong by 2021.
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.
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 theIJN Awazisan Maru(known locally as the "Japanese Invasion Wreck") are among the sites offered. This Japanese transport ship was the first vessel to sink in thePacific War. The wreck is a 30-minute boat journey from a jetty which is 10 minutes outside of Kota Bharu.
As of 2018, Kota Bharu has twosister city: