Mentakab (alternately ''Mentekab'', Jawi: منتاكب,

Pahang Malay Pahang Malay ( Standard Malay: ; Jawi: ) is a Malayic language spoken in the Malaysian state of Pahang. It is regarded as the dominant Malay dialect spoken along the vast riverine systems of Pahang, but co-exists with other Malay dialects tradi ...

: ''Mentekak'') is a town, a

mukim A mukim is a type of administrative division used in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. The word ''mukim'' is a loanword in English. However, it was also originally a loanword in Malay from the Arabic word: (meaning ''resident''). The cl ...

(commune) and a state assembly constituency in

Temerloh District Temerloh District is a district in Pahang, Malaysia. The district consists of two areas, the Municipal Council Area (64.08%) and the outer Municipal Council Area (35.92%). Temerloh district is bordered by Maran District on the east, Bentong D ...

in central

Pahang Pahang (; Jawi: , Pahang Hulu Malay: ''Paha'', Pahang Hilir Malay: ''Pahaeng'', Ulu Tembeling Malay: ''Pahaq)'' officially Pahang Darul Makmur with the Arabic honorific ''Darul Makmur'' (Jawi: , "The Abode of Tranquility") is a sultanate and ...

, Malaysia. It is northwest from downtown

Temerloh Temerloh is a municipality in central Pahang, Malaysia. Temerloh has been proven to be the "centre of Peninsular Malaysia" (Malay: ) 3TS, which is situated at Kampung Paya Siput, Lanchang. Located about from Kuala Lumpur along the Kuantan–K ...

and northeast from

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...

History

It was originally known as Pasir Rawa. In the late 19th century, Mentakab was a candidate for Pahang's new capital city, replacing

Pekan Pekan Town is a town in Pekan District, Pahang, Malaysia. It is also the royal capital of the state. Its name comes from a flower, the '' Bunga Pekan''. Pekan is also the name of the district the town is situated in, and a parliamentary cons ...

. However, due to its mountainous terrain,

Kuala Lipis Kuala Lipis ( ms, كوالا ليڤيس, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset) is a mukim and capital of Lipis District, Pahang, Malaysia with a population of 20,000. History Kuala Lipis was a gold-mining centre before the British arrived in ...

was instead chosen as the capital of the state in 1898, later replaced by

Kuantan Kuantan ( Jawi: ) is a city and the state capital of Pahang, Malaysia. It is located near the mouth of the Kuantan River. Kuantan is the 18th largest city in Malaysia based on 2010 population, and the largest city in the East Coast of Peni ...

in 1955.

Transport

Rail

Mentakab has a

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in Track (rail transport), tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the ...

operated by

Keretapi Tanah Melayu Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) (Jawi: كريتاڤي تانه ملايو برحد) or Malayan Railways Limited is the main rail operator in Peninsular Malaysia. The railway system dates back to the British colonial era, when it was firs ...

. The railway station is on the East Coast Line of the

KTM Intercity KTM Intercity ( ms, KTM Antarabandar) are diesel-hauled intercity train services in Peninsular Malaysia, operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB). Services operate along the East Coast Line between Tumpat and Gemas and on towards JB S ...

network, running from Gemas in

Negeri Sembilan Negeri Sembilan (, Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Nogoghi Sombilan'', ''Nismilan'') is a state in Malaysia which lies on the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It borders Selangor on the north, Pahang in the east, and Malacca and Johor to the s ...

to Tumpat in

Kelantan Kelantan (; Jawi: ; Kelantanese Malay: ''Klate'') is a state in Malaysia. The capital is Kota Bharu and royal seat is Kubang Kerian. The honorific name of the state is ''Darul Naim'' (Jawi: ; "The Blissful Abode"). Kelantan is located in t ...

and goes through the railway station in Mentakab. Presently two trains stop at the station daily. The station also serves other nearby towns such as

Lanchang Lanchang is a small town in Temerloh District, Pahang, Malaysia. It is accessible via the East Coast Expressway's Lanchang Interchange. The Kuala Gandah Elephant Conservation Centre is situated in Lanchang. This is the main attraction of this ...

, and Karak.

Road

Mentakab is connected to the constituency centre

via

national highway National highway or National Highway may refer to: * National Highways (England) * National Highway (Australia) * List of National Roads in Belgium * Brunei National Roads System * National Highway System (Canada) * Trans ...

. The original road from

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...

(

highway A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks. In some areas of the United States, it is used as an equivalent term to controlled-access ...

) also goes through Mentakab which gives Mentakab an important role. Travelers used to recognize the famous round-about near Jalan Tun Razak-Jalan Temerloh

intersection In mathematics, the intersection of two or more objects is another object consisting of everything that is contained in all of the objects simultaneously. For example, in Euclidean geometry, when two lines in a plane are not parallel, thei ...

every time they reached the town. However, the iconic round-about has been replaced by a

traffic light Traffic lights, traffic signals, or stoplights – known also as robots in South Africa are signalling devices positioned at road intersections, pedestrian crossings, and other locations in order to control flows of traffic. Traffic light ...

. The role of route 2 has now been superseded by the East Coast Expressway , which connects

Gombak The Gombak District is an administrative district located in the state of Selangor, Malaysia. The district was created on February 1, 1974, the same day when Kuala Lumpur was declared a Federal Territory. Until 1997, Rawang was the district capi ...

Selangor Selangor (; ), also known by its Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 Malaysian states. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east, Negeri Sem ...

Kuala Terengganu , image_seal = Seal of Kuala Terengganu City Council.png , image_flag = Flag of Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu.svg , image_skyline = , image_caption = From top, left to right:The Crystal Mos ...

via

. The nearest exit from the East Coast Expressway is at

Economy and infrastructure

Agriculture

Mentakab is a popular site for urban

swiftlet Swiftlets are birds contained within the four genus, genera ''Aerodramus'', ''Hydrochous'', ''Schoutedenapus'' and ''Collocalia''. They form the Collocaliini tribe (biology), tribe within the Swift (bird), swift family Apodidae. The group contain ...

farming; the top floor of many shoplots in the city are modified to provide space for swiftlet farming. Successful urban farming can be rewarding as each kilogram of swiftlets'

nest A nest is a structure built for certain animals to hold eggs or young. Although nests are most closely associated with birds, members of all classes of vertebrates and some invertebrates construct nests. They may be composed of organic materi ...

can be sold for as high as US$2000. However, few have succeeded and disadvantages towards urban residents can potentially outweigh economic gains such as widespread of diseases or bird flu and excessive bird droppings. The Semantan River that goes through the town is the water source for the agricultural activities. Other than in 1970, Mentakab is seldom caught in serious floods prior to 2000 but serious floodings did occur in 2007, 2014 and 2017. A major flood in December 2021 following Tropical Depression 29W has submerged almost 95% of Mentakab town underwater, caused by floodwater flow-through from prior floodings in Bentong and Raub. The flooding of Mentakab town, as well as many other cities and towns in the country, has been considered as the worst flooding the country has experienced post-independence.

Industries

Robin Resources (M) Sdn. Bhd. is the only company manufacturing

medium-density fibreboard Medium-density fibreboard (MDF) is an engineered wood product made by breaking down hardwood or softwood residuals into wood fibres, often in a defibrator, combining it with wax and a resin binder, and forming it into panels by applying high t ...

in Pahang since 1995. 100% of workers from Robin Resources (M) Sdn. Bhd. are employed locally and hence provides working opportunities to the local community. 80% of the manufactured medium-density fibreboard from Robin Resources are exported to the international market, including countries such as Saudi Arabia and China.

Malaysian Newsprint Industries Asia Honour Paper Industries (M) Sdn. Bhd., formerly known as Malaysian Newsprint Industries Sdn. Bhd. (abbreviated MNI), is a pulp and paper company based in Malaysia. It operates a single pulp mill and paper mill in Mentakab, Pahang, which prod ...

(MNI) started up a

greenfield Greenfield or Greenfields may refer to: Engineering and Business * Greenfield agreement, an employment agreement for a new organisation * Greenfield investment, the investment in a structure in an area where no previous facilities exist * Greenf ...

paper mill A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt ...

in Mentakab in the year 1996. MNI is one of the largest paper factories in

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...

. Mentakab Veneer & Plywood Sdn Bhd (MVP) was incorporated in 1986 as a joint venture company between Malaysian and Taiwanese shareholders. It main business is to engage in the manufacture and marketing of plywood. Mentakab Veneer & Plywood’ factory which is a located at the 5th Mile, Jalan Karak, P.O. Box 12, 28400 Mentakab, Pahang Darul Makmur (Mentakab is strategically located 123 km from Kuala Lumpur, 181 km from KLIA and 192 km from Port Klang (major port in Malaysia), commenced plywood production in 1986 and marketed its product for local consumption and a small volume for export. Today, MVP is an active member of The Malaysian Panel-Products Manufacturer's Association (MPMA) and it manufactures Urea Formaldehyde, Phenol Formaldehyde and Melamine Urea Formaldehyde Plywood.

Night market

Mentakab has a daily night market (

pasar malam ''Pasar malam'' ( nl, Nacht Markt or Avondmarkt) is an Indonesian and Malay word that literally means "night market" (the word comes from ''bazaar'' in Persian). A ''pasar malam'' is a street market in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapor ...

) located along the Jalan Mok Hee Kiang stretch. At around 5pm, this road will be closed to motorists to make way for hawkers. Jalan Mok Hee Kiang is one of the street where most of the citizens often visit due to its wide variety of daily goods sold. Jalan Mok Hee Kiang is famous among Mentakab citizens.

Star Mall

Located between Taman Bukit Bendera and Taman Rimba in the western suburbs of Mentakab, Star Mall is the newest and largest shopping mall in the city. The mall was constructed by a private developer from Kuantan namely Sistem Duta Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary body of Kinsteel Bhd, owned by

Tan Sri The Malay language has a complex system of styles, titles and honorifics which are used extensively in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the southern Philippines. Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and several provinces in Indonesia regul ...

Dato' Datuk (or its variant Dato or Datu) is a Malay title commonly used in Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia, as well as a traditional title by Minangkabau people in West Sumatra, Indonesia. The title of the wife of Datuk is Datin. Origin The oldes ...

Pheng Yin Huah, a steel industry tycoon in Malaysia. Mentakab Star Mall consists three stories, and currently houses Mentakab's only cinema - a GSC. There is a ''Pacific'' supermarket in the mall.

Other retail outlets

Mentakab has one of the largest

hypermarket A hypermarket (sometimes called a hyperstore, supercentre or superstore) is a big-box store combining a supermarket and a department store. The result is an expansive retail facility carrying a wide range of products under one roof, includin ...

s in the district of Temerloh, namely TF Value Mart and ''The Store''. These

department store A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic appe ...

s are located in the busiest area of Mentakab where the ''night market'' is just a stone's throw away.

Traffic congestion Traffic congestion is a condition in transport that is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. Traffic congestion on urban road networks has increased substantially since the 1950s. When traffic de ...

s however are common in this area. The traffic congestion becomes worse during

peak hour A rush hour (American English, British English) or peak hour (Australian English) is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice every weekday: on ...

Public healthcare

*Klinik Kesihatan Mentakab *Klinik 1Malaysia

Telecommunications

All four major telcos in Malaysia -

Maxis Maxis is an American video game developer and a division of Electronic Arts (EA). The studio was founded in 1987 by Will Wright and Jeff Braun, and acquired by EA in 1997. Maxis is best known for its simulation games, including '' The Sims ...

, Celcom, Digi and

U Mobile U Mobile Sdn Bhd (223969-U) is a Malaysian mobile telecommunications service provider and was founded in 1998 as MiTV Networks Sdn Bhd. U Mobile is a wholly owned subsidiary of U Television Sdn Bhd, which was formerly known as U Telecom Media ...

have provided coverage in Mentakab.

Other facilities

Being the largest city in central Pahang, several major banking institutions of Malaysia have set up branches in Mentakab. There are also several inns around the city.

Housing estates and suburbs

*Batu Kapur *Kampung Netas *Ladang Edensor *Ladang Mentakab *New Village Kampung Suria *Taman Bukit Bendera *Taman Bukit Cermin *Taman Bukit Mentakab *Taman Desa Saujana *Taman KSM Indah *Taman KSM *Taman KSM Heights *Taman Lee Chan *Taman Mahkota *Taman Mentakab *Taman Pinggiran Temerloh Damai *Taman Rimba *Taman Saga *Taman Saga Indah *Taman Sri Layang *Taman Suppiah *Taman Tan Chew Tong *Taman Tualang indah *Taman Tunas *Tanjong Kerayong *Taman Pinggiran Netas Jaya

Education

Primary

National schools (Sekolah Kebangsaan) * SK Abu Bakar * SK Bandar Mentakab * SK Batu Kapur * SK Chatin Chinese and Tamil vernacular schools * SJK (Tamil)/SJK(T) Bandar Mentakab * SJK(C) Mentakab 1 (文德甲中华华文小学1校) * SJK(C) Mentakab 2 (文德甲中华华文小学2校) * SJK(C) Yeow Cheng Luan (姚贞嫒华文小学) and SJK(T) Yeow Cheng Luan * SJK(T) Ladang Mentakab

Secondary

* SMJK Hwa Lian (文德甲华联国民型华文中学） * SMK Mentakab * SMK Seri Semantan * SMK Bukit Cermin

Higher education

* Kolej Komuniti Temerloh (Temerloh Community College) * Open University Malaysia -

campus

Music education

* JS Music School (near Klinik Wanita)

Demographics

Mentakab is also very famous for its inter-racial unity; the population contains people of diverse ethnic backgrounds and religious beliefs. Religious houses such as

mosques A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, i ...

, churches,

hindu temples A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hin ...

, chinese temples,

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...

gurdwara,

buddhist monastery Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

are abundant here.

Driving distance from Mentakab to cities in Malaysia (km)

* 124 km

* 136 km

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...

* 158 km

Shah Alam Shah Alam () is a city and the state capital of Selangor, Malaysia and situated within the Petaling District and a small portion of the neighbouring Klang District. Shah Alam replaced Kuala Lumpur as the capital city of the state of Selango ...

* 162 km

Putrajaya Putrajaya (), officially the Federal Territory of Putrajaya ( ms, Wilayah Persekutuan Putrajaya), is a planned capital city which functions as the administrative capital and the judicial capital of Malaysia. The seat of the federal governm ...

* 195 km

Seremban Seremban (Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Soghomban'', ''Somban''; Jawi: ) is a city in the Seremban District and the capital of the state of Negeri Sembilan in Peninsular Malaysia. The city's administration is run by the Seremban City Council. Se ...

* 277 km

Malacca Malacca ( ms, Melaka) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state in Malaysia located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, next to the Strait of Malacca. Its capital is Malacca City, dubbed the Historic City, which has bee ...

* 322 km

Ipoh , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Ipoh in Perak , pushpin_map = #Malaysia#Asia#Earth , pushpin_mapsize = 275px , pushpin_map_caption = Ipoh in Malaysia , coordinates ...

* 338 km

* 355 km

Johor Bahru Johor Bahru (), colloquially referred to as JB, is the capital city of the state of Johor, Malaysia. It is located at the southern end of Peninsular Malaysia,along the north bank of the Straits of Johor, opposite of the city-state Singapore. ...

* 470 km

Kota Bharu Kota Bharu, colloquially referred to as KB, is a town in Malaysia that serves as the state capital and royal seat of Kelantan. It is situated in the northeastern part of Peninsular Malaysia and lies near the mouth of the Kelantan River. The ...

* 472 km George Town * 554 km

Alor Setar Alor Setar ( Jawi: الور ستار, Kedahan: ''Loqstaq'') is the state capital of Kedah, Malaysia. It is the second-largest city in the state after Sungai Petani and one of the most-important cities on the west coast of Peninsular Malays ...

* 603 km Kangar * 2,775 km

Kuching Kuching (), officially the City of Kuching, is the capital and the most populous city in the state of Sarawak in Malaysia. It is also the capital of Kuching Division. The city is on the Sarawak River at the southwest tip of the state of Sar ...

* 3,768 km

Kota Kinabalu , image_skyline = , image_caption = From top, left to right, bottom:Kota Kinabalu skyline, Wawasan intersection, Tun Mustapha Tower, Kota Kinabalu Coastal Highway, the Kota Kinabalu City Mosque, the Wism ...

References

External links

{{Coord, 3, 29, N, 102, 21, E, region:MY_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki, display=title Towns in Pahang Mukims of Pahang Temerloh District