Pasir Mas (
Kelantanese: ''Pasey Mah'') is a town in
Pasir Mas District, in north-western
Kelantan
Kelantan (; Kelantan-Pattani Malay, Kelantanese Malay: ''Klate''; ) is a state in Malaysia. The capital, Kota Bharu, includes the royal seat of Kubang Kerian. The honorific, honorific name of the state is ''Darul Naim'' ("The Blissful Abode"). ...
,
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 ...
.
Pasir Mas is Kelantan's second largest city by population (230,424 in 2020 census).
History
According to legend, this area which is now known as Pasir Mas was first opened up by Che Leh Ismail who was also known as Che Leh Tok Pendekar. Che Leh Ismail was forced to move to Pasir Mas from Kota Bharu when his land was taken over by the
Sultan
Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...
to build his palace.
During that time, a religious teacher from
Bachok came to teach the
Quran
The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...
to the villagers in Pasir Mas. The religious teacher returned to Bachok after his teachings were completed. However, a few days after the religious teacher returned to Bachok, three pots of gold suddenly appeared in some bushes. The pots of gold then rolled into a pond at the fringe of the bushes. The villagers who witnessed this happening shouted ''"Mas! Mas!"'' (Malay for
gold
Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
) Hence the place was subsequently called Pasir Mas. The word Pasir originated because there was a large field of sand at the bank of the Kelantan River, which was situated near Pasir Mas.
Development
Haphazard development over the past decades has resulted in the mushrooming of residential houses that encircle the town. This makes potential land acquisition for commercial development a complex and costly exercise. A new township is slowly taking shape about four miles away at the ''
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 ...
'' of
Lubuk Jong - a previously swampy area along the road leading to
Rantau Panjang
Rantau Panjang ( Kelantanese: ''Ghata Panjey''; Thai: รันเตาปันจัง) is a ''mukim'' (subdistrict/commune) and also a parliamentary constituency in Pasir Mas District, Kelantan, Malaysia, located next to the Thai border. ...
.
Notable people from Pasir Mas
*
Neelofa, actress
*
Siti Aisyah Rosli, National weightlifter
*
Tunku Puan Zanariah, Tunku Puan of
Johor
Johor, also spelled Johore,'' is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. It borders with Pahang, Malacca and Negeri Sembilan to the north. Johor has maritime borders with Singapore ...
and the 8th
Raja Permaisuri Agong
The Queen of Malaysia, officially ''Raja Permaisuri Agong'' ( Jawi: ) is the consort of the ''Yang di-Pertuan Agong'', the elected, constitutional federal monarch of Malaysia.
Title and precedence
The queen's full style and title in Mala ...
of Malaysia
*
Zulkifeli Mohd Zin, 18th and the former Chief of
Malaysian Armed Forces
The Malaysian Armed Forces (: MAF; ; Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ), are the armed forces of Malaysia, consists of three branches; the Malaysian Army, Royal Malaysian Navy and the Royal Malaysian Air Force. The number of MAF active personnel is 113,000 ...
See also
*
Tal Tujuh
References
External links
{{Coord, 6, 02, N, 102, 08, E, region:MY_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki, display=title
Pasir Mas District
Towns in Kelantan