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Terengganu (Malay pronunciation: [tərəŋɡanu]; Terengganu Malay: Tranung, formerly spelled Trengganu or Tringganu) is a sultanate and federal state of Malaysia. The state is also known by its Arabic honorific, Dāru l-Īmān ("Abode of Faith"). The coastal city of Kuala Terengganu, at the mouth of the Terengganu River, is both the state and royal capital as well as the most populous city in Terengganu. Other major cities and towns include Jerteh, Kuala Dungun, Chukai, Kuala Berang, Marang, and Permaisuri. At 13,035 square kilometres (5,033 sq mi) in size and a population of over 1.2 million people in 2023, Terengganu is Malaysia's 7th largest state and 10th most populated. Terengganu, along with Kelantan and the Federal Territory of Putrajaya, is one of the most homogeneous states/territories in the country of which 95% of the population are ethnic Malay-Muslims with its own distinct language/dialect, culture, history, and tradition.
Located on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, Terengganu borders the state of Kelantan to the north, Pahang to the west and south, and the South China Sea to the east. Terengganu is geographically divided into sparsely populated and mountainous inland (known as the Terengganu Highlands of which the highest point is Mount Lawit at 1,519 metres (4,984 ft)) that span from the border with Kelantan to Kemaman district and largely flat coastal plains where most of the state's 1.1 million people are concentrated. The state is known for having the longest coastline in Peninsular Malaysia and achieved an entry in the Malaysian Book of Records for having the cleanest beach in the country. Many of the most popular islands in Malaysia are located in the state such as Perhentian, Kapas, and Redang islands, as well as Bidong Island, once a refuge to tens of thousands of Vietnamese refugees in the 1970s.
There are several theories on the origin of the name "Terengganu". One theory attributes the name's origin to terang ganu, Malay for 'bright rainbow'. Another story, said to have been originally narrated by the ninth Sultan of Terengganu, Baginda Omar, tells of a party of hunters from Pahang roving and hunting in the area of what is now southern Terengganu. One of the hunters spotted a large animal fang lying on the ground. A fellow party member asked what animal the fang belonged too. The hunter, not knowing which animal, simply answered taring anu (Malay: 'fang of something'). The party later returned to Pahang with a rich hoard of game, fur and sandalwood, which impressed their neighbours. They asked the hunters where they sourced their riches, to which they replied, from the land of taring anu, which later evolved into Terengganu. Terengganu was called Trangkanu (Thai: ตรังกานู) by the Siamese when it was under their influence. Terengganuans usually pronounce Terengganu as Tranung or Ganu with the G often being emphasized.
The traditional Chinese name for Terengganu has been "丁加奴" (pinyin: dīngjiānú), which is a direct transcription of the Malay name. However, in recent years, the Chinese community in Terengganu has raised objections to the name, citing that the characters used loosely translate to "giving birth to a child who will become a slave". Therefore, they successfully petitioned the regulatory commission for Chinese language in Malaysia to change the Chinese name for the state to "登嘉楼" (pinyin: dēngjiālóu), which can be loosely translated to "aspiring/stepping up to a higher level", in September 2004. The new name was in unofficial use by the state's Chinese community for at least 30 years before its official adoption.
Certain segments of the Chinese community opposed the name change, citing the fact that the new name contains too many character strokes, making it much more difficult to write. They have proposed to revert the name to the version used before 2004, but with the word "奴" (slave, which was mainly the cause of the controversy) to the similar sounding, but more positive "努" (perseverance).
Human activity may have been present in Terengganu as early as 16,000 years ago during the Paleolithic era as evidenced by the discovery of a skeleton in Gua Bewah, Hulu Terengganu in 2009. The skeleton, called Bewah Man (Malay: Orang Bewah), has been analyzed as 5,000 years older than skeletons found in Perak, making it the oldest known modern human skeleton in the country.
Terengganu's location by the South China Sea ensured that it was on trade routes since ancient times. Based on Ptolemy's 2nd atlus Geography referred to what is now Terengannu as either Perimula, Kole Polis or Tharra. The earliest written reports on the area that mentioned the name "Terengganu" were by Chinese merchants and seafarers in the early 6th century A.D. During the early Hindu–Buddhist period, Terengganu was known as Tan-Tan which is based in what is now Kuala Telemong. It was a small ancient polity that came under the influence of Langkasuka, a powerful kingdom based either in Kedah or Patani in the 1st century AD. In the 7th century, the dynasty of Langkasuka that once ruled over Terengganu was replaced by a new kingdom called Srivijaya. Under Srivijaya, Terengganu traded extensively with other kingdoms in the Malay Peninsula, Borneo and Sumatra, Champa, the Khmer Empire, the Majapahit Empire and especially the Chinese.
Terengganu was the first Malay state to receive Islam, as attested to by the Terengganu Inscription Stone with Arabic inscriptions found in Kuala Berang, the capital of the district of Hulu Terengganu. The inscribed date which is incomplete due to damage can be read as various dates from 702 to 789 AH (1303 to 1387 CE). Terengganu became a vassal state of Malacca, but retained considerable autonomy with the emergence of the Johor Sultanate. In 1710, the Thai kingdom of Ayutthaya invaded Terengganu, but as the Johoreans prepared to repel the attack on their dependency, the Ayutthaya forces diverted to fight a Vietnamese attack in Cambodia. At the end of the Malacca-Johor dynasty in 1699, Terengganu had emerged as a key supplier of pepper for Chinese merchants and perahu of the eastern archipelago, although the polity only had 500 warriors and no fleets. After being defeated in Johor's civil war in 1718, Sultan Abdul Jalil Shah IV of Johor fled to Terengganu. He set up a rival court and handed out important titles to the local chiefs, drawing Terengganu into the forefront of Malay politics.
Terengganu emerged as an independent sultanate in 1724. The first sultan was Tun Zainal Abidin, the younger brother of a former sultan of Johor, and Johor strongly influenced Terengganu's politics through the 18th century. However, in the book Tuhfat al-Nafis, the author, Raja Ali Haji, mentions that in 1725, Tun Zainal Abidin was installed as the Sultan of Terengganu by Daeng Menampuk – also known as Raja Tua – under the rule of Sultan Sulaiman Badrul Alam Shah of Johor. Meanwhile, oral tradition records that Zainal Abidin was installed as sultan by the Patani Queen.
Scottish sailor Alexander Hamilton was known to have made several recorded visits to Terengganu in 1719 and 1720.
In 1741, Sultan Sulaiman installed Sultan Mansur as ruler of Terengganu, his rule from 1741 to 1793 saw him creating a strong united Malay front against the rising power of the Bugis. He expanded his power on a weakened and divided Kelantan in 1764, culminating in his son's marriage to the daughter of the ruler of Kelantan. European accounts of the time praised the well-ordered administration of his rule, while at the same time he was highly respected by his subjects.
In the 19th century, Terengganu became a vassal state of the Thai Rattanakosin Kingdom, and sent tribute every year called bunga mas. This occurred under the reign of Sultan Omar Riayat Shah, who was remembered as a devout ruler who promoted trade and stable government. Terengganu prospered, and was largely left alone by the authorities in Bangkok unlike in neighbouring Patani and Kelantan. The period also witnessed the existence of a Terengganuan vassal of Besut Darul Iman.
The terms of the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909 saw power over Terengganu transferred from Siam to Britain. A British advisor was appointed to the sultan in 1919, and Terengganu become one of the Unfederated Malay States. The move was highly unpopular spurring several uprisings in 1922 and 1925 before climaxing in May 1928 with the Peasant's Rebellion (Pemberontakan Tani) led by Abdul Rahman Limbong which was quashed by British military force.
During World War II, Japan occupied Terengganu and transferred sovereignty over the state back to Siam – which had been renamed Thailand in 1939 – along with Kelantan, Kedah, and Perlis. After the defeat of Japan, British control over these Malay states was reestablished. Terengganu became a member of the Federation of Malaya in 1948, then a state of a sovereign Malaya in 1957, which became Malaysia in 1963.
Following decades of rule by the Barisan Nasional coalition, the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) came to power in 1999, making Terengganu the second state in Malaysia to be ruled by the Islamist party (the first being neighbouring Kelantan). Barisan Nasional were brought back into power in Terengganu in the 2004 Malaysian general election, which continued to govern it until the 2018 Malaysian general election.
Terengganu is situated in eastern Peninsular Malaysia, and is bordered to the northwest by Kelantan, to the southwest by Pahang, and to the east by the South China Sea. The state has a total area of 13,035 km2 (5,033 sq mi). Its topographical profile ranges from relatively level on the east coast and gradually becomes more hilly and mountainous towards the west, as its western borders are delineated by the Pantai Timur Range, with the highest point being Mount Lawit. The range acts as the main watershed for the state's riverine systems, as it is also home to Kenyir Lake, which is the source of the Terengganu River, is the largest man-made lake in Malaysia and serves as the state's major reservoir. Several outlying islands, including the Perhentians, Kapas and Redang, are also a part of the state.
The Constitution of Terengganu came into force in 1911. It has a supplement that came into force in 1959. The official English title for the 1911 constitution is "The Constitution of the Way of Illustrious Sovereignty". The 1959 constitutional supplement is divided into two sections. The sections' official English language titles are "The Laws of the Constitution of Terengganu (First Part)" and "The Laws of the Constitution of Terengganu (Second Part)"
The Sultan is the constitutional ruler of the state of Terengganu. The State Constitution proclaims that the Sultan is "the Ruler and fountain head of all authority of government in the State and Territory of Terengganu", the Head of the Religion of Islam in the state and the source of all titles, honours and dignities in the state. He is also vested with the Executive Power of the State. The hereditary Sultan of Terengganu since 1998 has been Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin.
As per both the Malaysian and state constitutions, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong or King of Malaysia cannot simultaneously reign as federal Head of State and ruler of his own state. This means that a state ruler must appoint a regent to govern in his absence. Between 2006 and 2011, the current Sultan served as the 13th King of Malaysia, naming his eldest son and heir apparent, Tengku Muhammad Ismail, as Regent (Pemangku Raja) of Terengganu. As he was only eight years old upon his father's election, the young Prince co-reigned with a three-member Regency Advisory Council (Majlis Penasihat Pemangku Raja) headed by Raja Tengku Baderulzaman (the King's younger brother) as dictated by syarat (2) Fasal 16 AA Undang-Undang Bagi Diri Kerajaan Terengganu (Bab Yang Kedua) of the Terengganu State Constitution.
When Terengganu was an absolute monarchy, the Chief Minister was selected by the Sultan. Since the declaration of independence of Malaysia (then called Tanah Melayu) and the first general election, the Chief Minister has been the State Assembly (ADUN) member elected by a majority of all State Assembly members, who are themselves elected by universal adult suffrage of the citizens of their constituencies. Below is the list of the Chief Ministers of Terengganu from 1925.
Note:* The state Government formed by PAS after the general election in 1959 was turned over to Perikatan in Nov 1961, due to a vote of no confidence in the State Assembly and the fact that two PAS assemblymen switched parties
Following the ruling party UMNO's return to power over Terengganu after winning 24 out of 32 seats in the 2008 general elections, Prime Minister (PM) Abdullah Ahmad Badawi put forth the reappointment of Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh to a second term as Menteri Besar. In what political analysts described as a possible constitutional crisis, trouble began to precipitate after the Sultan of Terengganu, Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin, who is also the then Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King) of Malaysia refused to re-appoint and swear in Idris as Menteri Besar. Similar problems occurred in the state of Perlis where the PM's choice was also rejected, in which the latter eventually gave in to its Sultan.
The Sultan of Terengganu appointed Ahmad Said instead for the job, with the Regency Advisory Council handing him the letter of appointment. The PM claimed that the appointment of Ahmad Said was unconstitutional as it went against the wishes of the assemblymen and the Prime Minister's office who have supported Idris Jusoh candidacy for Menteri Besar.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Terengganu”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.