Pekan

History

According to local lore, a flowering plant named Bunga Pekan used to grow wild along the banks of Pahang River, and the town was therefore so named. The flower is said to be white like jasmine, although the particular plant species is also said to have become extinct. The river at the Pekan town (near Mengkasar village) is also called Pekan River, however there is no evidence that Pekan derived its name from this river. Other sources say the name "Pekan" came from "Pekan Sehari" (Pekan Sehari or Sunday Market still exists today), and the word "Sehari" was eventually omitted and the locals simply called it "Pekan". Pekan is thought to have been in existence since the time of Old Pahang Kingdom. The old name was Inderapura, although it was also commonly known with the short form 'Pura', which some Malays called Pekan. The old capital was located on both the left and right banks of Sungai Pahang and Sungai Pahang Tua up to Tanjung Langgar. The town was divided into Pekan Baharu and Pekan Lama (New and Old Pekan), and the old name for Pekan Baharu used to be Kampung Cina. Several Arab and Chinese writers mentioned Pekan. The villagers at Kampong Mengkasar, about one kilometre from Pekan in the direction of Kuantan, are said to be direct descendants of Tok Tuan from Makassar in Sulawesi, Indonesia. Among the well-known figures, Tun Abdul Razak was recognised as having a Sulawesi heritage.