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22 | FireFlyz
get
away
Firefly flies to Kota
Bharu fromvarious
destinations.
Information on
flight routes and
schedules can be
found at www.
fireflyz.com.my
I
t
is really amazing how we know
very little about the different parts
of the country that we live in.
Take Kota Bharu, Kelantan as an
example. How much do we know
about the city? How different are
things over there? Is life much
simpler and is the food much tastier?
Looks like it’s about time we find out!
Getting There
Kota Bharu is situated in the north-eastern
part of Peninsular Malaysia and lies near
the mouth of the Kelantan River. You can
either drive there or hop on a plane to
Sultan Ismail Petra Airport in Pengkalan
Chepa. If you do not mind the long
journey, you can also take an overnight
train via Keretapi Tanah Melayu’s East
Coast Line which stops at the nearby
Wakaf Bharu Terminal Station in the town
of Wakaf Bharu.
Kota Bharu, Reveal Thyself
Hannef Esquander
peels back the layers of Kota Bharu
to seewhatmakes it tick.
Once there, you will see how Kota
Bharu is home to many mosques like
the Sultan Muhammad Mosque, various
museums as well as buildings with old
architecture, co-existing comfortably
with the newer ones. The city’s most
prominent landmark is the Sultan Ismail
Petra Arches. It was amazing to see how
each of arches was meticulously adorned
with verses from the Holy Quran. It was
built to commemorate the declaration of
Kota Bharu as a cultural city.
Facing the arches is
Istana Balai Besar
(The Grand Place). The palace was built
by Sultan Muhammad II over 170 years
ago as the official residence for sultans.
Up until the mid-1900’s, it was believed
that bullfights used to be held in the
palace for official Royal ceremonies. The
palace is not open to public and is now
used only for official state functions.
Sultan Muhammad II also built another
The Istana Jahar was built
fromwood for Sultan
Muhammad II’s grandson
Stunning arches
adorned with
verses from the
Holy Quran