More To Muar Than Meets The Eye

More To Muar Than Meets The Eye


SIM BAK HENG - writes about the colourful history and development of Muar, a town known for its well-crafted furniture and scrumptious food.

It is always interesting to know how a place derives its name. Muar, often called a pensioners' town, got its name by virtue of its location in an estuary, or muara in Malay.

Before it was named Muar, it was called Teluk Dalam, or Inney Bay. Teluk Dalam and muara have georgraphical meanings, as both are located between land and sea.

Muar’s history is said to have started much earlier than the Malacca sultanate. A 1361 record shows that a Buddhist monk in the Majapahit palace named Prapanca wrote a poem, Nagarakertagama, which recorded the history of the Majapahit empire in the Malay peninsular.

The king was Hayam Wuruk and his prime minister was Gajah Mada (1350-1389). Muar was one of the states in this empire.

Another historical account states that Paraweswara, the founder of the Malacca empire, had built a wooden fort at Pagoh in Ulu Muar, after his exile from Temasik, before going to Malacca.

In Malay historical literature, Temasik, which was then ruled by Sultan Iskandar Syah, was defeated by the Majapahit empire.

The sultan moved to Muar where he opened two areas near Sungai Muar called Biawak Busuk and built a fort named Kota Buruk. He eventually moved to Malacca and built the empire.

Muar is home to the tomb of Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah (1477-1488), the only existing tomb of the Malacca sultanate. Other tombs were destroyed during the Portuguese occupation of Malacca.

Muar played a role in resisting the Portuguese occupation of Malacca in 1511. In response to attacks from the Portuguese fleet, the Bentayan fort was built by the sultan of Malacca to repel seaborne invasions.

A Portuguese fort named Fortaleza de Muar was built in Bentayan to defend the colony against the Dutch and Acehnese attacks.

Today, Muar is the royal town of northern Johor. It was also known as Bandar Maharani (Empress Town), a name given by Sultan Abu Bakar in 1884.

It was the only town in Malaysia that had its own rail-link, known as the Muar State Railways, operating just four years after the country’s first railway line from Taiping to Port Weld was inaugurated in 1885.

The railway operated from 1889 to 1925, linking Jalan Sulaiman in Muar and Sungai Pulai for 22.5km.

There was a plan in 1916 to extend the line to Batu Pahat but the project didn’t take off due to financial and geographical constraints.

The railway provided a means of transportation for people and produce. However, its prominence dwindled after the opening of Jalan Abdul Rahman, which linked Muar and Parit Jawa in 1918.

The only relic of the railways today is the display of a MSR locomotive in Taman Tanjung Emas.

Another important mode of transportation was the ferry and boats for people on both sides of Sungai Muar, until the Sultan Ismail bridge was built in 1909.

Muar is a treasure trove of old buildings. The Muar Royal Customs and Excise Office built in 1909 in Jalan Maharani is an important landmark.

The Sultan Ibrahim Jamek Mosque in Jalan Petri has a minaret in its backyard and a signboard with Chinese characters.

Another landmark is the Sultan Abu Bakar building (built in 1921), which is a replica of the Istana Besar of Johor Baru, now the Johor Royal Museum.

Many shophouses are prewar buildings with neo-classical facades, and Jalan Meriam has many colonial-styled residential buildings.

Muar today is known for its furniture industry and food. The furniture industry has provided jobs for locals, while the food attracts people from near and far.

So the next time you visit Muar, check out the historical buildings to feed your appetite for culture and don’t forget the food to satisfy your stomach.

Some of the other sites worth visiting are the oddly named Biawak Busuk (Smelly Monitor Lizard), Kota Buruk (Ruined Fort) and Sungai Mati (Dear River).

Curious about the origins of these names? Look out for part two of the story of Muar.

Source: New Straits Times, April 1, 2009.