Ayer Hitam, nicknamed ''Bandar Seramik'' ('Ceramic Town'), is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than city, cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares ...

Batu Pahat District The Batu Pahat District is a district in the state of Johor, Malaysia. It lies southeast of Muar, southwest of Kluang, northwest of Pontian, south of Segamat and Tangkak District. The capital of the district is Bandar Penggaram. Geograp ...

Johor Johor (; ), also spelled as Johore, is a state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. Johor has land borders with the Malaysian states of Pahang to the north and Malacca and Negeri Sembilan to the northwest. Johor shares maritime b ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

. Located just at the junction of Federal Route and Federal Route , it is known for its many outlets selling

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and po ...

and other crafts. It also is one of the interchange for North–South Expressway.

History

Ayer Hitam simply means Black Water. A lively town, Ayer Hitam is always bustling with passing vehicles and people who travels north and south. This place is well known for its

ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelai ...

items such as flower vases in an assortment of colours, photo frames, jars, ashtrays, and other home decorative items. For a closer look, you can also watch the potters at work. Aside from quality souvenirs, Ayer Hitam is also dotted with many stalls selling local tidbits known as 'kerepek' among the locals. Amongst the famous ones are prawn crackers, steamed corn, tapioca chips, and the all-time must-try "otak-otak". These food items are fresh and prepacked for you, and sold at reasonable prices. Located in the district of

Batu Pahat The Batu Pahat District is a district in the state of Johor, Malaysia. It lies southeast of Muar, southwest of Kluang, northwest of Pontian, south of Segamat and Tangkak District. The capital of the district is Bandar Penggaram. Geography ...

. Before the advent of the North–South Expressway, Ayer Hitam was a major route intersection leading to

Melaka Malacca ( ms, Melaka) is a 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 been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site si ...

and

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

going northbound, Johor Bahru going southbound,

Kluang Kluang ( Jawi: كلواڠ), formerly Keluang, is a town in Kluang District, Johor, Malaysia. Kluang was founded in 1915 as the administrative capital of central Johor by the British. It is located in the centre of the state and is within 90 mi ...

and

Mersing Mersing ( Terengganu Malay: ''Merecing'' or ''Ngesing'') is a town, mukim and the capital of Mersing District, Johor, Malaysia. As of 2010, the town has an estimated population of 70,894. Mersing town, is particularly significant for a numbe ...

going eastbound, and

going westbound. It was a popular rest stop for many tour buses and travellers between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. Visitors could find souvenir shops, restaurants and locals peddling to sell their vegetables.

Place of interest

*Masjid Sultan Ibrahim, Ayer Hitam *Klinik Kesihatan Ayer Hitam *Pusat Pertanian Ayer Hitam *UK Farm, Jalan Batu Pahat-Kluang *Pu Zhao Buddhist Vihara

Education

Primary school

*Sekolah Kebangsaan Seri Bandan *Sekolah Kebangsaan Kota Dalam *Sekolah Kebangsaan Air Hitam *Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (Cina) Malayan

Transportation

Road

Ayer Hitam has a PLUS

Interchange Interchange may refer to: Transport * Interchange (road), a collection of ramps, exits, and entrances between two or more highways * Interchange (freight rail), the transfer of freight cars between railroad companies * Interchange station, a rai ...

located at the northern part of the town. The town is accessible by bus from

Larkin Sentral The Larkin Sentral (Jawi: لرکين سينترل) (formerly Larkin Bus and Taxi Terminal) is a bus terminal located in Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia. It has direct bus services to and from many cities and towns in Peninsular Malaysia, Singapo ...

in Johor Bahru.

References

{{Johor Batu Pahat District