Mukah ( muːkəh), historically known as Muka is a coastal town which serves as the capital and the administrative center of the

Mukah Division Mukah Division is one of the twelve administrative divisions in Sarawak, Malaysia. It was established on 1 March 2002 and it has a total area of 6,997.61 square kilometres. Mukah Division contains five administrative districts: Mukah, Dalat, ...

since 1 March 2002. The

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivision ...

also covers an area of with a population about 49,900 in the Mukah town and 18,800 in the Dalat administrative town of Dalat District. It is located on the

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and e ...

island, by the

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Ph ...

, about 3 hours by road from the city of

Sibu Sibu (; Hokchew Romanized: ''Sĭ-bŭ'') is a landlocked city in the central region of Sarawak. It is the capital of Sibu District in Sibu Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. The city is located on the island of Borneo and covers an area of . It i ...

. Mukah is also accessible by air by

MASwings MASwings Sdn Bhd (doing business as MASwings) is a regional airline operating the Rural Air Services (RAS) in East Malaysia. It took over the routes operated by FlyAsianXpress (2006-2007) and the RAS flights by Malaysia Airlines (1965-2006), b ...

from

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 ...

and

Miri ) , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = State , subdivision_name1 = , subdivision_type2 = Division , subdivision_name2 ...

. The duration of both flights is about one hour. There are also speed boats connecting the town of Dalat (about from Mukah) to Sibu. The speed boat trip takes approximately 2 hours.

Etymology

There are several versions of the origin of the name "Mukah". The word "Mukah" is similar to the Malay word "muka" which means face. It was said that the town was name after the face of a mysterious beautiful woman who helped three shipwreck merchants from

Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely surrounded by th ...

. Another version was that a beautiful face appeared on the surface on the sea to fishermen. However, these does not explain on why the town adopted a Malay name instead of a Melanau name as the majority of the population here are the Melanau people. The Melanau word for face is " jawai". Mukah town has statues of ''Ikan Merah'' (

Red Snapper Red snapper is a common name of several fish species. It may refer to: * Several species from the genus ''Lutjanus'': ** ''Lutjanus campechanus'', Northern red snapper, commonly referred to as red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico and western Atlanti ...

) and ''Udang'' (

Prawn Prawn is a common name for small aquatic crustaceans with an exoskeleton and ten legs (which is a member of the order decapoda), some of which can be eaten. The term "prawn"Mortenson, Philip B (2010''This is not a weasel: a close look at nature' ...

) that reflect the importance of the fishery industry to the town.

History

The Melanau people is the earliest indigenous group living in Mukah. The earliest documentation of Mukah can be found in the annals of the

Majapahit Majapahit ( jv, ꦩꦗꦥꦲꦶꦠ꧀; ), also known as Wilwatikta ( jv, ꦮꦶꦭ꧀ꦮꦠꦶꦏ꧀ꦠ; ), was a Javanese Hindu-Buddhist thalassocratic empire in Southeast Asia that was based on the island of Java (in modern-day Indonesia ...

empire where a place known as "Melano" was paying tribute to the empire. The place was then became part of the

Bruneian Empire Bruneian may refer to: * Something of, or related to Brunei * A person from Brunei, or of Bruneian descent. For information about the Bruneian people, see Demographics of Brunei and Culture of Brunei. For specific Bruneians, see List of Bruneians. ...

in the 13th century. Mukah was later sold to the

Raj of Sarawak (While I breathe, I hope) , national_anthem = '' Gone Forth Beyond the Sea'' , capital = Kuching , common_languages = English, Iban, Melanau, Bidayuh, Sarawak Malay, Chinese etc. , government_type = Absol ...

in 1860.

In November 1862, the Rajah Muda rescued several civilians from the Moro Pirates after a pitched

naval battle Naval warfare is combat in and on the sea, the ocean, or any other battlespace involving a major body of water such as a large lake or wide river. Mankind has fought battles on the sea for more than 3,000 years. Even in the interior of large la ...

off the coast of Mukah. During the fighting, Brooke's steamer named ''Rainbow'' sank four prahus and damaged one other with cannon fire. Over 100 pirates were killed or wounded in the engagement while Brooke, the

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

Francis McDougall Francis Thomas McDougall (30 June 1817 – 16 November 1886) was the first Bishop of Labuan and Sarawak from 1849 to 1868. Life McDougall was born in Sydenham, son of William Adair McDougall, captain in the 88th regiment. He was educated at Ki ...

and their Sarawakian followers, were mostly unscathed.

Government

Mukah and Dalat District Office is the governing body of the Mukah and Dalat districts, including the towns. The district office was established in 1947 as Native Local Authority (NLA). The district office then expands it power to Dalat, Oya, Balingian in 1981.

Geography

Mukah town is located at the mouth of the Mukah River. Mukah is located on

peat Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially Decomposition, decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, Moorland, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and ...

land that is still covered by

peat swamp forests Peat swamp forests are tropical moist forests where waterlogged soil prevents dead leaves and wood from fully decomposing. Over time, this creates a thick layer of acidic peat. Large areas of these forests are being logged at high rates. Peat ...

Climate

Mukah has a

tropical rainforest climate A tropical rainforest climate, humid tropical climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southe ...

(Af) with heavy to very heavy rainfall year-round.

Demographics

In 2017, Mukah District had a projected population of 49,900.

Economy

Sago Sago () is a starch extracted from the pith, or spongy core tissue, of various tropical palm stems, especially those of ''Metroxylon sagu''. It is a major staple food for the lowland peoples of New Guinea and the Maluku Islands, where it is c ...

processing and

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from fish stocking, stocked bodies of water such as fish pond, ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. ...

are the two main economic activities in Mukah. Since 2008, Mukah is the economic centre of

Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy The Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy ("SCORE") is an economic region and development corridor covering central Sarawak, a Malaysian State on the island of Borneo. SCORE was launched in 2008. It is one of the five regional development corridors ...

(SCORE). Press Metal Sdn Bhd built its first aluminium smelting plant in Mukah in 2009.

Transport

Air

In term of air connectivity, Mukah was served by

Mukah Airport Mukah Airport is an airport in Mukah, a town in the state of Sarawak in Malaysia. History Old STOLport The old STOLport (Short Take-Off and Landing airport) was opened in 1960s and could only handle 67 passengers at one time. The STOLport was eq ...

(

STOLport A STOLport or STOLPORT was an airport designed with STOL (Short Take-Off and Landing) operations in mind, usually for an aircraft class of certain weight and size. The term "STOLport" did not appear to be in common usage as of 2008, although was c ...

) since 1960s. Mukah Old STOLport airport was only able to accommodate an 18-seater Twin-Otter aircraft. The airport used to operate routes to Kuching and Miri. An effort has been made to upgrade the Mukah airport. On 17 June 2021, the new Mukah Airport was opened and began to its operation to replace the previous Mukah short-release and landing (STOLport) functions. The new airport can handle up to 264,000 passengers per year, as well as the new runway could indeed support turbine planes and helicopters.

Road

Mukah is linked to

Selangau Selangau, Sarawak, ( Malay: ''Pekan Selangau'') is a small town located by the Pan Borneo Highway (Sibu-Bintulu Road). It is also located by Batang Mukah, a river which flows to the South China Sea. It is located approximately from Sibu city, ...

through the Mukah-Selangau road and to Bintulu through Mukah-Kuala Tatau road.

Buses

Bus express to Dalat, Sibu and Bintulu are available.

Local Bus or Bus Express remain unclear

Other facilities

Education

Mukah Polytechnic (PMU) is the 20th and the third polytechnic in

after Politeknik Kuching and Politeknik Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. The PMU campus is built on a 100-acre site and is equipped with modern infrastructure and state of the art educational facilities. PMU's first operation began at Sibu Technical Secondary School in 2004. The first intake of students was in the July 2005 session with pilot courses such as Certificate in Information Technology, Certificate in Civil Engineering and Certificate in Business Studies. Course offerings increased a year later where Diploma level courses were also offered by all five major academic departments. Maktab Rendah Sains MARA Mukah (MRSM) was opened in 2010. It is a boarding school that provides good quality education for selected secondary school students. SMK St. Patrick, the oldest secondary school in Mukah town and division was established in 1905. SMK Three Rivers was established in 1961 to serve the education needs of the people living in the Mukah, Oya, and Balingian river basins. SMK Mukah was opened in 1999
UiTM Sarawak Mukah
campus was opened on 16 November 2015 in order to train enough manpower for

(SCORE). Its campus is located from the town centre. Among the courses offered are Pre Diploma (Commerce and Science), Diploma in Business Studies, Diploma in Banking Studies, Diploma in Herbal Production, Diploma in Aquaculture and Diploma in Plantation Management. Centre of Technical Excellence (CENTEXS) Mukah was opened in 2020 and began to operate in 2021. The completion of the campus itself making it the fifth CENTEXS campus to be built outside of Kuching after Lundu, Dalat, Lawas and Betong.

Future Developments

The proposed development project for Kolej Laila Taib (KLT) here commenced since 2017 and once completed, will add another institution of higher learning in Mukah. The KLT project is located adjacent to Politeknik Mukah (PMU), about one kilometre off Jalan Mukah-Oya, which is from town centre. Nearby PMU and the KLT project is Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Mukah Campus, away at the end of the same spur road. The site for the proposed Universiti Malaysia Sarawak’s (Unimas) Excellent Research Centre project is also located within the same area at the same spur road, about 300m from PMU and KLT project. Meanwhile, the proposed Giat Mara project nearby the CENTEXS project is scheduled to complete by November 2021. Once completed, these projects are expected to propel this district to emerge as an education hub in the near future.

Declaration of Mukah Division

State Executive Council, the demarcation of the

Sibu Division Sibu Division is one of the twelve administrative divisions of Sarawak, Malaysia. It has a total area of 8,278.3 square kilometres, and is the third largest division after Kapit Division and Miri Division. The population of Sibu Division (ye ...

and

Sarikei Division Sarikei Division is one of the twelve administrative divisions in Sarawak, Malaysia. Formerly part of the Third Division, which included Sibu and Kapit, Sarikei Division has a total area of , and is the second smallest of the administrative div ...

Administrative areas to form the

was effective on 1 March 2002. Regarding to this, the Mukah Division was declared as the Tenth (10) Division on 1 March 2002 by the Most Honorable

Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud 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 regu ...

, Chief Minister of

Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the Malaysian state of Sabah to the northeast, ...

. The recognition of Mukah as a Division has opened a new chapter in the administrative machinery of the state of Sarawak when it covers the entire coastal area in the central part of Sarawak. Thus, the declaration makes Mukah District as the administrative center and the capital of the division.

Culture and leisure

Lamin Dana cultural Lounge is located at Kampung Tellian. It is a place where the residents of the village showcase their traditional arts, crafts, and authentic Melanau food. A Melanau delicacy named ''Umai'' is one of the popular dishes in the town. It is a raw fish salad served with

sago Sago () is a starch extracted from the pith, or spongy core tissue, of various tropical palm stems, especially those of ''Metroxylon sagu''. It is a major staple food for the lowland peoples of New Guinea and the Maluku Islands, where it is c ...

pellets.

is the staple food for the Melanau people. They usually takes sago together with fish,

Sambal Sambal is an Indonesian chilli sauce or paste, typically made from a mixture of a variety of chilli peppers with secondary ingredients, such as shrimp paste, garlic, ginger, shallot, scallion, palm sugar, and lime juice. ''Sambal'' is an ...

, and

Ulam Ulam may refer to: * ULAM, the ICAO airport code for Naryan-Mar Airport, Russia * Ulam (surname) * Ulam (salad), a type of Malay salad * ''Ulam'', a Filipino term loosely translated to viand or side dish; see Tapa (Filipino cuisine) * Ulam, the l ...

. Mukah Kaul festival is held annually at the third week of April. It was a traditional ritual by the Melanau people for thanksgiving and continuation of good fortune by appeasing the spirits of the sea, land, forests, and farms.

References

External links

Laman Web Rasmi Majlis Daerah Dalat & Mukah

Laman Web Rasmi Pejabat Daerah Mukah

Laman Web Rasmi Pejabat Residen MukahUiTM Sarawak Kampus Mukah

Mukah Polytechnic Website

Kaul Festival on STB website

Mukah Pictures
* Kaipulehone has written materials
RB1-002RB2-003
on Mukah, as well a
audio recordings
{{Authority control Mukah District Towns in Sarawak Fishing areas of the South China Sea