Kompleks Jeti Sungai Merbok

Kompleks Jeti Sungai Merbok, Sungai Petani (23 August, 2015)


Kompleks Jeti Sungai Merbok (GPS: 5.68223, 100.46828) is a jetty complex on the southern bank of Sungai Merbok in Sungai Petani, Kedah. The site is to the immediate west of Jambatan Sungai Merbok, which connects Sungai Petani with Semeling in the north.

The jetty beside Sungai Merbok (23 August, 2015)


Walkway at Kompleks Jeti Sungai Merbok for visitors to stroll and admire the mangrove swamp. (23 August, 2015)


View the mangrove trees up close from the walkway at Kompleks Jeti Sungai Merbok. (23 August, 2015)


Mangrove trees as seen from the walkway. (23 August, 2015)


Different types of mangrove trees grow verdantly at Kompleks Jeti Sungai Merbok. (23 August, 2015)


Different types of mangrove trees grow verdantly at Kompleks Jeti Sungai Merbok. (23 August, 2015)


I have visited this jetty complex twice. The first time was with my friend Michael Rawlinson and Bujang Valley expert Datuk V. Nadarajan. I was shown the walkway that leads through the coastal mangrove swamp. To me, this is very interesting, as it allows you to see the mangrove up close without getting dirty or wet. The availability of mangrove timber means that the area was traditionally a charcoal- and brick-making site, probably going back to ancient times.

Sungai Merbok Charcoal Kiln

As a reminder of that, there is a coal and brick furnace, or kiln, at the Kompleks Jeti Sungai Merbok. As it is located beside the river, I call it the Sungai Merbok Charcoal Kiln. The kiln (I think "furnace" might not be a right term for it, as it has no chimney) is known in Malay as gok arang. This kiln is made of bricks that are arranged to form a dome roof. There is an archway entrance. Inside the kiln, mangrove timber is arranged to be smoked until it becomes charcoal. (To know how charcoal is made, read my webpage about the Charcoal Kiln of Matang).

Sungai Merbok Charcoal Kiln (23 August, 2015)


My wife and I at the Sungai Merbok Charcoal Kiln (23 August, 2015)


My wife and I at the Sungai Merbok Charcoal Kiln (23 August, 2015)

Sungai Merbok Museum

In addition to the jetty, mangrove walkway and charcoal kiln, there is also a museum on site. The museum has two galleries. One provides information on the ancient history of the Sungai Merbok area, while the other gallery on the mangrove ecology. Alas, as with so many museums in the country, its opening hours cannot be ascertained. I was told that many visitors were disappointed to come all the way here only to find that the galleries are locked. I was very lucky to get to enter it during my two visits.

Sungai Merbok Museum. (23 August, 2015)


Gallery at Sungai Merbok Museum providing information on the charcoal making process. (23 August, 2015)


A map in Jawi on Sungai Merbok. (23 August, 2015)


Datuk V. Nadarajan, who wrote the book on Bujang Valley, at the Sungai Merbok Museum. (23 August, 2015)


On the whole, I find Kompleks Jeti Sungai Merbok somewhat wanting. Although the information at the museum is excellent, as is the walkway, the place is rather neglected and poorly maintained. You can feel that the car park has not been swept for a long time. I suppose no budget is allocated for its maintenance - something which is so common all over the country, and as a result, the place seems to be falling apart. Moreover, as the opening of the museum seems irregular, it does not help to attract visitors, which in turn, continues the spiral of decline.

Kompleks Jeti Sungai Merbok is on the Map of Sungai Petani, Kedah

Kompleks Jeti Sungai Merbok

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Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

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