Book Publishing Oct 2020 Malaysia Unsung Places to be Visited AS2294C (1)

MALAYSIA
UNSUNG PLACES

TO BE VISITED

MALAYSIA

UNSUNG PLACES
TO BE VISITED

ADILAH SYAHIRAH ABDULLAH
KAMALIA AQILAH NABILAH KAMAL RAMLEE

NUR FATIHAH MAHADI
NUR FATIN AMEERA MOHD NAJIB
NURUL NAJIHAH HAZIRAH ADZHAR

First Edition

Copyright © 2021 by Adilah, Ameera, Fatihah, Kamalia, Najihah

Editor
Adilah Syahirah Abdullah
Author
Nur Fatin Ameera Najib
Nur Fatihah Mahadi
Nur Najihah Hazirah Adzhar
Cover designer
Kamalia Aqilah Nabilah Kamal Ramlee

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a database or retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or
otherwise without the prior written permission from the publisher.

ISBN 123-4-567890-0

Printed by Orange, in Malaysia.

First printing edition 2021

Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM)
40450 Shah Alam Selangor.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to everybody especially those who enjoy the feel of
travel, the beauty of nature and the chaos of places.

The cover is always the reason why readers pick up a book in the first glance.
We could not agree more but it has always be the best title and content that

makes the book captivated by the eyes of the beholder.
To our wonderful lecturer, Madam Mudiana Mokhsin @ Misron, thank you for

giving this opportunity to write about this brilliant and fascinating title.
Through this book, we discover that Malaysia has more than just its historical

buildings, museums, cultural houses, exotic flora and fauna. It tells us to
appreciate that the unlikely places hold the precious values beyond our
expectations.

To our beautiful family, gratitude, for giving the best writing advice and always
support us to finish this book.

i

Table of Contents Page

Contents i
ii
DEDICATION iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS iv
FOREWORD v
PREFACE vi
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS vii
INTRODUCTION
LIST OF FIGURES 2
5
CHAPTER 1
THE “LOVE STORY” OF FORT MARGHERITA 10
“NO-NAILS” OLD SERI MENANTI ROYAL PALACE 12

CHAPTER 2 15
PERLIS STATE PARK (TAMAN NEGERI PERLIS) 20
TIMAH TASOH LAKE
24
CHAPTER 3 25
BANDAR AGACIA 25
GUILLEMARD BRIDGE 26
28
AFTERWORD 29
CONCLUSION 30
POSTSCRIPT
APPENDIX
GLOSSARY
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX

ii

Foreword

In early 2021, the five authors of the book met virtually on media platform and
collected information based on their experiences and the secondary sources from
the online search engine for first publication. The authors are all enthusiastic,
hardworking and eager to work for the fascinating title, “Malaysia unsung places
to be visited”. In this book, the authors offer the readers with interesting facts
and how these unpopular places are time and cash worth to be visited.
The education background of authors are in the environmental field and exposed
to the knowledge on management of waste to maintain sustainable resources.
Therefore, authors are capable to elaborate more on the places physically instead
of theoretically. Personal experience from site visit and field trip as fulfillment of
certain subject requirement also enable the authors to describe this title
thoroughly. The title is chosen as the knowledge is indirectly related to the
maintenance of the attraction or vacation places in Malaysia to ensure
continuous visitors by preserving the aesthetic of the places.
These authors include:
 Ms. Adilah Syahirah Abdullah (Environmental Technology student UiTM

Shah Alam University, Selangor)
 Ms. Kamalia Aqilah Nabilah Kamal Ramlee (Environmental Technology

student UiTM Shah Alam University, Selangor)
 Ms. Nur Fatin Ameera Mohd Najib (Environmental Technology student UiTM

Shah Alam University, Selangor)
 Ms. Nur Fatihah Mahadi (Environmental Technology student UiTM Shah

Alam University, Selangor)
 Ms. Nur Najihah Hazirah Adzhar (Environmental Technology student UiTM

Shah Alam University, Selangor)

iii

Preface

T he greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places” – Roald
Dahl
The quote indicates the places that are unlikely to be visited usually hold
the greatest memories. The title of book itself gives the overview of the places
that are less likely to be visited can be proclaimed as potential interesting places
for tourism. This book describes historical, adventurous and stunning natural
as well as man-made places such as ancient castles, monuments and mansions.
The book also elucidates a mysterious and perplexing history as well as
refreshing facts based on the true story and research by the authors.
The title of this is meaningful not only to authors as the one who hold Malaysian
citizenship but also to those who love to travel to a new place they have never
been before. Furthermore, through this book the team aims to provide
information to readers on the activities that can be done during the day of visit
to the unsung places in Malaysia. The visit to places with fees entrance not only
helps to liven up the surrounding of the places but also assists our country in
increasing the revenue in term of economical perspective.

iv

Acknowledgements

First and foremost, praise be to Allah the Almighty for His showers of blessings
we managed to complete our book in a given period of time.
We would like to express our deep and sincere gratitude to our lovely ICT400
lecturer, Madam Mudiana Mokhsin @ Misron for giving us the opportunity to
publish this book and for invaluable guidance throughout this book writing.
Without her constructive criticisms, comments and ideas, this book could not be
completed successfully.
We would also like to thank our team for the excellent and enormous
contribution, cooperation, friendship, understanding, patience, empathy and
great sense of humor during the stimulating discussion we had together for
research and preparation of this book and also for enlightening the title at the
first glance of the book title.
We are also extremely grateful to our parents for their valuable prayers,
understanding and sacrifice in advising and supporting us throughout this
semester. Without the help from them, we may not be able to complete this book
publication successfully.
Our special thanks goes to classmates and siblings for the keen interest shown
to complete this book writing.

v

Introduction

Malaysia, or so-called multiracial and multilingual country of Southeast Asia, is
a truly unique, always interesting and often joyful place. It is a place of yearning,
a place of learning, and a place for travelers alike. This country is also popular
with the variety of culture elements like “wayang kulit”, “rumah panjang”, “kuda
kepang” dance and the others.

What is meant by unsung? Unsung is defined as something that is valuable but
not popular. Ironically in Malaysia, unless the places are rapidly spread through
media, people will not be visiting a place that assumed as underrated destination
even the places literally keeps thousands of hidden treasures to be explored. This
is the reason that particular places unlikely to be the choice of the tourists for
tourism activities.

There are many unsung places in Malaysia that are lessly visited such as
Fortress of Margherita in Sarawak and Seri Meranti Castle but offers visitors
with the amazing building patterns, arts and historical facts. Unfortunately even
the local are less likely aware with the existence of these masterpiece. This book
also include Perlis State Park and Timah Tasoh Lake that have potential to be
made as tourism places. Perlis State Park is symbolized as the only place where
Stumped Tail Macaque can be found while Timah Tasoh Lake is man-made lake
with beautiful mountain backdrop. Meanwhile, Bandar Agacia is themed after
the Hong Kong Disneyland's Main Street and Guillemard Bridge is longest
railway bridge in Malaysia.

Malaysia is undeniable a country rich with unique flora and fauna as well as
favorable geographical distribution. The tropical climate which is wet and humid
suitable for the lush green dipterocarp trees such as chengal, meranti and
keladan to thrive as well as exotic flora like rafflesia and pitcher plant. The
amazing highlands, crystal clear rapids and serene waterfalls are also amongst
the attractive recreational places available for local and foreigners but many are
yet to be explored. Nevertheless, the great history of previous colonization and
war leaves the remnants such as the previous establishment of mansion and
abandoned fortress. To not mention on the recreational-specific places as our
pride would be incomplete, numerous water theme park and zoo have been built
covering Malay Peninsula and island of Borneo consists of Sabah and Sarawak.
All of these places are well known by the tourists due to own special criteria and
elements that are not available in other places.

vi

List of Figures

Figure Caption Page
1 Fort Margherita 2
2 Charles Brooke’s Family 3
3 The Brooke Gallery and History Museum of White Rajahs 4
4 Maps of Seri Menanti Royal Palace 5
5 The Old Seri Menanti Royal Palace 6
6 The Vertical and Symmetry Design of Old Seri Menanti Royal 7
Palace
7 Nakawan Range 10
8 The view from Central point of Perlis State Park 10
9 Bird watching 11
10 Timah Tasoh Lake 12
11 Bukit Cabang 12
12 Tasoh Lake Resort & Retreat 12
13 Camping site 13
14 The scenery of Timah Tasoh 13
15 The views of Bandar Agacia 15
16 Bandar Agacia with concept of ‘City of Color’ 16
17 The location of Bandar Agacia in the view from satellite 17
18 The Trails of Redmond’ which located in Washington. 18
19 The name of the district in Bandar Agacia 18
20 The activities can be done in Bandar 19
21 The Guillemard Bridge 20
22 The Guillemard Bridge which already 97-year old and still 21
stands strong above Kelantan River
23 The location of the Guillemard Bridge with satellite view 21
24 The black-and-white picture shows the bridge being 22
destroyed by British Armed Forces
25 26
26 Jawi inscriptions at old royal palace museum 26

Batu Bertikam at royal palace museum

vii

CHAPTER 1

1

THE “LOVE STORY” OF FORT MARGHERITA
(KUCHING, SARAWAK)

Located across the Sarawak River, a white-washed architecture portrays, from a
distance, an English Renaissance palace combined with a mediaeval fortress. A
stone's throw from the steamy jungle is located a three-storied castle. Fort
Margherita presenting the very finest of colonial architecture, kept the history
behind it (The Culture Trip, n.d.)

Figure 1 Fort Margherita

THE CROSSED FATE

Second White Rajah of Sarawak, Charles Brooke, is a nephew to James Brooke.
He became Sarawak's leader in 1868 to 1917, rapidly widened the borders of the
state and initiated new construction projects. Like his uncle, Charles did not
have an ancestor and wished a son intensely. Not long after that, he met
Margaret Alice Lili de Windt and they were tied. She went to Sarawak and became
a Sarawak’s Queen. Charles commanded that a palace be urgently constructed
for her arrival in that state.

HEARTBREAKING

Margaret returned to England after their first baby. Their marriage and
relationship gradually got worse. She later returned to Sarawak and gave birth
to two additional children which were Vyner and Bertram Brooke. Yet, again, the
Queen of Charles boarded the ship back to England, and they lived alienated. In
the meantime, in 1879, the fort to protect against piracy and indigenous attacks
was ready. So it was called Fort Margherita by Charles after his wife.

Figure 2 Charles Brooke’s Family

THE BROOKE GALLERY

Initially, Fort Margherita guarded the Colonial capital from pirates. After a series
of territorial insurgencies, reinforcements were added in the early 20th century.
In 1971, it then became a Police Museum. On 24 September 2016, the 175th
anniversary of the existence of the state of Sarawak, the Brooke Gallery at Fort
Margherita was launched with grace and dignity (Brooke Heritage Trust, n.d.).
The Gallery has been a partnership between the Brooke Trust, the Sarawak
Museum Department and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture of Sarawak.
Today, inside the imposing Fort Margherita of Sarawak, tourists can learn about

3

the life and legacy of the Brooke dynasty. In order to develop the project, the
Trust gathered an international team of advisors and subject matter specialists
and built a sensitively crafted exhibition design on a unique part of the history
of Sarawak, making the gallery just one of many exciting attractions in Kuching,
an enriched heritage. A herculean logistical effort made possible by a large group
of volunteers from Sarawak, the UK and Australia was the final installation of
the many artefacts on loan from the Brooke family and the Department of the
Sarawak Museum itself. In order to facilitate the running of the gallery, an active
group of local volunteers have also come together as the Fort Rangers.

Figure 3 The Brooke Gallery and History Museum of White Rajahs

4

“NO-NAILS”
OLD SERI MENANTI ROYAL PALACE

Figure 4 Maps of Seri Menanti Royal Palace
According to Abidin et al. (2017), royalty-owned palaces were designed as
symbols of the royal families' power, wealth and control over their people and
imperial states. Considerable ideas and thoughts have been placed into the
creation of a palace. Therefore, the architectural identity of the royal families and
the history of the region in which they are placed. It can therefore be said that
palaces are the icon of the Malay rulers since palaces act as residential,
administrative and royal buildings.

“NO-NAILS” PALACE

Located in Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan, Old Seri Menanti Royal Palace, a
unique traditional Malay royal palace of the 20th century (1908) is built only
using timber without the reinforcement of nails. Locally, the timber used for the
building of the palace was known as Penak or Cengal, and were taken in Negeri
Sembilan from nearby forests. It is a durable and termite-resistant tropical
hardwood. Through the expertise of Tukang Kahar and Tukang Taib, who were

5

local carvers at Seri Menanti, the construction of Old Seri Menanti Royal Palace
was completed. The Tukang Raja and was assigned to Tukang Kahar as he was
assigned to design and build a timber palace for the 7th Yang Dipertuan Besar
Negeri Sembilan, Tuanku Muhammad. With the help of Tham Yoong, who was a
Chinese contractor, the palace was completed in 1908 and the drawings were
prepared by Mr Woodford, who was a British Public Works Department
draughtsman.

Figure 5 The Old Seri Menanti Royal Palace

FUNCTIONALITY

Old Seri Menanti Royal Palace's role remained as a residential one palace in 1908
until 1931, even when a new palace was built. The Big Seri Menanti Royal Palace
was a double-storey masonry structure and became the new palace in which the
royal families resided. Old Seri Menanti Royal Palace became a place of residence
for other royalties of the visiting families of the royals after the Yamtuan moved
into the new palace. However, in 1959-1964, the palace was used as a religious
school for local children by the local state. It was during this period that the
palace's ground floor and first floor became a place for religious classes and
helped spread Islamic knowledge. Later in the years, the palace was restored and
converted into a Royal Museum in 1992 until nowadays.

UNIQUENESS

The unique factor separating it from other timber palaces in Malaysia is the
palace, which was designed to be symmetrical throughout. The verticality of the

6

image of the palace provides an architectural magnificence that can be seen from
afar and differentiates itself from any other traditional royal palaces in Malaysia.

Figure 6 The Vertical and Symmetry Design of Old Seri Menanti Royal Palace

The architecture of the palace, which was symmetrical with the plan and the
design, gave the presence of a British influence on the spaces of the palace.
Malay vernacular architecture was not symmetrical and did not have specific
spaces for specific tasks, depending on the functions and for different purposes,
based on the users' needs. The division of spaces and designated rooms for
particular tasks is also very Western-like and may show British existence at the
palace (Abidin et al., 2017).
Besides that, the meaning of the ninety-nine columns is intended to represent
the palace's ninety-nine officers (Hulubalang), while the four columns in the
middle represent the four senior palace officials (Orang Empat Istana). It was
anticipated that the Istana Lama's design would reflect the values of family,
education, heritage and culture, and the historical link with the Pagaruyung
Kingdom of Minangkabau.

ROYAL MUSEUM SERI

The palace is nowadays becomes a museum, that displaying the costumes,
weapons furniture and other paraphernalia of Negeri Sembilan royalty (Malaysia
Traveller, n.d.). It needs to be added in the wishlist, everytime visiting Negeri
Sembilan. Let’s embrace ourselves with the experience of touching the unique
structure of the Old Seri Menanti Royal Palace!

7

CHAPTER 2

8

CHAPTER 2: THE HIDDEN GEMS IN PERLIS

History of Perlis
Perlis is the smallest state and located at the northern part of Peninsular of
Malaysia. One of the states that have a border between Malaysia and Thailand
is Perlis. Before independence, Perlis was part of Kedah and influenced by the
government of the Siamese Kingdom. However, the Siamese was appointed Syed
Hussain Jamalullail as a king of Perlis on 20 May 1843. From that day, Perlis
has become a sovereign state and no longer a state under the colony of Kedah.
In 2019, the population in Perlis was 254,400 which slightly increased compared
to 2017 and accounting for less than 1% of the total population in Malaysia.
Kangar city is the heart of Perlis while Arau is known as the Royal town. Next,
three main sectors that contribute to economic growth in Perlis are agriculture,
forestry and fishing industries.
Padang Besar and Kuala Perlis are the most visited places among the tourists.
This is because both of the places became a transit before the visitors visit
Langkawi Island and Thailand. The tourists assumed there are no attractions in
Perlis to be visited till they missed the uniqueness places in Perlis. Therefore, the
Perlis Government introduced Eco-tourism to promote the natural beauty of
Perlis to everyone. The focus of the Eco-tourism industry in Perlis is to highlight
the natural beauty that has existed long years ago.

9

Perlis State Park (Taman Negeri Perlis)

Location Figure 7 Nakawan Range
Perlis State Park located at Wang Uniqueness
Kelian. Wang Kelian is a border
between Perlis and Thailand within the
Nakawan Range. Perlis State Park lies
on Malaysia’s highest continuous
limestone hills which 36 Km long. This
state park consists of two forests of
reserve area which are Mata Ayer
Forest Reserve and Wang Mu Forest
Reserve with the measuring total area
of 5,000ha.

Perlis State Park has many attractions

for tourists to enjoy the experience

while visiting this park. There are

consists of 20 caves in Perlis State Park

but only two caves that open to public

which are Gua Kelam and Gua Wang

Burma because of safety purposes.

Both of caves are made from the 500-

year-old Setul limestone or calcium

Figure 8 The view from Central carbonate The Park was surrounded
point of Perlis State Park with thick lush forest, sheer cliff faces

and extensive cave system. Next, the

highest peak hill in Perlis State Park is Gunung Perlis with 733 meters high and

become the famous hiking trails for the hikers. Besides that, this park is special

10

because it has 600 species of flora, 70 species of mammals, 200 species of birds
and 35 reptile species.

Activities

There are many interesting activities provided by Perlis State Park for visitors
such as mountain hiking/climbing, jungle trekking, bird watching and also
camping. Next, the visitors can experience the whole journey of the labyrinthine
routes of Wang Burma Cave and it will take about 3-4 hours. The most
challenging part of this exploration is the visitors need to squeeze their bodies
through the narrow muddy tunnels. Other than that, the bird watching also is
one of the activities for the birds lovers. They can overnight at the Perlis State
Park or stay for the couples day for a camping and spending their time for bird
watching. This is because there are thousands of bird species from the West
Asian countries like China, Russia and Siberia. The birds will start to migrate
from one place to another place during April till August and it is more
conspicuous in the morning and during sunset.

Figure 9 Bird watching

11

TIMAH TASOH LAKE

Locations Figure 10 Timah Tasoh Lake

It located near the Perlis State Park which Figure 11 Bukit Cabang
took about 10 minutes only. Timah Tasoh
lake is a man- made reservoir that can hold Figure 12 Tasoh Lake Resort &
approximately 35.3 million litres of water. Retreat
This lake will supply the water to the
population in Perlis as well as prevents the
occurrence of floods. Timah Tasoh Lake is an
artificial lake that was built in 1992. It
formed from the two rivers which are Sungai
Timah and Sungai Tasoh.

Uniqueness

This Timah Tasoh Lake is known as Malaysia’s
Guilin. This is because of its mountainous
backdrop (Bukit Cabang) and vast lake
landscape. Bukit Cabang is a twin 100-meter
mountains limestone. Besides that, a bird
sanctuary was set up at the Timah Tasoh Lake
as the habitat for birds. The visitors can enjoy
bird watching. Other than that, the visitors can
stay at Tasoh Lake Resort & Retreat. It is a nice
place for us to relax and rest from hectic life
because it located far away from the city. This
resort only 3 minutes from the Timah Tasoh
Dam and 15 minutes from the shopping town of
Padang Besar.

12

Activities

If you are visiting Timah Tasoh Lake, there are lots of outdoors activities that
you can do. For instance, kayaking activities, fishing and cycling. The facilities
of Kayaking and cycling activities are provided by the Timah Tasoh Lake but the
visitors need to pay some fees to use the equipment. Other the picturesque
scenery offered by the lake, there are few photoshoot spots for the visitors to take
the beautiful photos or selfie as the memories. Nowadays, it is a trend for people
to upload their photos on Social Media such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Thus, those platforms indirectly help in promoting this place to everyone.

Figure 13 Camping site Figure 14 The scenery of Timah Tasoh

13

CHAPTER 3

14

BANDAR AGACIA, KAMPAR (PERAK)

Looking for some places which are Figure 15 The views of Bandar Agacia
beautiful to take a picture or to
take an ‘OOTD’ (oufit of the day)?
Wanting to take a vacation
overseas but somehow cannot
afford it, then looking for some
places in Malaysia which
resemble quite similar to those
at Riomaggiore, Italy, Stockholm
Sweden, Jodhpur India, Lima Peru
& Buenos Aires Argentina. Then,
as for the people who hold the art,
designs and architecture which
looking for

ideas, Agacia City or Bandar Agacia, Kampar, Perak is the place fit all the
descriptions mentioned.

15

INTRODUCTION

Bandar Agacia or also known as

‘The Trails of the Kampar’ which

allocated not far from Kampar

city, with rows of 3-storey shop

buildings being painted with

combinations of color made it

looks lively and colorful

resembles and bringing back the

Figure 16 Bandar Agacia with concept of looks like the towns during
‘City of Color’ colonial age. This kind of design

also taking after the looks

similar with Disneyland amusement park.

Bandar Agacia are said to be more famous or well known for the tourists

from outside of Perak state rather than its local people which do not even

realize its existence. Then, based on Bandar Agacia developer, Agacia Sdn Bhd

which stated that Bandar Agacia are the only town which have this kind of

concept of ‘City of Colors’ in Asia.

16

LOCATION

Figure 17 The location of Bandar Agacia in the view from the satellite.
Bandar Agacia which only taken approximately 15 minutes from Kampar
Town and is located 25.0 km from Tapah, 41.8 km from Ipoh and about 31.5
km from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Tapah, Perak.
Bandar Agacia or known as ‘The Trails of Kampar’ are a new development
area that is also located nearby with Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR)
and Westlake International School.

HISTORY
Bandar Agacia, which build on the abandoned ex-tins mines land which
once a famous for its tins mining dominated by colonial countries like Britain.
Agacia Land Sdn Bhd is transforming 100 acres (40.468ha) of ex-tin mining land

17

in Kampar, Perak into a RM 1.8 billion tourist attraction and education hub
called Bandar Agacia. In 2018, Bandar Agacia are fully opened for visitors.

ARCHITECTURE INSPIRATION

Architecture designs in

Bandar Agacia appeared

with the unique and lively

concept which are based on

ideas originated from

animated cartoon and

fantasy especially in

University Square Kampar.

The inspiration for this kind

Figure 18 ‘The Trails of Redmond’ which of architectural design was
located in Washington.
taken from ‘The Trails of
KAMPAR’S DISNEYLAND
Redmond’ which based on a

name of town located in

Washington, United States of

America.

Figure 19 The name of the district in Every unit of buildings located in
Bandar Agacia Bandar Agacia has its
characteristics and designs which
are exceptionally different from each
other. Then, the districts in Bandar
Agacia are named creatively based
on their buildings concept located in
those districts. The names given to
that districts resemble Disneyland
like Disney Avenue, Castle Avenue

18

and Pavilion Avenue which added some more esthetical value alongside the
readily value in Bandar Agacia.

THINGS-TO-DO

Figure 20 The activities can be done in Bandar As a modern age, it
Agacia already is a trend for
people to take an interest
in visiting some places to
take pictures and keep
as a beautiful memory
and at the same time to
share and upload the
taken picture on the
social media platform
like Instagram,
Facebook,

blog etc. Bandar Agacia also an ideal place for whoever searching for beautiful
background set up for ‘OOTD’, pre-graduates’ photos, pre-wedding photoshoot
etc.

If the visitors feel hungry and thirsty after a while of taking the pictures
and looking around in the Bandar Agacia, this location also offered some places
to eat and resting like restaurant, café which being designed beautifully
according to the town’s theme. It is also even interesting and recommended to
choose the open-spaced area for relaxing and spend leisure time together with
the beloved family and friends.

19

GUILLEMARD BRIDGE (KELANTAN)

Opened to public use

in 1925, the bridge

with a single-track

double- intersection

Warren railway truss

bridge being given

name ‘The

Guillemard Bridge’

which located over

the Kusial River in

the state of Kelantan,

Malaysia and it is

widely known as Kusial Figure 21 The Guillemard Bridge

Bridge. It was constructed in 1920 by The Metro Carriage Wagon & Finance
Company Limited, Wednesbury Works, England and completed in 1924
officiated by Sultan Ismail Ibni Almarhum Sultan Muhammad IV. As for today,
this bridge is only used for trains and being maintained by Keretapi Tanah
Melayu Berhad (KTMB).

20

Figure 22 The Guillemard Bridge which already 97-year old and
still stands strong above Kelantan River.

LOCATION

Figure 23 The location of the Guillemard Bridge with the satellite view.
21

The official address of this bridge is Guillemard Bridge Jalan Kampung
Kursial, 17500 Tanah Merah Kelantan. Located about 8.6 km from Tanah Merah
Town, Kelantan and approximately 54 km from Kota Bharu Town and this bridge
connects Paloh Rawa in Machang to Kursial in Tanah Merah crossing the murky
Kelantan River and the bridge is still in use, acting as a vital link for the East
Coast Train Line (KTMB) from Gemas to Tumpat.

GUILLEAMARD BRIDGE HAS BEEN DESTROYED?

The bridge began its construction works for in 1920, completed in July
1924 and the name was taking after the name of a British Straits Settlement
Governor and The Malay States High Commissioner in 1920s, Sir Laurence
Guillemard.

Figure 24 The black-and-white picture During the Second World War
shows the bridge being destroyed by the (1941-1945), in December
1941, this bridge which then
British Armed Forces supported both trains as well
as road vehicles were
strategically and severely
damaged by the British Armed
Forces in order, to prevent the
advancement of the Japanese
army who later retreated south
to Kuala Krai. But then, the
ruined bridge was later
reconstructed, and opened
again for traffic on September

22

7, 1948. The rustic but magnificent bridge was officiated for the second time by
Sultan Ibrahim ibni Almarhum Sultan Muhammad IV, the Sultan of Kelantan
on the 7th September 1948.

Spanning 609.6 meters, it was previously used by all vehicles, but usage
has been limited to train in 1st February 1988 when the new concrete bridge
connecting Tanah Merah to Machang was built.

2ND OLDEST RAILWAY BRIDGES

The Guillemard Bridge with designed with the theme of rustic but
magnificent was claimed as the longest with approximately 600m and 2nd oldest
railway bridge in Malaysia after Victoria Bridge in Perak, Malaysia. It is
technological marvel and is still standing strong after nearly a century. The
strong, black solid steel bridge has a history worth telling.

The Guillemard Bridge was put to full use, not just by the train, but
surprisingly for other vehicles and pedestrians as well. Today, this railway bridge
is used only for trains, and makes up part of the 'jungle railway' line that runs
from Tumpat in the north, to Gemas in the south (in Negeri Sembilan).

WHAT-TO-DO

The Guillemard Bridge can be a site for the people who like or interested
in photo shooting and, also it can be a place to find some views in countryside
for relaxation purposes and, also spending leisure time together with family and
friends. Of course, it is also held some historical value for historian to learn
some valuable history in Malaysia.

23

Afterword

In this book, we were sharing about unsung place that suitable for locals and
foreign tourist to look up as vacation destination. Our authors make a research
about the places based on their experiences and reading. Some of them already
have been to the place they write before. In our opinion this book can give impact
to the readers as they not only can gain knowledge as the venue we were sharing
not only have aesthetic value but also have historical value. They also can
experience the exciting activities if they choose to visit our recommended unsung
place in Malaysia. We not only cover the unsung place in peninsular Malaysia
but also in Sabah and Sarawak. The unsung place can be very exciting to go as
they are not many people know about the place. You can enjoy many exciting
activities there as we recommended. This book is different from other books as
it only sharing about the place we rarely heard before as a tourist hotspot place.

24

Conclusion

There are many places in our country that can categorize as tourist
attractions but the unsung place is somehow people rarely know about the
attraction of that place. Our main purpose writing this book is to tell the world
that Malaysia has various place to be visited that even locals did not know about.
We believe that by sharing with others about the unsung place can increase the
statistic in Malaysian tourism after the pandemic over 26.10 million in 2019.
People mostly fascinating about history and love story so we combined this two
elements and found the place that has this “heartbreaking story”. The place is
called Fort Margherita. Next is about the unique traditional Malay royal palace
of the 20th century (1908) is built only using timber without the reinforcement
of nails. The palace is called Old Seri Menanti Royal Palace. The third place is
Taman Negeri Perlis that located at Wang Kelian which also surrounded with
thick lush forest that housing has 600 species of flora, 70 species of mammals,
200 species of birds and 35 reptile species. The fourth place also in Perlis is
Timah Tasoh Lake that known as Malaysia’s Guilin because of its mountainous
backdrop (Bukit Cabang) and vast lake landscape. Various activities can be done
in this place such as camping and kayaking. The fifth place is Bandar Agacia in
Kampar, Perak. This place is unique as it has colourful buildings that have its
own characteristics and designs which it is exceptionally different with each
other. The names given to that districts resembles Disneyland like Disney
Avenue, Castle Avenue and Pavilion Avenue. The last place which is in Pantai
Timur. The bridge with a single-track double-intersection Warren railway truss
bridge being given name ‘The Guillemard Bridge’ which located over the Kusial
River in the state of Kelantan.

PS This book give information about the unsung place that not only have
aesthetic value but also cover historical value.

25

Appendix

APPENDIX A

Figure 25 Jawi inscriptions at old royal palace museum –
Negeri Sembilan Seri Menanti

Figure 26 Batu Bertikam at royal palace museum –
Negeri Sembilan Seri Menanti

26

APPENDIX B

Sinar Harian (December 2020) stated that domestic tourism sector in
Perlis finally have gotten better after the local choose Perlis as vacation
destination. Taman Eko-Rimba Bukit Air, Tanah Tinggi Wang Kelian, Tasik
Timah Tasoh dan Bukit Jernih have been chose by locals as vacation place to
release stress after the country facing pandemic problems last year. The place
were chosen because of their beautiful natural surrounding and the state
government that the chance to open camping site at Taman Eko-Rimba and not
only they choose to change Taman Anggur Perlis to Taman Eksotik Perlis as
new attraction site in Perlis.

Glossary

ancestor a person, typically one more remote than a grandparent
alienated
experiencing or inducing feelings of isolation or
colonial estrangement
fortress
relating to or characteristic of a colony or colonies
historical
indigenous a person or thing not susceptible to outside influence or
disturbance
initiated
labyrinthine concerning history or past events
lust
migrate originating or occurring naturally in a particular place;
OOTD native
paraphernalia
pedestrians a small group of people who share obscure knowledge
piracy
rustic (of a network) like a labyrinth; irregular and twisting
sanctuary
sheer a passionate desire for something
sovereign
steamy move from one region to another

outfit of the day

miscellaneous articles, especially the equipment needed
for a particular activity.
walking person

the practice of attacking and robbing ships at sea

relating to the countryside; rural

refuge or safety from pursuit, persecution, or other
danger
especially of a cliff

a supreme ruler, especially a monarch

clouded

28

Bibiliography

The Culture Trip. (n.d). The (Almost) Romantic Tale of Kuching’s Fort
Margherita.
Brooke Heritage Trust. (n.d.). The Brooke Gallery - a milestone achieved.
Aidin, N. Z., Shahminan, R. N. R., & Ibrahim, F. K. (2017). Architectural

influences of Istana Lama Seri Menanti, Negeri Sembilan. Planning
Malaysia, 15(1), 151–162.
Malaysia Traveller. Royal Museum Seri Menanti. (n.d.).
Anuwar, N. A. A., Sobri, S. A., Hermawan, A., & Hambali, K. A. (2020). The
Potential of Eco-Tourism : a Narrative Case Study of Perlis the Potential of
Eco-Tourism : a Narrative Case Study of Perlis State Park , Malaysia.
Journal of Critical Review, 7(September), 3070–3077.
Malaysia site. (n.d). Timah Tasoh Lake. Retrieved from:
https://www.malaysiasite.nl/tasoheng.htm#:~:text=Timah%20Tasoh%20L
ake%20is%20a,made%20reservoir%20in%20Perlis%2C%20Malaysia.
Junglewalla. (n.d). Perlis State Park. Retrieved from:
https://junglewalla.com/malaysia-perlis-state-park/
Ain, R. (2017). Bandar Agacia Kampar.
Husna. (2019). The Trails of Kampar, ‘Disneyland Perak’ Untuk Liburan Keluarga.
Muhammad Ismail Ibrahim. (2017). The Kelantan Times. The Kelantan Times.
Neul, H. (2019). Bandar Agacia Di Kampar Bercirikan Animasi Dan Fantasi Asia.
Travelpedia.com. (n.d.). The Guillemard Bridge.
Wikipedia. (2020). Guillemard Bridge.
Sektor pelancongan domestik di Perlis semakin pulih. (2020). Sinar Harian

29

-A- Index

architecture, 2 -M-
Agacia, 16, 17, 18 museum, 7
allocated, 16 migrate, 11
-B- mountainous, 12
borders, 2 -N-
bertram, 3 nephew, 2
bridge, 20, 21, 22, 23 -O-
-C- overnight, 11
commanded, 2 OOTD, 15, 19
costume, 7 originated, 18
-D- -P-
durable, 5 picturesque, 13
Disney, 16, 18, 25 palace, 2,6,7
-E- Perlis, 9, 10, 11, 12
education, 18 Padang Besar, 9
ex-tin, 17 -Q-
-F- Queen of Charles, 3
fortress, 2, 27 -R-
reinforcement, 3, 5
finest, 2 royalty-owned, 4, 5
fort, 2, 3, 4, 25 residence, 6
-G- -S-
Gua Kelang, 10 steamy, 2
Gua Wang Burma, 10 scenery, 13
Guillemard, 20, 21, 22 -T-
-H- Timah Tasoh, 12
History, 2 tourist, 3, 9,10, 16, 18, 24, 25
Herculean, 3 -U-
-J- usage, 23
journey, 11 unsung, 24, 25
-K- unique, 25
Kuala Perlis, 9,15 -V-
-L-
labyrinthine, 11, 27