Terengganu Inscription Stone

Memorial Batu Bersurat is located at Kuala Berang (around 3 km from Kuala Berang town).. The stone proved that Islam had reached Terengganu around year 13xx i.e about 700 years ago.  It was found here at the Kuala Berang riverbank somewhere around 1899. However, we can only find the replica of the stone here. According to the locals, the real inscribed stone is now placed at the State Museum in Kuala Terengganu,.   
HISTORY INSCRIBED STONE OF TERENGGANU                                        
After the flood, the villagers found a huge stone at the mouth of Sungai Teresat. The villagers then shifted the stone to a mosque at Kampung Buluh in Kuala Berang. The Batu Bersurat, Terengganu or Inscribed Stone of Terengganu constitutes the earliest evidence of Jawi writing  in the Malaya Muslim world of Southeast Asia. The Stone is a testimony to the spread of Islam offering an insight to the life of the people of the era as well as depicting the growing Islamic culture subsumed under a set of religious laws.
  . The Islamic Inscription on the Inscribed Stone of Terengganu is a profound statement of Terengganu's Islamic Past. The Stone, which dates as far back as the early 14th Century, is known to be the earliest piece of inscription in Malay using the Jawi script which states Islam as the official religion of Terengganu, along with an Islamic law guide pertaining to misdeeds and sanctions.
The artifact proves that Islam reached Terengganu earlier than 1326 or 1386. It was accidentally discovered near Teresat River at Kuala Berang, Terengganu, Malaysia by an Arab trader named Sayid Husin bin Ghulam al-Bokhari in 1899 after a flash flood hit Kuala Berang.
 In 1902, a gold and tin miner named Syed Hussain bin Ghulam Al Bukhari from Riau - Lingga and Engku Pengiran Anum arrived at Kuala Berang. They saw the inscribed stone and brought it back to Kuala Terengganu where they presented it to Sultan Zainal Abidin, who was then the Sultan of Terengganu. Sultan Zainal Abidin kept the inscribed stone from many years as no one understood the Jawi writings that was inscribed on the stone. Thus an Englishman who was working in Terengganu send photographs of the inscribed stone to history language specialists in Singapore and London. In the end, the inscriptions on the stone was able to be read clearly.
 The inscribed stone weighed about 215 kilograms, 84 centimeters in height, 53 centimeters wide at the top and 27 centimeters wide at the bottom. The thickness of the stone is 24 centimeters and is made of granite which cannot be easily broken. The inscriptions are in Arabic - Malay believed to be written on the 22nd February 1303. Among the inscriptions on the stone are the ten Islamic laws and their punishments. With the discovery of this stone, historians felt that Islam has reached Terengganu before the 14th century. The inscribed stone also proved that a government existed in Terengganu long before Melaka was founded. Even after Melaka was founded, Kuala Terengganu still remained an important port

Turtles Sanctuary

In the 1960's, Rantau Abang Beach in the district of Dungun was made famous for being one of the six hatching sites in the world for giant leatherback turtles. Due to a number of factors that leads to the dwindling number of turtle landings each year, the State government has taken conservation effort by setting up turtle research and hatching sites in selected areas in the district of Dungun, Setiu, Kemaman as well in the islands of Redang, Bidong, Perhentian and Kapas. There has been an increase in the number of turtle landings especially Green and Hawksbill turtles in Pantai Ma Daerah in Paka, Dungun and in Pantai Teluk Mak Nik in Kemaman. There's a Turtle Information Centre in Rantau Abang, Dungun for those who like to know about turtles. There is also an Aquatic Bio-Diversity Gallery at Turtle & Marine Ecology Centre within the vicinity of Turtle Information Centre where there are displays of marine life species, sea shells, replicas of marine life and marine information.

Pesta Main Pantai - Terengganu

                               KUALA TERENGGANU, May 27 (Bernama) -- The Terengganu government will revive
the beach festival called "Pesta Main Pantai", which was synonymous with the
local community before.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Said said this festival could be a platform
to promote and bring glory to the local arts, culture and heritage to draw more
tourists to the state.
He said the festival was a traditional event held since the 1970s, but its
popularity had increasingly waned in the era of rapid modernisation.
"We will plan various activities in reviving this festival," he said after
officiating at the Pesta Pantai Terengganu, here, today.
Ahmad said the Pesta Main Pantai was a kind of gathering for farmers and
their families each year by the beach to relax after the tiring chore of
harvesting padi.
He said at the event, there would be traditional games and traditional song
and dance performances, handicraft display and sales, and traditional cuisine,
which would all be revived.
The 10-day Pesta Pantai Terengganu held at Dataran Shahbandar, here, will
end on June 3.

Terengganu Delights - Lite Home Bake

You might have come across some specialties from the states of Malaysia in the blogsphere the past few months, I think this is the 3rd month if I am not mistaken.   An online event, the Malaysian Food Fest that aims to introduce culinary specialties from the 14 states in the country is ongoing and October is Terengganu month and hosted by Lena of Frozen Wings.   An event worth following, you will get to know many mouth-watering dishes, after all eating is known as one of our favorite pastimes :)

Before this, it was always the beautiful sandy, crystal clear beaches that comes to mind whenever this state is mentioned.   Then comes the Keropok Lekor and Nasi Dagang, now I know there are so many more!  Intrigued by  dishes shared by Phong Hong of Phong Hong Bakes, with recipes coming from  her family's heirloom,  I tried 2 of her recipes Kay Hong and Kay Pachok.   Hints of Nyonya influence from the name of the dishes and the ingredient list was the other thing that caught my attention.

I first tried the Kay Hong which means Braised Chicken in Hokkien.   The original recipe calls for a mixture of chicken and pork belly.  Unfortunately, I only had pork ribs and belly on the night that I chose to try out the recipe, so it was pork ribs instead :)  I am not sure if this twist will deem it unacceptable for submission to the event.  Anyway, it turned out delicious.

This other dish is Kay Pachok, Kay like Kay in 'Kay Hong' means Chicken in Hokkien and as for Pachok, it's the Terengganu Malay dialect for skewer, so it's Chicken on Skewers when put together.  Similar to Satay, another meat on skewers specialty but the spices used are different and this one is lightly steamed before hitting the grill.

Culinary (Food paradise by the Sea)

Due to its geographical location and historical background, Terengganu cuisine displays a strong influence of Thai, Chinese and Indian cuisines. Dining out in Terengganu is relatively inexpensive and there are always plenty of choices ranging from hotels to hawker stalls. With endless variety of delicious temptations available day or night in Terengganu, your taste buds may need to work overtime to savour it all. The cuisine of Terengganu, an east coast state of Peninsular Malaysia, is distinctively memorable for its fresh ingredients, inimitable spices and unique flavours.