Kelantan: Malay Cultural Heartland

We drove through the liquid shade of woods, where the sarongs and parasols of the natives made drops of colour on the road. We came out into ricefields, glistening with water... curving like emerald rivers between banks of palms.

Patrick Balfour, Grand Tour.

Rising high on the slopes of Gunung Korbu, the second highest peak in peninsular Malaysia, the Nengiri River flows east to merge first with the Galas, and then with the Lebir - the latter born in the wilds of Taman Negara National Park - before turning decisively northwards and emptying into the shallow waters of the South China Sea. From Kuala Kerai the conjoined streams become the Sungai Kelantan, a broad, mud-coloured stream which dominates the fertile coastal plains and defines the geography of the region. This is Kelantan - River, Valley and State - a fertile rice-bowl, rich in hardwoods and rubber, lush with tropical fruits. It is also known and celebrated as a traditional heartland of Malay culture, home to some of Malaysia's most pious and devout Muslims.

Compared with the cosmopolitan west coast, Kelantan is certainly different - from the high number of women wearing the telekung, or traditional Malay head-veil, to the street signs in Jawi and posters exhorting citizens to "Grow with Islam", the Religion of the Prophet is everywhere apparent. Yet Kelantan, too, is multi-ethnic. Side-by-side with the region's Malay majority, and in apparently contented harmony, live Sikh policemen whose families hailed from the Punjab, Tamil restauranteurs with relatives and business links in Madras, ethnic Chinese whose ancestor tablets recall clan origins in Kwangtung and Fukien, and Thai-speaking Buddhists who have lived here as long as anyone can remember and are considered Bumiputras, or native "sons of the soil". Kelantan is indeed diverse; yet Islam - vibrant, confident, tranquil and secure - remains the defining cultural and social system of the state, the lens through which Kelantan's kaleidoscope of cultures is best seen.

David Henley / CPA

Muslim women buying fruit, Kelantan.

Kelantan's association with traditional Malay culture dates back at least as far as the 14th century, when the Sungai Kelantan Valley was settled by colonists from distant Java, then itself in the process of converting to Islam. A state was established, owing allegiance to Sultan Masud Shah of Melaka (1459-77), but because of the region's geographical isolation from the rest of peninsular Malaysia, Kelantan was able to retain a high degree of autonomy, retaining much of its Javanese heritage and distinctive cultural and dialectic differences down through the centuries.

Kelantan's political isolation helped in this process - under a relatively benevolent Thai suzerainty from 1780 to 1909, Siamese control was generally limited to the presentation of bunga mas, or tribute paid to Bangkok in the form of golden trees. Once this tribute was paid, local administration remained largely in the hands of the Kelantan royal family, whilst matters social and religious were the exclusive province of the Kelantanese ulama, or learned Islamic scholars. In 1909, by treaty agreement made between Britain and Siam, Kelantan became part of British-administered Malaya - but by this time the greater part of Chinese migration to the "Straits Settlements" of Singapore, Melaka and Penang had already taken place, and Kelantan's ethnic balance remained relatively unchanged - a tranquil, traditional Malay sultanate, shielded by ranks of jungle-clad mountains from the fast-changing west coast.

For much of the 20th century Kelantan enjoyed better communications with southern Thailand than with the west coast states of Kedah, Perak and Penang. It is true that in 1931 the pioneering Jungle Railway was completed, linking Kelantan with Kuala Lumpur by way of the jungled gorges of Kuala Lipis - yet the connection remained slow, tenuous and time-consuming. Kelantan, secure in its remote north-eastern fastness, remained sheltered from the rest of the country until 1982, when the great East-West highway was finally driven through the wilderness south of Bukit Ulu to Gerik and Penang.

Today's visitor to Kelantan must still be impressed by the region's geographical isolation and the wild scenery of the encircling mountains, whether the approach is made by road, rail or air. The state capital of Kota Bahru - "New Fort" in Malay - stands on the east bank of the muddy Sungai Kelantan, in the fertile lowlands where the river broadens and divides on its path to the sea. The commercial heart of the city is the Central Market off Jalan Temenggong, just to the north of the clock tower circle. Here, from early in the morning until dusk, the citizens of Kelantan - ethnic Chinese, Indians and Thais, as well as brightly-clad Malays - barter and bargain over a fantastic variety of tropical fruits and vegetables, fresh meat, dry goods, clothing and cosmetics. It's worth an hour or two of any visitor's time - but not on Fridays, the Muslim Sabbath, when the hurly-burly of trade gives way to rest, contemplation, and the call to prayer of the muezzin. Most traders are women, the Malays conspicuous in their colourful batik sarongs and austere telekung. The Malay men, too, tend to favour bright batik sarongs, some wrapping their heads in coloured turbans, others preferring the ubiquitous songkok, a black felt hat of enduring popularity amongst Malay Muslims from Kelantan to Kota Kinabalu.

Central Market may be the city's commercial hub, but the cultural heart lies a short distance to the north, in the area around Merdeka or "Independence" Square. Here may be found the symbols of power, wealth and authority which govern Kelantan and drive the machinery of state - palace, mosque and bank. On the north side of the square, next to the imposing State Mosque, stands the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank (now Hongkong Bank) - Kota Bahru's first and oldest brick building. Built in 1913, it served briefly as a Japanese army headquarters during the Second World War before reverting to its intended role in banking and finance.

Turn east, away from Merdeka Square and its twin symbols of spiritual and commercial endeavour, and the visitor is confronted by Kelantan's supreme symbol of temporal power - the Istana Balai Besar, or "Palace of the Great Audience Hall". Dating from 1844, this predominantly wooden building, chiefly remarkable for its elaborate gingerbread style, once served as the palace of Sultan Muhammad II. Although the Throne Room and Hall of Audience are still used on important royal occasions, they are open to the public at other times and are worth a visit for their richly decorated wood-carvings. Directly opposite, on the northern side of Jalan Pintu Pong, stands another royal palace, the Istana Jahar. Formerly the palace of Raja Bendahara, it was constructed by Kelantanese master craftsmen in 1877, and now serves as the State Museum. Like the Istana Balai, which it closely resembles, the Istana Jahar contains many fine examples of wooden fretwork and tracery, displaying the skills of Kelantanese wood-carvers at their impressive best. [The museum is open daily except Wednesdays from 10.00 to 18.00].

David Henley / CPA

Kelantan's Masjid Kampong Laut, the oldest mosque in Malaysia.

To most Malaysians, the State of Kelantan is synonymous with Malay arts and crafts. Kota Bahru, as the state capital, is a popular centre for such pursuits as silat martial arts and kertok drumming. Here, too, more than any other place in Malaysia, the traditional past-times of top-spinning - known as gasing - and the flying of giant, elaborately-decorated kites called wau, are still much in evidence. The visitor to Kota Bahru has an excellent opportunity to experience these traditions at the Kelantan Cultural Centre, which also stages wayang kulit "shadow puppet" performances, though for those with a little more time on their hands a visit to the beach might be just as appropriate.

The way to Kelantan's famed Pantai Cahaya Bulan, or "Moonlight Beach", located just six miles north of Kota Bahru, is lined with dozens of small backyard workshops producing buffalo-hide shadow puppets, wau bulan "moon kites", all manner of brightly-coloured batik garments, songket hand-woven silk cloth shot with gold, and traditional wood carvings. Local craftsmen are generally delighted to show visitors around - not merely, as might be expected, with a view to selling their wares, but also with the enthusiasm of skilled artisans taking genuine pride in, and deriving satisfaction from, their craft.

The road winds back and forth through tiny fishing villages, beneath clumps of tall coconut palms and past green-and-white painted minarets to the sea. Here, at Pantai Cahaya Bulan, visitors and locals alike may be found relaxing beneath shady umbrellas, sipping iced drinks and snacking on such local delicacies as keropok fish crisps and prawns deep-fried in batter. There always seems to be a fresh breeze blowing in from the South China Sea, and chances are that several wau bulan will be snapping in the wind.

Kelantan's Links with Thailand

Malaysians of ethnic Thai origin, known in Malay as orang syam, have lived in Kelantan for centuries. It is not clear just when and how they came to settle in this overwhelmingly Malay region, but their dialect suggests they came originally from Thailand's neighbouring Narathiwat Province - itself predominantly Muslim and Malay-speaking - at least four centuries ago. As in most frontier regions, there is an ethnic overlap between Thailand and Malaysia, and it must be remembered that Bangkok administered the region until as recently as 1909.

At present there are between seven and eight thousand ethnic Thais resident in Kelantan. They are recognised as Bumiputras - "Sons of the Soil", or indigenous Malaysians, with the same rights and status as Muslim Malays. The orang syam inhabit three main areas of Kelantan State - along a small bend on the south bank of the upper Golok River; on both sides of the Lemal River near Pasir Mas; and across a wide sweep of territory between the mouth of the Golok River and the coastal town of Tumpat. It is this last, Tumpat enclave which is most important - home to 75% of Kelantan's Thais, site of most of the state's twenty or so Buddhist temples, and noteworthy for its number of confident and well-to-do Kampung SyamSiamese villages.

One easy way of distinguishing kampung Syam, or ethnic Thai settlements, is the presence of large, prominently sited Buddhist temples. Just as in neighbouring Thailand, these are distinguished by curved temple roofs, elaborate gilded pagodas, standing, seated or reclining Buddha figures, and tinkling wind-bells. Some - like the temple at Kampong Jubakar, near Tumpat - are four or five centuries old, and well worth seeing. For the visitor, Kelantan's flourishing Thai connection is yet another aspect of the ethnic diversity of this colourful state.

Kelantan's Chinese Connection

Migrants from China's southern provinces of Kwangtung, Fukien and Hainan have been travelling to Southeast Asia for centuries. With the establishment of the Straits Settlements and the development of a major tin-mining industry during the 19th century, Malaya became a preferred destination for these "Overseas Chinese". Most, however, settled in Penang, Perak, Selangor and Melaka, bypassing Malaysia's placid and predominantly agricultural east coast for the booming west of the peninsular.

Not until the 1920s, following the transfer of Kelantan from Thailand to Malaysia, did small numbers of Chinese settlers turn their attention to Kelantan. These pioneers were not tin-miners, but shop-keepers, keen to establish themselves in small businesses buying seafood, copra and rice, and selling dry goods, imported luxuries and patent medicines. As elsewhere in Malaysia, they thrived - chiefly in towns such as the port of Tumpat, the important railway junction at Pasir Mas, and in Kota Bahru itself.

Although never a large community, Kelantan's ethnic Chinese are today prosperous, hard-working and clearly visible. In almost any market, and certainly in any downtown shopping area, ethnic Chinese entrepreneurs can be found doing what they do best - business. Many of Kelantan's Chinese hailed originally from southern Kwangtung, and they have preserved many of that region's cultural and religious traditions. Chinese households and shops are distinguished by the presence of red-and-gold ideograms on the door posts which will (hopefully) ensure peace, luck and prosperity. Small, red-painted altars hang from the pillars of shop-houses, bearing offerings of fruit and smoking incense. In larger centres, like Tumpat and Pasir Mas, bright ceramic dragons curling along tiled eaves distinguish Chinese temples. From within can be heard the sound of fortune-sticks being shaken and thrown to determine future fortunes, whilst writhing coils of joss-smoke perfume the air.

For the visitor, Kelantan's Chinese community is of practical, as well as cultural interest. Where there are Chinese, there are Chinese restaurants - and whilst the local Malay fare is as good as any in the peninsula, the presence of Chinese Malaysians adds considerably to the wide choice of cuisines available in Kota Bahru and beyond.

Malaysia's Fruit Garden

Kelantan is almost unbelievably fertile, with rich shades of green the predominant colour. Whether it's rice or palm oil, hardwood or rubber, it thrives here - and that is particularly true of fruit. Visitors to Kelantan, and especially those from cooler, temperate climates, are in for a real treat. Many of Kelantan's wide range of fruits can be found on supermarket shelves worldwide, it is true. Pineapples, coconuts, bananas and mangoes have long been familiar to shoppers as far afield as Sydney and San Francisco, but - truth to tell - they simply don't taste as refreshing or as succulent as the same fruits fresh from the tree.

There are less familiar fruits which should be sampled as well. Durian, Rambutan, Langsat, Mangosteen and Pulasan are just a few of the delicious varieties available locally which rarely make it to consumers in America and Europe. Visitors to Kelantan who see unfamiliar fruits for sale in shops and markets shouldn't be shy - ask the name, and whether you can sample a piece. Kelantanese are friendly and generous; they're also proud of the bounty which nature has given their state, and respond warmly to such enquiries. Watch out for the notorious durian, though - with this fruit it's a case of love it or hate it! Many find the powerful aroma of the ripe fruit unbearable, and in many parts of Malaysia and neighbouring Singapore air-conditioned buildings and public transport are "durian-free zones". Others find it irresistibly delicious, and are prepared to pay serious sums of money for the most prized species.

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