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Kelantan History
Kelantan History
Kelantan History
pronunciation: [kläˈtɛ])[a] is a state in Malaysia. The capital, Kota Bharu, includes the royal seat of
Kubang Kerian. The honorific name of the state is Darul Naim (Jawi: " ;دار النعيمThe Blissful Abode").
Kelantan is the only state outside of East Malaysia that does not use the term district in its second-
level administrative division. Instead, the districts is named as colonies (Jajahan) or collectivities and
one autonomous subdistrict.
Kelantan is located in the north-eastern corner of the peninsula. Kelantan, which is said to translate
as the "Land of Lightning" (see alternate theories below), is an agrarian state with green paddy fields,
rustic fishing villages and casuarina-lined beaches. Kelantan is home to some of the most ancient
archaeological discoveries in Malaysia, including several prehistoric aboriginal settlements.
Due to Kelantan's relative isolation and largely rural lifestyle, Kelantanese culture differs somewhat
from Malay culture in the rest of the peninsula; this is reflected in the cuisine, arts and the unique
Kelantanese Malay language, which is unintelligible even for some speakers of standard Malay.
Kelantan is positioned in the north-east of the Malay Peninsula. It is bordered by Narathiwat
Province of Thailand to the north, Terengganu to the south-east, Perak to the west and Pahang to the
south. To the north-east of Kelantan is the South China Sea. Kelantan has diverse tropical rainforests
and an equatorial climate. The state's mountain ranges belong to the Titiwangsa Mountains, which
are part of the Tenasserim Hills that span throughout southern Myanmar, southern Thailand
and Peninsular Malaysia, with Mount Yong Belar being the state's highest point.
Etymology[edit]
Historical affiliations
Mao Kun map, from Wubei Zhi, which comes from the
early 15th century maps of Zheng He's navigators and cartographers, showing
Malacca (滿剌加) near the top left.
In Malacca during the early 15th century, Ming China actively sought to develop a commercial hub
and a base of operation for their treasure voyages into the Indian Ocean.[26] Malacca had been a
relatively insignificant region, not even qualifying as a polity prior to the voyages according to both Ma
Huan and Fei Xin, and was a vassal region of Siam.[26] In 1405, the Ming court dispatched
Admiral Zheng He with a stone tablet enfeoffing the Western Mountain of Malacca as well as an
imperial order elevating the status of the port to a country.[26] The Chinese also established a
government depot (官廠) as a fortified cantonment for their soldiers.[26] Ma Huan reported that Siam
did not dare to invade Malacca thereafter.[26] The rulers of Malacca, such as Parameswara in 1411,
would pay tribute to the Chinese emperor in person.[26] In 1431, when a Malaccan representative
complained that Siam was obstructing tribute missions to the Ming court, the Xuande Emperor
dispatched Zheng He carrying a threatening message for the Siamese king saying "You, king should
respect my orders, develop good relations with your neighbours, examine and instruct your
subordinates and not act recklessly or aggressively."[26] The early kings of Malacca—
Parameswara, Megat Iskandar Shah, and Sri Maharaja—understood that they could gain Ming
China's protection through skilful diplomacy and thereby could establish a strong foundation to their
kingdom against Siam and other potential enemies.[27] Chinese involvement was crucial for Malacca
to grow into a key alternative to other important and established ports.[28]