Muar (town)

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Muar
(Bandar Maharani, Bandar Diraja)

( ( ) Malay)
City

Flag
Seal

Motto: "Cekap Amanah Dinamik Makmur" (Malay)

"Efficient Trustworthy Dynamic Prosperous"

Muar
(Bandar Maharani, Bandar Diraja)

Coordinates:

2300N 1023400E

Country

Malaysia

State

Johor

Township

1885

Municipality

2001

Government
District Officer

Tuan Haji Ramlee Bin Haji A. Rahman[1]

Yang Di Pertua

Area
Total

1,376 km2 (531 sq mi)

Elevation

36.88 m (121 ft)

Population (2010)
Total

247,957

Density

180/km2 (470/sq mi)

Demonym

Muarian

Time zone

MST (UTC+8)

Summer (DST)

Not observed (UTC)

Postal code

84000

National calling code

06-95xxxxx to 06-98xxxxx

License plate prefix

Jxx

Website

www.mpmuar.gov.my
www.johordt.gov.my/pdmuar
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Muar, also known as Bandar Maharani is theroyal city and fourth largest city (after Johor
Bahru, Batu Pahat and Kluang, the capital) of the state of Johor, Malaysia, geopolitically situated
inMuar District in the region or area of Muar in northwestern Johor, Malaysia. It is the main and
biggest town of the bigger entity region or area of the same name, Muar which is sub-divided into the
Muar district and the new Ledang district, which was upgraded into a full-fledged district from
theTangkak sub-district earlier.[2] Muar district as the only district covering the whole area formerly
borders Malacca in the northern part. Upon the upgrading of Ledang district, the Muar district now
covers only the area south of Sungai Muar, whilst the northern area beyond the river is in within
Ledang district. However, both divided administrative districts are still collectively and fondly called
and referred to as the region or area of Muar as a whole by their residents and outsiders.
Contents
[hide]

1 Etymology

2 History

3 Geography
3.1 Climate

4 Administration
4.1 Suburbs or Mukim

4.1.1 Muar

4.1.2 Ledang

5 Transportation

6 Telecommunication and postal service

7 Economy
o

7.1 Well-known food and beverage franchise stores

8 Education

8.1 Pagoh Education Hub

8.2 Higher education

8.3 Secondary schools

8.4 Chinese independent schools

8.5 National primary schools

8.6 Chinese primary schools

9 Architecture

10 Tourism
o

10.1 Religious buildings and worship places

10.2 Historical places

11 Food and cuisine

12 Culture and tradition

13 Hospitals

14 Notable people
o

14.1 Politicians and public servants

14.2 Entertainment

14.3 Sportspersons

14.4 Community & business leaders

14.5 Terrorists

15 Gallery

16 Sister cities

17 References

18 External links

Etymology[edit]

Muar also known as Bandar Maharani is said to have had other names earlier and the name itself
Muar is believed to have originated and derived from its geographical location at the mouth
orestuary of Muar River as the following different version of theories:

Teluk Dalam :Muar was formerly known as Teluk Dalam meaning "the deep bay" may be
derived from its location at the estuary or the structure of the mouth of the Muar River which is
wide open and deep; based on a sentence in one part of Hikayat Malim Deman; as in :MUAR belum bernama MUAR , MUAR bernama TELUK DALAM.
(MUAR has not been named MUAR , MUAR called TELUK DALAM.)

Muara :Muar name is said to be the summary for this old Malay word Muara meaning
"the wide open estuary".

Muak :Means "bored" or "tired" in paddling the boat travelling along the river which is
large and curvy by the local people in the early days. The people started calling the river
and place Muar deriving from the word Muak after a long time since then.

Munu-AR/Muar/Munar/Mu-aru :Muar may be a combination of the Sanskrit Hindu

language words Munu meaning "three" and Ar which means "river". The old Tamil
word Mu-Aru also means three rivers. There was a large state in South India which
three important rivers merged into a river called Muar or Munar('Three Rivers State').
When the Indians traders came to the country to trade and look for gold during ancient
times, they found the three rivers; the Sungai Muar, Sungai Serting and Sungai Pahang
met and merged into Sungai Muar just like in the state of Munar in India, thus the river
took the name Muar as from the name of Munar in India. The Muar name is said to be
derived from these words and names.[citation needed]

Bukit Mor :There is also a hill not far from the Muar near Parit Jawa in the south of the
"Padang" area called Mor Hill or Bukit Mor which may be the origin of the name of Muar.

Bandar Maharani :Modern Muar Town was officially opened and conferred Bandar
Maharani title by Maharaja Abu Bakar translated as the Town of Empress the namesake
of Maharani Fatimah who also graced the grand inauguration ceremony of the new town
on 12 August 1887, to symbolically representing and recognising the prominence status
of Muar as the 2nd important and biggest town and district of the state of Johor after
Johor Bahru the capital city in those days.

There a few famous old historic legends which evolved around the area of Muar
namely, Hikayat Malim Deman (Epic of Malim Deman), Legenda Lembing Awang Pulang Ke
Dayang (Awang's Spear Return to Dayang Legend) and Legenda Puteri Gunung Ledang
(Mount Ledang Princess' Legend).

History[edit]
Muar is rich in history as mentioned in many historical records and archaeological works. [citation
needed]
It is believed that the history of Muar started much earlier than the Sultanate of
Malacca. There were many accounts recorded about the early history of Muar. In 1361, it
was claimed that Muar was a part of the Majapahit empire. Another account also stated
thatParameswara, upon his exile from Temasik before proceeding to found Melaka, had
established a settlement at Kota Buruk, Pagoh, Ulu Muar, Muar witnessing the beginning of
the Malacca Sultanate empire. Historically, Muar was also where the deposed heir of the
Malacca Sultanate escaped to in 1511 following the invasion of the Portuguese, launched

from Goa. During thePortuguese's Afonso de Albuquerque invasion and attack in 1511,
Muar played a role in resisting the Portuguese occupation of Malacca; the Kubu
Bentayan fort was built by the last Sultan of Malacca, Sultan Mahmud to repel seaborne
invasions, before he was defeated and retreat further to Pagoh, this time witnessing the fall
of the Malacca Sultanate empire. During the Portuguese occupation era, the Portuguese
built a fortress named Fortaleza de Muar to defend the colony against the attack
of Dutch and Aceh instead at the same strategic site of Bentayan. The colonialBritish did just
about the same thing at the Muar River site near Bentayan in defence against the advance
of Japanese Imperial Army in the Battle of Muar in the 2nd World War. Muar is also the
home for the one and only tomb of the 7th Malacca Sultanate, Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah
I(14771488). During the time of the beginning of Bugis immigration
from Sulawesi Indonesia and their influence in Johor Sultanate, the famous five Bugis
pioneer prince-brothers sea-warriors or rather pirates from Sulawesi, Indonesia; Daeng
Marewah, Daeng Parani, Daeng Celak, Daeng Manambun and Daeng Kemasi said to have
come to reside in Liang Batu, Lenga, Muar before they and their descendants become the
influential Temenggungs and even rulers later.[3]
Muar, the Bandar Maharani, have been recorded by several historians, scholars and authors
and in many important historical materials like old maps, poems, epics, manuscripts and
books :

Prapanca (1361) (Nagarakertagama Poem) :Nagarakertagama famous poem - written

in 1361Prapanca (a Buddhist monk and priest of Majapahit Palace) told Muar as a
colony part ofMajapahit empire subdued by Hayam Wuruk and prime minister, Gajah
Mada(1350 to 1389).[4]

Joo de Barros ("Decades of Asia"), (1553) :Joo de Barros who wrote in 1553 in his
2nd Dcadas da sia ("Decades of Asia"), a history of
the Portuguese in India and Asia.stated thatParameswara (Paramicura) who were
driven away from Temasik after he killed the representative of the King of Siam, Temagi;
had escaped in exile and stopped in Muar and built a in rural areas
of Muar called Pagoh.

Tun Sri Lanang (Sejarah Melayu or Malay Annals) Shellabear version :In the Sejarah
Melayu orMalay Annals states that Temasik during the reign of Parameswara(Sultan
Iskandar Shah) was defeated by Majapahit Kingdom. But he and his family including his
followers had fled to Pagoh,Muar and opened 2 areas on the banks of the Muar River;
the Biawak Busuk and another fort called Kota Buruk before moved to Melaka and
opened up Melaka. In 1488, the incident ofMalacca's Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah
I (14771488) who has died and buried in Pagoh, Ulu Muar during a visit, called "Sultan
Mangkat Di Muar".

Tom Pires (the Suma Oriental) (15121515) :Tom Pires wrote a landmark book on
Asian trade, the Suma Oriental que trata do Mar Roxo at aos Chins (Summa of the
East, from the Red Sea up to the Chinese) in Malacca and India between 15121515,
completed before the death of Afonso de Albuquerque (December 1515), which
highlighted the emergence ofParameswara replacing his father, Raja Sam Agi as the
ruler of Palembang and later attacked by the king of Majapahit of Java, King Batara
Tamavill for declaring himself as 'Mjeura'(those who dare) before fled
to Temasik(Singapore)where he killed Siamese King of Ayutthaya's representative,
Temagi and he secretly ruled Temasik for 5 years. But fearing the revenge attack by
the King of Ayutthaya, he fled to Pagoh, Muar with his 1,000 followers and lived there for

6 years when the Seletar peoples were still occupying Malacca before he moved to
Malacca and opened it later.

An old Portuguese map shows that Muar had a second Portuguese fort in
the Peninsular Malaybeside Malacca. From the map, it was named Fortaleza de
Muar built in 1604 by Emanuel Godinho de Erdia in triangular shape to defend the
colony against attacks from the Dutch andAceh, at the mouth of Bentayan River near
the Muar River. It fort has since vanished but it is believed to be located at the present
location of Bentayan Express Bus' Station (formerly Pagoh Bus Stand) in Jalan
Maharani, Muar.[5]

Abraham Ortelius (1584) (Old Maps) :Old maps such as Map Ortelius A.D. 1584 shows
Muar as a city located to the south of Malacca.

Jan Huyghen van Linschoten (1595) (Old Maps) :Map Linschoten A.D. 1595 shows
Muar as a city close to the state of Malacca.

Sultan Ali's Rule of Muar: Muar was the royal town of northern Johor once. A civil war
between the prince of Sultan Hussein Shah; Tengku Ali dan Temenggong Ibrahim|Dato'
Temenggong Daing Ibrahim which was later settled by a treaty of agreement and
understanding signed in Singaporebetween the British and Tengku Ali; that ceded the
control of the rest of state of Johor (except Muar region) formally to Temenggong Ibrahim|
Dato' Temenggong Daing Ibrahim in returns of the sultan title with the condition the title is
not hereditary for succession, and recognisation of him asSultan Ali and his reign ruled over
the Muar region(state) of the area lies between the Muar River and Kesang River with an
annual pension from the British Government under the terms of the treaty. Although Sultan
Ali was in fact the real heir of the Johor Sultanate but due to his weakness,
the Temenggong became the de facto ruler instead and begin the rule of the Temenggung in
Johor onwards. Sultan Ali delegated the administrative affairs of Muar to the Raja
Temenggung of Muar[6] (also known by the title of Temenggong Paduka Tuan of Muar)[7] and
rather spent most of his time in Malacca. Muar was sparsely populated in 1855 and had a
population of 800 and no formal structure of government was formed. In 1860, Sultan Ali
reportedly borrowed $53,600 from a Chettiar money lender, Kavana Chana Shellapah and
signed an agreement with Shellapah to contribute a portion of his monthly allowance to
repay his debt. However, Sultan Ali found himself unable to pay settle his debts in time, and
an angry Shellapah wrote to the British government in 1866. Pressured to liquidate his debts
in time, Sultan Ali granted Shellapah the right to trade off Muar to the Raja Temenggung of
Muar|Temenggong of Johor as mortgage if he is unable to pay off his debts in time. [8] His
relations with Temenggong Daing Ibrahim remained strained; in 1860, Sultan Ali allowed a
Bugis adventurer, Suliwatang, the chiefs of Rembau and Sungei Ujong to settle in Muar and
prepare themselves for an attack on Johor.[9] Such bad blood between the Sultan Ali and
Temenggong Daing Ibrahim passed down to the Temenggong's son, Temenggong Abu
Bakar, who succeeded his father after the former died in 1862. Shortly after Temenggong
Abu Bakar became the Temenggong of Johor, he sent a letter to Sultan Ali to reassert of
Johor's sovereignty over Segamat. Continued disputes over the sovereignty of Segamat led
to an outbreak of a war between the Temenggong's men with the Sultan's. Eleven years
later in 1873, attempts made by Suliwatang to collect custom taxes from inhabitants at the
Muar estuary led to further conflict with Temenggong Abu Bakar's (who became Maharaja in
1868 and finally Sultan later in 1885, 8 years after death of Sultan Ali) men. [10]
Upon Sultan Ali's death in Umbai, Malacca in 1877, his 11-year-old youngest son, Tengku
Mahmood, was named his successor, fuelling anger and dissatisfaction of his oldest
son, Tengku Alam Shah. The Raja Temenggung of Muar[6] (also known by the title of

Temenggong Paduka Tuan of Muar)[7] and its village chieftains voted in favour of a merger of
Muar with Johor following the succession dispute between the two of Sultan Ali's sons.
Tengku Alam Shah, disputed the legitimacy of the chieftains' wishes and staked his
hereditary claims over Muar, started to instigate and launch the 1879 Jementah Civil War in
a bid to reclaim Muar, but was quickly defeated by the Maharaja Abu Bakar's forces and
Muar was finally annexed and return as part of the Johor state on 30 December 1879.
During the 1880s, the sovereign rulers of Johor, Temenggong Ibrahim and his successor,
Sultan Abu Bakar introduced the Kangchu system and actively encouraged the Chinese
leaders to set up new gambier and black pepper plantations and to bring in the Chinese
immigrants as agricultural settlers and labourers to open and work in these plantations in
Muar.[11] A Western-style contracts (termed as Surat Sungai in Malay, literally "River
Documents") to the Kapitan Cina (Chinese leaders) who have established the plantations
along river banks in Johor. Letters of authority (Surat Kuasa) were issued when the first
Chinese leaders began settling in Johor during the 1850s. The Temenggong quickly
established goodwill relations with the Kapitan Cina by appointing
oneMalay administrator, Muhamad Salleh bin Perang, the Dato' Bentara Luar who was able
to speak the Teochew dialect, the language spoken by most Kapitan Cina and settlers and
able to read Chinese for these purposes.[12] Influx of these settlers mainly of Teochew origin,
and were generally first- or second-generation ethnic Chinese who became an important
part and parcel of life and population of Muar until today and helped shape the population
demographic and the social economy of Muar. There is even a town called Bukit
Gambir meaning Hill of Gambier in Muar.
Modern Muar Town, known as Bandar Maharani, which is the main city center of Muar
district, was founded by Dato' Bentara Luar, Muhamad Salleh bin Perang in 1885 and was
only officially opened by His Majesty Maharaja Abu Bakar 12 August 1887 (who just became
opted Maharaja title on 30 June 1868) and conferred the namesake Bandar Maharani
meaning the Town of Empress, the title of Maharani Fatimah who had accompanied to
graced the inauguration ceremony of the new town at Tangga Batu a place around Hentian
Maharani bus station now where an auspicious "amulet" or "azimat" is said to be buried
underground there then. Muar celebrated its centenary in a grand celebration attended by
the Sultan of Johor in 1984.[13]
The prosperity and rapid development of Muar made it the only town in Malaysia ever to
have had its own local railway network in the early days. The Muar State Railway
(MSR) operated from 18891925, linking Jalan Sulaiman in Bandar Maharani and Sungai
Pulai for a distance of 22.5 km. A 1916 plan to extend the line to Batu Pahat was aborted
and the service totally stopped in 1925 due to financial and geographical constraints and its
reduced importance after the construction of Jalan Abdul Rahman linking the Muar town
and Parit Jawa. It remains a memory and is only a part of history of Muar now with just the
MSR steam locomotive relic on display at Tanjung Emas Park.

The Muar Ferry Crossing, in the Battle of Muar, where the 45th Indian Brigade was disposed along
24 miles of river front with four companies of infantry north of the river and the remainder positioned

south of the river, to cover the main coast road at Muar against the advance of the Imperial Guards
Division.[14]

In the 2nd World War, the Battle of Muar, 1422 January 1942, fought around the area
from Gemencheh, Muar River and Bukit Bakri in Muar was the last major battle of
the Malayan Campaign of the Battle of Malaya, fought byBritish Allied forces and Japanese
forces from 8 December 1941 - 31 January 1942 in British Malaya. The Battle of Bakri or
Siege of Bakri was a fierce battle of the fighting troops in Bukit Bakri on 17 January 1942.
The battle resulted in the near-annihilation of the Allies' deployed 45th Indian Infantry
Brigade, with heavy casualties for its two attached Australian's 2/19th and 2/29th Infantry
Battalions[15] and the eventual fall of Muar to the Imperial Japanese forces. During the 1942
45 Japanese occupation of Malaya era, Muar continued to serve as important administration
town under the occupying Japanese army with many locals involved in the bulk of antiJapanese resistance groups such as the Malayan People's Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA)
and Force 136.
During the Malayan Emergency period, in the Bukit Kepong Incident, the police station
of Bukit Kepong was ambushed and brutally attacked by members of the Malayan National
Liberation Army(MNLA), the military arm of the Malayan Communist Party, on 23 February
1950 killing 26 policemen and family members.
Muar also recorded the history of resistance against the communist attacks and British
occupationby Panglima Kiyai Salleh, a religious and martial arts teacher
of Banjarese & Javanese origin who founded the resistance guerillas troop Tentera
Selempang Merah but unfortunately its many heroic stories were distorted and tainted with
many factless, unbelievable and illogical myths. The Group of Seven or Orang Tujuh of Muar
which consists of Tun Dr Awang Hassan (the former Governor of Penang), father of Tun Dr
Ismail Dato Abdul Rahman Mohd Yasin (father of Tun Dr Ismail former Deputy Prime
Minister), his brother Datuk Sulaiman Abdul Rahman, Tan Sri Datuk Hassan (former Menteri
Besar) and Dato Hj Kosai Mohd Salleh was said to be active fighting the formation
ofMalayan Union and advocating the independence of Malaya.

Geography[edit]

NASA's Spaceborne radar image (SAR) shows the city of Muar is at the center of the left edge of
the image at the mouth of theMuar River (Sungai Muar).
[show]More information

Muar on the northwest of Johor

Muar district formerly covers 2346.12 km2, with a population of 328,695 (2000). The town of
Muar is located at 23N 10234E, at the mouth of the Muar River. The town is about
150 km (93 mi) southeast of Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur, and about the same distance
(179 km) northwest of Singapore. It is 45 km south of Malacca Town. It is also 50 km north
of Batu Pahat. The whole Muar district (North and South) is roughly the size of two and a
half Singapore.
The flat terrain of Muar's geographical ground and areas has enable the extensive use of
bicycle and tricycle vehicles as the main and major mode of transportation in Muar in the
early days. This believe to be the main factor and reason Muar was once the town with the

most bicycles and the only town that requires valid license issued by the town council to own
and use a bicycle in the country.

Climate[edit]
Muar, like the rest of peninsular Malaysia, enjoys a year-round equatorial climate which is
warm and sunny, along with plentiful rainfall, especially during the southwest monsoon from
April to September. The climate is very much dictated by the adjacent sea and the wind
system. In the 2006/2007 floods, unusually heavy rainfall in the states of Johor and Melaka
resulted in the worst flooding in southern Peninsular Malaysia in history. Muar was not
spared from this dreadful disaster which lasted almost a month. Many areas of Muar such
as Pagoh,Lenga, Kundang Ulu, Bukit Gambir and Sawah Ring were seriously flooded with
some areas up to 10 feet (3.0 m). About 22,933 people were evacuated to relief centres[1