Kuala Kangsar Kole Kangso
Town, royal capital and district capital
Bandar Diraja Kuala Kangsar بندر دراج كوالا كڠسر
Other transcription(s)
• Jawi	كوالا كڠسر
• Chinese	瓜拉江沙 (Simplified) 瓜拉江沙 (Traditional) Guālā Jiāngshā (Hanyu Pinyin)
• Tamil	கோலா காங்சர் Kōlā Kāṅcar (Transliteration)
From top to bottom and left to right: Welcoming sign to the city, Kuala Kangsar Clock Tower, the main commercial street of the city, Sultan Azlan Shah Gallery, a Douglas A-4 Skyhawk museum aircraft on a roadside, and Masjid Ubudiah
Seal
Kuala Kangsar    Kuala Kangsar in    Perak Show map of Perak Kuala Kangsar Kuala Kangsar (Malaysia) Show map of Malaysia Kuala Kangsar Kuala Kangsar (Southeast Asia) Show map of Southeast Asia
Coordinates: 4°46′N 100°56′E / 4.767°N 100.933°E / 4.767; 100.933
Country	Malaysia
State	Perak
District	Kuala Kangsar
Government
• Type	Local government
• Body	Kuala Kangsar Municipal Council
• President	Zulqarnain Mohammad
Area
• Total	204.94 km2 (79.13 sq mi)
Population  (2000)
• Total	39,300
• Density	752/km2 (1,950/sq mi)
Flower	Canna Generalis
Website	www.mpkkpk.gov.my

Kuala Kangsar Municipal Council Majlis Perbandaran Kuala Kangsar
Local Government Act 1976
Type
Type	Municipal Council of Kuala Kangsar (town)
History
Founded	18 February 2004
Preceded by	Kuala Kangsar District Council
Leadership
President	Zulqarnain Mohammad
Meeting place
Wisma MPKK, Jalan Taiping, 33000 Kuala Kangsar, Perak Darul Ridzuan
Website
www.mpkkpk.gov.my

The Kuala Kangsar (Perak Malay: Kole Kangso) is the royal town of Perak, Malaysia. It is located at the downstream of Kangsar River where it joins the Perak River, approximately 25 km (16 mi) northwest of Ipoh, Perak's capital, and 98 km (61 mi) southeast of George Town, Penang. It is the main town in the administrative district of Kuala Kangsar, about 235 km from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The town is administered by the Kuala Kangsar Municipal Council (Malay: Majlis Perbandaran Kuala Kangsar), formerly known as Kuala Kangsar District Council (Malay: Majlis Daerah Kuala Kangsar) from 1 January 1980 until 17 February 2004.

History

The site must have had a strange effect on Sultan Yusuf Sharifuddin Mudzaffar Shah of Perak who ruled from 1877 to 1887. Unlike many rulers who protected their royal palaces and strongholds by selecting their vantage points carefully where they could detect enemy approach from afar, the Sultan had his first royal palace built beside the riverbank. He then named it 'Istana Sri Sayong'.

Apart from being exposed to the impending threat of invasion, the other problem was the force of monsoon seasons, which led to numerous flooding as water gushed down from the jungles above through the many tributaries. The name Kuala Kangsar is believed to be derived from 'Kuala Kurang-Sa', which literally means '100 minus (-) one', usually interpreted as 'the 99th small tributary to flow into the Perak River'.

The Astana Negara circa 1890, constructed as the official residence of Idris Murshidul Azzam Shah of Perak. A new Astana Negara sited on higher ground, later known as the Istana Iskandariah, would take over the building's role.

One flooding was so severe, it almost swept the palace away. Finally, after the Big Flood or Air Bah in 1926, it was decided to move the place further up onto the knoll where stands the current Royal Palace named Istana Iskandariah with its Art-Deco architecture, a rare but significant piece of architectural milestone in Malaysia.

The Sultan of Perak officially resides in Kuala Kangsar, and it has been Perak's royal seat since the 18th century. It is one of four towns that plays a role in Perak's complex succession system. It was the administrative seat of the first British Resident in the Malay Peninsula, James W. W. Birch, from October 1874 until he was murdered on 2 November 1875. It was the capital of Perak until 1876.^[1]

Kuala Kangsar is also known in Malaysian history as the site where the first Conference of Rulers of the Federated Malay States, the Durbar, was held in 1897.^[2] By the 1890s, the growth of the tin mining towns of Ipoh and Taiping had eclipsed Kuala Kangsar, but it remains to this day one of the most attractive of the Malay royal capitals.

The town is also the site of the first rubber tree planted in Malaysia.^[2] The person responsible was the English botanist Henry Nicholas Ridley. He was the one who helped Malaya and eventually Malaysia become the largest rubber producer in the world. The tree still stands today.

The first Malaysian scout troop was established in Kuala Kangsar. Consequently, its squad number is 001.

Education

Malay College

• SMJK Tsung Wah
• Raja Perempuan Kelsom Secondary School (SMK RPK)
• Madrasah Idrisiah Kuala Kangsar (MADID)
• Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK)
• Clifford Secondary School (Sekolah Menengah Clifford)
• Sultan Azlan Shah University (USAS)
• Kolej Vokasional Kuala Kangsar (KVKK)
• Maktab Rendah Sains Mara Sultan Azlan Shah (MRSM SAS)
• Kolej RISDA PERAK Kuala Kangsar
• Kolej Komuniti Chenderoh
• Kolej Komuniti Kuala Kangsar
• Kem PLKN Desa Rimba
• Kem PLKN Kota Lama

Tourist and historical attractions

Ubudiah Mosque in Kuala Kangsar

Istana Kenangan

• Ubudiah Mosque and the Royal Mausoleum
• Ihsaniah Iskandariah Mosque^[3]
• Istana Kenangan (Old Palace, now the Perak Royal Museum)
• Pavilion Tower
• Istana Iskandariah (The Royal Palace)
• Kuala Kangsar Clock Tower
• Malaya's first rubber tree
• Sultan Azlan Shah Gallery
• Victoria Bridge (built 1900)^[4]
• Iskandariah Bridge
• Sultan Abdul Jalil Shah Bridge

Transportation

Two bridges now connect Kuala Kangsar to Sayong. Sultan Abdul Jalil Shah Bridge is made out of concrete and located near the town while Sultan Iskandar Bridge is farther upstream and is made out of steel. Kuala Kangsar is easily accessible via the North–South Expressway and by train.

Notable people

• Rafidah Aziz, Malaysian politician

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kuala Kangsar.

• Kuala Kangsar travel guide from Wikivoyage