Merbok is 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 language, English. However, it was also originally a loanword in Malay language, Malay from the Arabic word ...

(sub-district) in the

Kuala Muda District The Kuala Muda District is a district in Kedah, Malaysia. Sungai Petani is the administrative center of the district. Kuala Muda district is in close proximity to the border of Kedah and Penang. Apart from Sungai Petani, other major towns in the ...

Kedah Kedah (), also known by its honorific Darul Aman (Islam), Aman (دار الأمان; Arabic for 'The Safe Abode') and historically as Queda, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

. It is known for the historical Bujang Valley. The area also hosts the

Campus of

Universiti Teknologi MARA The MARA Technological University ( Malay: ''Universiti Teknologi MARA''; Jawi: اونيۏرسيتي تيكنولوڬي مارا; abbr. UiTM) is a public university in Malaysia, based primarily in Shah Alam, Selangor. It was established to ...

(UiTM Merbok/Sungai Petani).

Etymology

The town derived its name from an archaic Langkasuka-Malay language, which means "the declaratory place". Based on the ancient Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa, the declaration of Islam being the state religion of the Kedah Kingdom was done in Merbok estuary port, which situated close to the kingdom's capital during the area, ''Bukit Meriam'' (Cannon Hill). This is in contrast from the popular belief that the name owed its origin from the local ''burung merbok'' ( zebra dove).

External links

Suara burung website

Suara burung website
Kuala Muda District Mukims of Kedah {{Kedah-geo-stub