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Kota Bharu
Note: Please visit Kota Bharu under Cities. Fishing Villages
Tumpat District / Boat Building The Tumpat District is a major agricultural area that shares the border with Thailand. The Thai influence is thus quite strong. Small villages are scattered among rice fields and a number of interesting Thai Buddhists' temples can also be found here. Other places of interest include the beach resort at Pantai Sri Tujuh (Beach of Seven Lagoons), which happens to be the venue for the International Kite Festival. It is also well known that the people of Kelantan are masters of the art of boat building. The secrets of this art are normally passed down from past generations. And among the many fishing villages, Tumpat town is synonymous with expert boat builders of the country. Boatmen build their boats from experience and intuition in this tiny village. In the past, some of the boats had strange and fascinating forms attached to the prows. For instance, the shape of a "Bangau" (Cattle Egret) or a "Garuda" (a Demonic Birdman, which is a remnant of Hindu influence during pre-Islamic times) were used. Boatmen believed that these talismans were able to drive away evil spirits and provide them protection during their fishing trips. In the 1950s, however, the introduction of engines saw the decline of the use of talisman, but there are some that still remain as exhibits today. Masjid Kampung Laut About 300 years ago, Javanese Muslims built this mosque to show their gratitude after a narrow escape from pirates. Today, it is thought to be the oldest mosque in Peninsula Malaysia. It was originally located at Kampung Laut, just across the river from Kota Bharu. But the annual monsoon floods had brought about substantial damage to the wooden mosque. Hence in 1968, the mosque was relocated to a safer location. It now stands at Kampung Nilam Puri, which is a local center for religious studies. Entry into the mosque, however, is forbidden to non-Muslims.
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As
the capital, Kota Bharu is a good place to sample traditional Malay culture.
It is also a good place to explore the surrounding countryside.
No
visit to Kelantan would be complete without a trip to the fishing villages,
which are also known as "the soul of Malaysia's east coast". Two of the
most well known villages are Sabak Beach and Kuala Besar. To fully capture
the moment, visitors should arrive no later than 4 p.m. daily (except
for Fridays) when boats laden with the day's catch are first spotted on
the horizon. As the boats come ashore, visitors are treated to a kaleidoscopic
view of colors from their intricately carved prows. Then begins the bargaining
between wholesalers and fishermen, a ritual that is noisy yet interesting.
Apart from this, other related activities such as fish curing and the
mending of nets can also be enjoyed.