Kb water front

  Recently the old KTM ferry terminal  was demolished and replaced by a new structure housing a clock tower.Located just side by side with the Sultan's Pier,it   offers  a comfortable   site for nature lovers to watch beautiful sunset.

The pavements leading to the clock tower

  Closeby is the historical Padang Merdeka  overlooking  Kota Budaya  that marks the entrance to  Istana Balai Besar where royal occassions were occassionaly performed.

  Now,being a new tourist attraction,the waterfront  offers fascinating spot for families and individuals.

The middle and lower sections of the tower

Enjoying refreshments before sunset.

The clock Tower

Stairs leading to the lower section

The new custom building facing the Sultan's Pier

The tradisional boat (operated since 1950's)ferrying those living downstream to the city.

A young visitor

In front of Ridell  Hotel

  At sunset

Overlooking the Kelantan River

Beautiful sunset

 

The tower as seen from the nearby hotel

Blessing in disguise.

                            Main drainage near Tanjung Chat               

                                     Kampung Wakaf Mek Zainab                                
Kampung Wakaf Mek Zainab and Tanjung Chat in Kota Bharu are some examples of low lying regions which are constantly under threat of flood.

                               Recently completed
During the months of November and December, residents in these two regions would be placed  under alert as the  rainy season begin.

                                     Police Apartments        
                                               

                                          New road leading to city centre                  
    Recently,these low lying regions have been given many   face-lifts.Construction of new roads connecting  both regions to Taman Uda Murni,Taman Bendahara and Pantai Cahaya Bulan  created many significant environments.

               Part of Jabatan Kebudayaan dan Kesenian  Negeri Kelantan 
Some  areas that are usually easily flooded have been raised to some metres high and construction works  done managed to produce new landmarks in the city.

                Main enterance to Jabatan Kebudayaan  dan Kesenian Negeri Kelantan
             

                            Taman Perbandaran Tengku Anis                
 Taman Perbandaran  Tengku Anis,Jabatan Kebudayaan dan Kesenian Negeri Kelantan, Queens Park and  many more others are   a few distinct examples  of new landmarks that have taken shape and  successfully transforming  new life styles among the people.

                                      Queens Park , Sport Evenue           

                                    Masjid Al Hakim  at Tanjung Chat
              

 These are all indeed  blessings in disguise.

                       

The other colour of Kota Bharu

        At last I am now back on the track,blogging !  Since Augest  4th,my blog  entry remained idle as It coincided with Ramadhan  followed by Syawal thus I have to keep aside my blogging activity.

   

                                           The  "Sultan Pier"  overlooking the Kelantan River.

  Sincre then, a lot changes  have been taking place in  MPKB,BRI..The city authority took a drastic  change to reshuffle the city road systems. Major roads were converted into one way route in order to ensure smooth trafic flow within the city.The effected roads are Jalan Tok Hakin,Jalan Doktor,Jalan Padang Garong,Jalan Mahmood,Jalan Hospital,A section of Jalan Bayam and Jalan Dato Pati..

             The Kota Bharu Trade Centre.was oficially opened shortly before Hari Raya Aidilfitri.A new Giant Supermarket started to operate in the upper floors.,giving a new economic boost for the city. Works on "Bazar Tok Guru" at Jalan Ibrahim and "Kota Kenangan" at Taman Kenangan are  already in progress. .

                                                      The Sultan Pier" remains unchange.

                                                                Marine police depot,Kota Bharu

Amidst all these changes and undertakings , the other  original colour of Kota Bharu remains unchange                                    

                                                        

                                          Main gate at "Istana Batu" (Now a Royal Meuseum )

One way street at Jalan Hospital

Blessing Friday in Kota Bharu

One of the ,most distinct difference one could observe in Kota Bharu,the Islamic City as compared to other cities in Malaysia is its Blessing Friday.

It has been established in the past for more than twenty years ,Friday is then becoming a Family Day.People from all walks of life gathered at "Medan Ilmu", Jalan Dato Pati as early as 7.15 am to attend a series of "Kuliah Agama" (Islamic Teachings)

The gathering began as early as at 7.15 am

This weekly event is carried out continously throughout the years diregard of weather conditions (except for flood and official state ceremonies.).


Kids are accompnied by their parents

Two kuliah (lectures) are delivered .The first begins at 8.30 am and the second at 9.30 am and both lectures collecticely last for two consecutive hours.

People from all walks of life

The first lecture is usually delivered by several wellknown religious personalities,each taking their weekly term and the second lecture (he most sought publicly) is delivered by Yang Amat Berhormat Dato Menteri Besar Kelantan (Chief of state) Tuan Guru Dato Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat.



Greeting Tok Guru Nik Abd.Aziz on his arrival

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Cars parked at any available space

And at another parking lot


An article of this historic event in the city is written by a columnist ,Amir Muhammad ,as published in the Star dated 24th june 2009 .entitled: The Pulp Friction ;Tomyam and theocracy.

"I RECENTLY attended a ‘live’ talk by Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, even though there was no byelection in sight. It was on a Kota Baru street on a Friday morning.

He spoke for almost an hour but thousands of people stayed put. It’s a weekly ritual known as sekolah atas tembok, which in this context translates to mean ‘school on the street’ rather than ‘school on a concrete wall’. He didn’t have to raise his voice;

The hugh crowd at the end of the day

He added;

"the 78-year-old is a skilled orator who makes people want to stay quieter in case they miss something.


The keen listeners

He made them laugh, make them nod and kept them keen. I initially thought this book was a collection of speeches by the Pas Spiritual Adviser and Kelantan Menteri Besar, but it’s rather different. His actual words consist mainly of 29 things that he has said.

Each saying is then placed at the beginning of each chapter as an aphorism; a well of wisdom, as it were, which the editor then draws upon. Some of the homely wit then becomes dissipated in favour of literal explication.

His gift is his ability to talk about politics and religion (and he belongs firmly in the camp of those who do not ostensibly separate between the two) in images that are rooted in everyday lived experience. Take this: “When our wife cooks tomyam, she doesn’t create the salt, carrot, chicken, or water; she merely arranges these existing ingredients into a pot.”

This isn’t some sexist attempt to discredit the poor woman’s cooking. It relates to how people must always be conscious that everything around us is on loan from the Creator. And so tomyam gets placed in its theocratic context.

There are few politicians who’ve had not only the Tok Guru’s staying power but enduring appeal. (Take a look at the upper echelons of, say, the MIC, to see that ‘staying power’ and ‘enduring appeal’ don’t always go together). "

Hoping and wishing for blessing from Allah

and Amir Muhammad continues

"Speaking of “worldly titles”: his humble lifestyle is a big reason for his popularity, but there’s something more. Anyone who has been to a boarding school can see how Kelantan Malay guys would always band together and create almost an autonomous entity.

It’s not for nothing that the only local film title of recent years to actually reference a State happens to be Budak Kelantan – and this is a State with no cinemas! This desire to be seen as different also extends to politics. Be that as it may, an interesting creative tension emerges when you realise that, in his speeches and this book, Nik Aziz rejects the idea of communal separation on the basis of ethnicity or locality.

Ketuanan Melayu (Malay supremacy), for example, is an assabiyah (tribalist) concept, and contemptible because of that. What I mean by creative tension is that this universality is consciously articulated in a vernacular that is local (Kelantanese) and proudly so.''

A member of "Badan Amal",a helping hand.

Nik Aziz has never seemed to be a mere politician, but the embodiment of a certain hope, a certain dignity.

That’s why politicians from the other side of the fence who go and promise to bless the State with “development” seem hilariously off the mark. People there already feel quite blessed."

Such close similirity could also be found in the United State ,as seen in the video below;

Apart from attending lectures,family and friends gather to communicate with each other and perform their shopping spree.This blessing Friday contribute a lot to upbringing the economic and social activites of the local residents

Petty traders at the weekly gathering

Women ,mostly dominating business

The colourful and unique blocks

Bank Muamalat at Jalan Sultan Yahya Petra

Travellers passing through the main streets in Kota Bharu,the Islamaic city would be amazed to find many colourful and unique blocks lining most of the main street leading to the city centre.

Tourist Imformation Centre

Al-Rajhi Bank ,at Jalan Sultan Yahya Petra

These occassionally contribute in making the city an attractive destination and worth a visit.

The main gate at the State Meuseum ,in white and gold

In white and crimson at Jalan Sultan Yahaya Petra


Jalan Hospital

Apart from certain Islamic form and design, these new blocks represent the everlasting culture and spirit of the people living within the city.

Masjid Langgar

Klinik TMC at Jalan Sultan Yahya Petra

There are many more wooden and brick blocks being replaced with new one.

In fact its a wonder to notice how so many new structures could come into existence despite lot of statements being made against Kelantan generally and Kota Bharu namely as being under- developed !

Old Governmant quarters being demolished (in foreground). Rennaisence Hotel and
Kota Mutiara (in the background)


UITM,(recently completed) in purple

"Seeing is believing" That is exactly what a traveller would have to say about Kota Bharu.

Kota Sri Mutiara

University Teknology MARA,in blue and white

" Colourful and atrractive !" others would say likewise.