Muar 

(Jawi: ‫ )موار‬or Bandar Maharani, is a historical town and the capital of Muar

District, Johor, Malaysia. It is one of the most popular[1] tourist attractions in Malaysia to be visited
and explored for its food, coffee and historical prewar buildings. It was recently declared as the
royal town of Johor by Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar and is the fourth largest city (after Johor
Bahru, Batu Pahat and Kluang) in Johor. It is the main and biggest town of the bigger entity
region or area of the same name, Muar which is sub-divided into the Muar district and the
new Tangkak district, which was upgraded into a full-fledged district from the Tangkak sub-
district earlier.[2] Muar district as the only district covering the whole area formerly
borders Malacca in the northern part. Upon the upgrading of Tangkak (formerly Ledang) district,
the Muar district now covers only the area south of Sungai Muar, whilst the northern area beyond
the river is in within Tangkak district. However, both divided administrative districts are still
collectively and fondly called and referred to as the region or area of Muar as a whole by their
residents and outsiders. Currently, the new township of Muar is located in the Bakri area.
Muar is one of the cleanest cities in South East Asia, being awarded with Asean Clean Tourist
City Standard Award 2017 recently.[3]

Contents

 1Etymology
 2History
 3Geography
o 3.1Climate
 4Administration
 5Transportation
o 5.1Car
o 5.2Public transportation
 6Telecommunication and postal service
 7Economy
 8Education
o 8.1EduHub Pagoh (Bandar Universiti Pagoh)
o 8.2Secondary schools
o 8.3Chinese independent schools
o 8.4National primary schools
o 8.5Tamil primary schools
o 8.6Chinese primary schools
 9Architecture
 10Tourism
o 10.1Historical places
o 10.2Attractions
 11Food and cuisine
 12Culture and tradition
 13Hospitals
 14Notable people
o 14.1Politicians and public servants
o 14.2Medicine
o 14.3Entertainment
o 14.4Sportspersons
 15Sister cities
 16References
 17External links
Etymology[edit]
Muar also known as Bandar Maharani is said to have had other names earlier and the name
itself Muar is believed to have originated and derived from its geographical location at the mouth
or estuary of Muar River as the following different version of theories:

 Teluk Dalam :Muar was formerly known as Teluk Dalam meaning "deep bay" due to its
location at the estuary or the structure of the mouth of the Muar River which is wide open
and deep; based on a sentence in one part of Hikayat Malim Deman; as in :
Muar belum bernama Muar , Muar bernama Teluk Dalam.
(Muar has not been named Muar, Muar is called Teluk Dalam)

 Muara :Muar name is said to be the summary for this old Malay word Muara meaning

"the wide open estuary".
 Muak :Means "bored" or "tired" in paddling the boat travelling along the river which is
large and curvy by the local people in the early days. The people started calling the river
and place Muar deriving from the word Muak after a long time since then.
 Bukit Mor :There is also a hill not far from the Muar near Parit Jawa in the south of the
"Padang" area called Mor Hill or Bukit Mor which may be the origin of the name of Muar.
 Bandar Maharani :Modern Muar Town was officially opened and conferred Bandar
Maharani title by Maharaja Abu Bakar translated as the Town of Empress the namesake
of Maharani Fatimah who also graced the grand inauguration ceremony of the new town
on 12 August 1887, to symbolically representing and recognising the prominence status
of Muar as the 2nd important and biggest town and district of the state of Johor after
Johor Bahru the capital city in those days.
There a few old historic legends which evolved around the area of Muar namely, Hikayat
Malim Deman (Epic of Malim Deman), Legenda Lembing Awang Pulang Ke Dayang
(Awang's Spear Return to Dayang Legend) and Legenda Puteri Gunung Ledang (Mount
Ledang Princess' Legend).

History[edit]

Formerly Flag of the State Commissioner for Muar (Malay: Bendera Orang Besar Daerah Muar);[4][5]
show
More information

Muar is rich in history as mentioned in many historical records and archaeological works.[7] It
is believed that the history of Muar started much earlier than the Sultanate of Malacca. There
were many accounts recorded about the early history of Muar. In 1361, it was claimed that
Muar was a part of the Majapahit empire. Another account also stated that Parameswara,
upon his exile from Temasik before proceeding to found Melaka, had established a
settlement at Kota Buruk, Pagoh, Ulu Muar, Muar witnessing the beginning of the Malacca
Sultanate empire. Historically, Muar was also where the deposed heir of the Malacca
Sultanate escaped to in 1511 following the invasion of the Portuguese, launched from Goa.
During the Portuguese's Afonso de Albuquerque invasion and attack in 1511, Muar played a
role in resisting the Portuguese occupation of Malacca; the Kubu Bentayan fort was built by
the last Sultan of Malacca, Sultan Mahmud to repel seaborne invasions, before he was
defeated and retreat further to Pagoh, this time witnessing the fall of the Malacca Sultanate
empire. During the Portuguese occupation era, the Portuguese built a fortress
named Fortaleza de Muar to defend the colony against the attack of Dutch and Aceh instead
at the same strategic site of Bentayan. The colonial British did just about the same thing at
the Muar River site near Bentayan in defence against the advance of Japanese Imperial
Army in the Battle of Muar in World War II . Muar is also the home for the one and only tomb
of the 7th Malacca Sultanate, Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah I (1477–1488). During the time of
the beginning of Bugis immigration from Sulawesi Indonesia and their influence in Johor
Sultanate, the five Bugis pioneer prince-brothers sea-warriors or rather pirates from
Sulawesi, Indonesia; Daeng Marewah, Daeng Parani, Daeng Celak, Daeng Manambun and
Daeng Kemasi said to have come to reside in Liang Batu, Lenga, Muar before they and their
descendants become the influential Temenggungs and even rulers later.
Muar, the Bandar Maharani, have been recorded by several historians, scholars and authors
and in many important historical materials like old maps, poems, epics, manuscripts and
books :

 Prapanca (1361) (Nagarakertagama Poem) :Nagarakertagama poem – written in

1361 Prapanca (a Buddhist monk and priest of Majapahit Palace) told Muar as a colony
part of Majapahit empire subdued by Hayam Wuruk and prime minister, Gajah
Mada(1350 to 1389).[8]
 João de Barros ("Decades of Asia"), (1553) :João de Barros who wrote in 1553 in his 2nd
Décadas da Ásia ("Decades of Asia"), a history of
the Portuguese in India and Asia.stated that Parameswara (Paramicura) who were
driven away from Temasik after he killed the representative of the King of Siam, Temagi;
had escaped in exile and stopped in Muar and built a in rural areas
of Muar called Pagoh.
 Tun Sri Lanang (Malay Annals) Shellabear version :In the Malay Annals states
that Temasik during the reign of Parameswara(Sultan Iskandar Shah) was defeated
by Majapahit Kingdom. But he and his family including his followers had fled
to Pagoh, Muar and opened 2 areas on the banks of the Muar River; the Biawak
Busuk and another fort called Kota Buruk before moved to Melaka and opened
up Melaka. In 1488, the incident of Malacca's Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah I (1477–
1488) who has died and buried in Pagoh, Ulu Muar during a visit, called "Sultan Mangkat
Di Muar".
 Tomé Pires (the Suma Oriental) (1512–1515) :Tomé Pires wrote a landmark book on
Asian trade, the Suma Oriental que trata do Mar Roxo até aos Chins (Summa of the
East, from the Red Sea up to the Chinese) in Malacca and India between 1512–1515,
completed before the death of Afonso de Albuquerque (December 1515), which
highlighted the emergence of Parameswara replacing his father, Raja Sam Agi as the
ruler of Palembang and later attacked by the king of Majapahit of Java, King Batara
Tamavill for declaring himself as 'Mjeura'(those who dare) before fled
to Temasik(Singapore)where he killed Siamese King of Ayutthaya's representative,
Temagi and he secretly ruled Temasik for 5 years. But fearing the revenge attack by
the King of Ayutthaya, he fled to Pagoh, Muar with his 1,000 followers and lived there for
6 years when the Seletar peoples were still occupying Malacca before he moved to
Malacca and opened it later.
 An old Portuguese map shows that Muar had a second Portuguese fort in the Peninsular
Malaysia beside Malacca. From the map, it was named Fortaleza de Muar built in 1604
by Emanuel Godinho de Erédia in triangular shape to defend the colony against attacks
from the Dutch and Aceh, at the mouth of Bentayan River near the Muar River. It fort has
since vanished but it is believed to be located at the present location of Bentayan
Express Bus' Station (formerly Pagoh Bus Stand) in Jalan Maharani, Muar.[9]
 Abraham Ortelius (1584) (Old Maps) :Old maps such as Map Ortelius A.D. 1584 shows
Muar as a city located to the south of Malacca.
 Jan Huyghen van Linschoten (1595) (Old Maps) :Map Linschoten A.D. 1595 shows Muar
as a city close to the state of Malacca.
Sultan Ali's Rule of Muar: Muar was the royal town of northern Johor once. A civil war
between the prince of Sultan Hussein Shah; Tengku Ali dan Dato' Temenggong Daeng
Ibrahim which was later settled by a treaty of agreement and understanding signed
in Singapore between the British and Tengku Ali; that ceded the control of the rest of state of
Johor (except Muar region) formally to Temenggong Ibrahim in returns of the sultan title with
the condition the title is not hereditary for succession, and recognition of him as Sultan
Ali and his reign ruled over the Muar region(state) of the area lies between the Muar River
and Kesang River with an annual pension from the British Government under the terms of
the treaty. Although Sultan Ali was in fact the real heir of the Johor Sultanate but due to his
weakness, the Temenggong became the de facto ruler instead and begin the rule of the
Temenggung in Johor onwards. Sultan Ali delegated the administrative affairs of Muar to the
Raja Temenggung of Muar[10] (also known by the title of Temenggong Paduka Tuan of Muar)
[11]
 and rather spent most of his time in Malacca. Muar was sparsely populated in 1855 and
had a population of 800 and no formal structure of government was formed. In 1860, Sultan
Ali reportedly borrowed $53,600 from a Chettiar money lender, Kavana Chana Shellapah
and signed an agreement with Shellapah to contribute a portion of his monthly allowance to
repay his debt. However, Sultan Ali found himself unable to pay settle his debts in time, and
an angry Shellapah wrote to the British government in 1866. Pressured to liquidate his debts
in time, Sultan Ali granted Shellapah the right to trade off Muar to the Raja Temenggung of
Muar|Temenggong of Johor as mortgage if he is unable to pay off his debts in time.[12] His
relations with Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim remained strained; in 1860, Sultan Ali allowed a
Bugis adventurer, Suliwatang, the chiefs of Rembau and Sungei Ujong to settle in Muar and
prepare themselves for an attack on Johor.[13] Such bad blood between the Sultan Ali and
Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim passed down to the Temenggong's son, Temenggong Abu
Bakar, who succeeded his father after the former died in 1862. Shortly after Temenggong
Abu Bakar became the Temenggong of Johor, he sent a letter to Sultan Ali to reassert of
Johor's sovereignty over Segamat. Continued disputes over the sovereignty of Segamat led
to an outbreak of a war between the Temenggong's men with the Sultan's. Eleven years later
in 1873, attempts made by Suliwatang to collect custom taxes from inhabitants at the Muar
estuary led to further conflict with Temenggong Abu Bakar's (who became Maharaja in 1868
and finally Sultan later in 1885, 8 years after death of Sultan Ali) men.[14]
Upon Sultan Ali's death in Umbai, Malacca in 1877, his 11-year-old youngest son, Tengku M