Pekan, Pahang

Muzium Sultan Abu Bakar, Pekan (30 December, 2006)


Pekan (GPS: 3.48395, 103.39096) is the royal town of Pahang. It is located on the banks of the Pahang River, about 50 km south of Kuantan, and near the estuary. As the royal town, Pekan is the residence of the royal family of Pahang. It is also the hometown of the current (as of 2009) prime minister of Malaysia, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

The town of Pekan, which means "village centre" was actually named after a flower, bunga pekan, which grew while along the banks of Sungai Pahang. Although it is not known when a settlement first appeared in this area, Pekan is said to have existed as early as the 17th century, when Pahang itself was called Inderapura. At that time, Pekan was known as Pura. There was a settlement on both banks of Sungai Pahang with the older settlement originally called Kampung Cina, and was later called Pekan Baharu.

Map of Pekan, Pahang

Sights in Pekan

Mosques in Pekan

Places in Pekan

Streets in Pekan

There are a few theories to how the town got its name. Some believed that it was named after the Bunga Pekan flower, which grew along the banks of the Pahang River. Another theory claimed that it was named after Sungai Pekan, the river that flowed through the town near Mengkasar village. Yet another theory claimed that it was derived from Pekan Pahang, or town of Pahang. The most popular is that the name derived from it being a village settlement, or pekan in Malay, which grew into a small town.

The two main sights at Pekan is Pantai Lagenda Golf & Country Club and UMP Pekan, the campus of Universiti Malaysia Pahang. These two are sited next to each other on the north bank of the Pahang River, in Kampung Beruas, just off the river mouth. The International College of Automotive and HICOM Automotive Manufacturers are also in Pekan.

Sultan Abdullah Mosque, Pekan (30 December, 2006)

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