The Untold History of Terengganu: A Coastal Legacy Shaped by Trade, Faith, and Climate Change
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Long before Terengganu became synonymous with idyllic beaches like Redang Island, its strategic location on the South China Sea made it a pivotal hub for global trade. By the 14th century, Terengganu’s rivers teemed with merchant ships carrying Chinese porcelain, Indian textiles, and Middle Eastern incense. The Terengganu Stone Inscription (Batu Bersurat Terengganu), discovered in 1887, stands as Southeast Asia’s oldest surviving Jawi-script artifact—proof of an early Islamic legal system blending Malay adat (customary law) with Sharia principles.
While history books glorify male sultans, oral traditions reveal a lesser-known truth: Terengganu’s inland town of Kuala Berang was once dominated by female spice merchants. These women negotiated directly with Bugis and Arab traders, controlling the lucrative trade in gaharu wood (agarwood), a fragrant resin worth more than gold in Ming Dynasty China. Their legacy lives on in the warung (food stalls) along today’s Kampung Cina, where recipes using keropok lekor (fish crackers) still follow 16th-century techniques.
The British "forward movement" into Terengganu in 1919 brought seismic changes. Under the guise of "modernization," colonial officers:
- Dismantled the traditional sistem kangcu: A communal land-sharing system that had sustained rice farmers for centuries
- Imposed rubber monoculture: By 1930, over 60% of arable land was converted to rubber estates, creating dependency on global commodity prices
- Ignored early climate warnings: Malay fishermen’s reports of changing monsoon patterns were dismissed as "native superstition"
When a prolonged drought caused crop failures, Terengganu peasants staged Southeast Asia’s first documented climate-linked revolt. Armed with parang (machetes) and fishing spears, 3,000 farmers marched on Kuala Terengganu to demand:
1. Restoration of irrigation canals blocked by British dam projects
2. Compensation for rubber trees killed by unseasonal heatwaves
Though brutally suppressed, this rebellion foreshadowed today’s climate justice movements.
The discovery of offshore oil in 1974 transformed Terengganu into Malaysia’s third-largest oil producer. But the Petronas-funded Crystal Mosque and sleek administrative capital of Kuala Terengganu City mask an escalating crisis:
NASA satellite data shows Terengganu’s coastline receding by 4.3 meters annually—faster than anywhere in Peninsular Malaysia. The fishing village of Pulau Redang now battles:
- Coral bleaching: 68% of reefs died between 2010–2020 due to rising sea temperatures
- Vanishing beaches: Luxury resorts import sand from Cambodia as natural shorelines vanish
- Ghost fisheries: Traditional pukat tonda (drift net) catches dropped 90% since 2005
While Terengganu’s government boasts about ASEAN’s first hybrid solar-hydro dam in Kenyir Lake, activists expose contradictions:
- Mangrove deforestation: 12,000 hectares cleared for "eco-tourism" projects since 2015
- Plastic tide: Monsoon winds dump 300kg of microplastics daily on Kapas Island
- Silenced scientists: Marine biologists studying oil spill impacts report intimidation
Amid these challenges, Terengganu’s cultural DNA offers solutions:
This turmeric-infused rice dish—traditionally served on woven banana leaves—embodies Terengganu’s fusion heritage:
- Indian Ocean spices (cardamom, cloves) from Arab traders
- Coconut milk techniques borrowed from Siamese kitchens
- Sustainable fishing: The accompanying gulai ikan (fish curry) uses bycatch species ignored by industrial trawlers
Terengganu’s 200-year-old Surau Tok Ku Paloh teaches tasawwuf (Islamic mysticism) emphasizing environmental stewardship. Its khalwat (retreat) programs have deradicalized dozens of youth recruited by extremist groups—using 14th-century manuscripts that frame climate action as jihad akbar (greater spiritual struggle).
As the state grapples with China’s Belt and Road investments in its ports and Saudi-funded mega-mosques, a quiet revolution grows:
- Youth-led permaculture: Urban farms in Dungun repurpose oil palm waste into fertilizer
- Decolonized education: Schools teach maritime history using perahu (traditional boat) building
- Blue carbon credits: Fishermen earn income by protecting seagrass beds that offset corporate emissions
The waves that once brought traders now carry both plastic and promise. Terengganu’s survival hinges on remembering what made it extraordinary—not the petroleum beneath its waters, but the people who navigated tides of change long before "sustainability" became a buzzword.