Kuantan

Sister cities

• Qinzhou

History

Kuantan in the first century was a part of Chih-Tu empire. In the 11th century, this piece of land was conquered by another small empire called Pheng-Kheng before being taken over by the Siamese during the 12th century. During the 15th century, Kuantan was ruled by the Malaccan Empire. Kuantan is said to have been founded in the 1850s. The name was notably mentioned in Munshi Abdullah's travelogue Kisah Pelayaran ke Kelantan circa 1851/2: In its early days, it was known as Kampung Teruntum (lit. 'Lumnitzera Village'). The village was situated at the mouth of Teruntum River which is in front of the current hospital and it was established by Haji Senik and his followers in the 1850s. Early primary economic activities included fishing and small businesses. The main evidence of the establishment of the village is the cemetery that is situated near Taman Esplanade in front of the current Hospital Tengku Ampuan Afzan. Towards the late 19th century, arrival of Chinese miners and traders saw the establishment of a township in Kuantan and nearby tin mining areas such as Gambang and Sungai Lembing. Similar to what occurred in other states in Peninsular Malaysia, rubber plantations attracted Indian settlers as well. The sinking of HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse took place off the coast of Kuantan on 10 December 1941. Kuantan was declared a full-fledged city by Sultan Abdullah of Pahang on 21 February 2021 and its town council officially renamed the Kuantan City Council (MBK).