Discover Kelantan

Discover Kelantan (11 February, 2006)


B. Melayu

Map of Kelantan

Towns in Kelantan

For a more comprehensive list, go to Towns in Kelantan.

Airports in Kelantan

Tourist Attractions of Kelantan

Tourist Attractions of Kelantan

Sights in Kelantan

State Roads in Kelantan

Categories of sights in Kelantan

Districts of Kelantan

Wat Puchumthat Chanaram, Jong Bakar, Tumpat (12 February, 2006)

Introducing Kelantan

Kelantan provides information you can use for visiting Kelantan. Kelantan is a state on the northeast of West Malaysia. Its official name is Kelantan Darul Naim. The Arabic honorific Darul Naim means "The Blissful Abode". Kelantan is bordered by Terengganu and Pahang to the south, Perak to the west and the Narathiwat Province of Thailand to the north. The eastern side of Kelantan borders the South China Sea. The state has a size of 14,922 sq km and a population of slightly over two million. Its capital is Kota Bharu, a small city by the banks of the Kelantan River.

This travel guide is created for independent travellers planning to explore Kelantan. As much as possible, I am incorporating GPS coordinates to the towns as well as to specific sights in Kelantan, so you only have to key in the GPS coordinates into your GPS device or smart phone to be navigated to then places that I describe.

The name Kelantan is said to mean "Land of Lightning". It is a very much agrarian state with paddy fields, fishing villages and sandy beaches. Kelantan is home to some of the most ancient archaeological discoveries in Malaysia, including several prehistoric aboriginal settlements. The economy of Kelantan is dominated by rice, rubber and tobacco cultivation. Fishing along its 96-kilometre coastline is also an important economic activity. Traditional skills in handicraft production such as batik, woodcarving and songket weaving are still practiced, albeit on a small scale. Logging activities are active given the vast remaining area of forest. A few reputable hotels have been established and more modern shopping malls have been opened to cater for urban folks.

The history of Kelantan goes back to around 1760, when a Pattani-born chieftain by the name of Long Yunus was able to unite the various districts and formed a sultanate. He was succeeded by his son Sultan Muhammad I. When Sultan Muhammad I died without leaving an heir, civil war broke out. Eventually, the throne went to a nephew, who ascended the throne as Sultan Muhammad II. Sultan Muhammad II had an amicable relationship with Siam, and at that time, the Sultanate of Kelantan was a suzerainty of Siam. In 1909, however, Siam had to relinquish all rights of suzerainty, administration and control of Kelantan to the British under the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909 which was ratified in London.

Wat Uttamaram, Tumpat, Kelantan (13 February 2006)


Kota Bharu, the capital, is the major urban centre, and there are also plans to open up the southern portion of the state under an ambitious multi-million-dollar development project. The main market at the city centre is a top attraction.

Kelantan has a GDP per capita at about RM10000, which is about one-third that of other richer states like Selangor and Penang. Many Kelantanese are involved in small and medium businesses, enjoying a good unreported income that is not reflected in the GDP calculation.

Istana Jahar in Kota Bharu, housing the Kelantan Royal Ceremonies Museum (12 February 2006)

Kelantan Today

Some people are apprehensive about visiting Kelantan, particularly Kota Bharu, on account of it being such a conservative Muslim state.

Once you come to Kelantan however, you will be surprised to find that there is so much to explore, and that the people of various races live here in better harmony than in some other states without a so-called Muslim fundamentalism. Just head to Tumpat, and you will find a greater density of Buddhist temples than practically anywhere else in the country.

Siti Khadijah Market, Kota Bharu (12 February 2006)

List of States in Malaysia

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About this website

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.

While I try my best to provide you information as accurate as I can get it to be, I do apologize for any errors and for outdated information which I am unaware. Nevertheless, I hope that what I have described here will be useful to you.