Kota Bharu

Kota Bharu (or Kota Baru or Kota Baharu), a city in Malaysia, is the state capital of Kelantan. The name means 'new city' or 'new castle/fort' in Malay. It is in Peninsular Malaysia, and lies at the mouth of the Kelantan River at . In 2004, it had an estimated population of 280,000.

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This northeastern Malaysian city is close to the Thai border, and is home to many mosques and Thai-style Buddhist temples. Also of interest are various museums and the unique architecture of the old royal palace (still occupied by the sultan and sultanah and off-limits to visitors but viewable from outside) and former royal buildings (which can be visited) in the center of town. Kota Bharu is one of the most conservative cities in Malaysia, and is under the strictest Islamic laws in Malaysia, passed and put into effect by the long-ruling PAS government. There are separate religious services in mosques for men and women, and government offices and many stores are closed on Fridays and Saturdays, but the vibrant markets remain open except for Islamic prayer times.

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Kota Bharu was the landing point for the Japanese invasion forces on 8 December 1941 in their Malayan campaign when they successfully engaged the British in jungle warfare.

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Image:Clocktower,_Kota_Bharu.jpg|The Clocktower in Kota Bharu

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Image:Jalan_Temenggong,_Kota_Bharu.jpg|Jalan Temenggong, Kota Bharu

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Image:Sultan_Ismail_Petra_Arch,_Kota_Bharu.jpg|Sultan Ismail Petra Arch, Kota Bharu

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Malaysia: The Federation of Malaysia (Malay: Persekutuan Malaysia) or simply Malaysia (Simplified Chinese: ????; Pinyin: M?l?ix?y?, Tamil: ???????) is a country in Southeast Asia. It consists of two geographical regions divided by the South China Sea:...

Kelantan: Kelantan (Jawi: كلنتن, Thai:???????) is one of the states in Malaysia. The capital and royal seat is Kota Bharu. The Arabic honorific of the state is Darul Naim, ("The Beautiful Abode")....

Peninsular Malaysia: Peninsular Malaysia (or Semenanjung Malaysia in the Malay language) is the part of Malaysia which lies on the Malay Peninsula, and shares a land border with Thailand in the north. It is connected via a causeway and bridge to the island of Singapore to the south. Across the Strait of Malacca to the w...