Pekan
| Pekan District ڤکن |
|
|---|---|
| District of Malaysia | |
 |
|
| Country |
 Malaysia
|
| State |
 Pahang Darul Makmur
|
| Seat | Pekan |
| Government | |
| • Body | Pekan District Council |
| • District officer | Rose Samsul Bin Abdul Razak |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3,846.14 km2 (1,485.00 sq mi) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 103,839 |
| • Density | 27/km2 (70/sq mi) |
| Postcode | 26xxx |
| MP | Dato' Sri Mohd Najib Abdul Razak (BN) |
The Pekan District, located on the banks of the Pahang River 50 km south of Kuantan and 280 km from Kuala Lumpur, is the Royal Town of the Malaysian state of Pahang Darul Makmur. Its name comes from a flower, the Bunga Pekan. Pekan is also the name of the district the town is situated in, and a parliamentary constituency in its own right. It is the home of the state's royal family headed by Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Al-Musta'in Billah Ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Abu Bakar Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mu'adzam Shah. It is also the hometown of the second Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, and the current Prime Minister of Malaysia, Datuk Seri Najib Razak. Najib is also Pekan's current Member of Parliament.
The Masjid Abdullah, a landmark in Pekan which dates from the 1920s, and the newer Abu Bakar Royal Mosque is near the Sultan Abu Bakar Museum. The stretch by the river bank from the Abu Bakar Royal Mosque heading towards the Sultan Abu Bakar Museum is Pekan's Heritage Route. As you walk towards the Town from the Sultan Abu Bakar Museum, you can visualise the busy river in the olden days transporting people and goods into this Royal Town.
According to local lore, a flowering plant named Bunga Pekan used to grow wild at the banks of Pahang River, and the town was therefore so named. The flower is said to be white like jasmine, although the particular plant species is also said to have become extinct. The river at the Pekan town (near Mengkasar village) is also called Pekan River, however there is no evidence that Pekan derived its name from this river. Other sources say the name "Pekan" came from the word "Pekan Sehari" (Pekan Sehari or Sunday Market still exists today), and the word "Sehari" was eventually omitted and the locals simply called it "Pekan".
Pekan is thought to have been in existence since the time of Old Pahang Kingdom. The old name was Inderapura, although it was also commonly known with the short form 'Pura', which some Malays called Pekan. The old capital was located on both the left and right banks of Sungai Pahang and Sungai Pahang Tua up to Tanjung Langgar. The town was divided into Pekan Baharu and Pekan Lama (New and Old Pekan), and the old name for Pekan Baharu used to be Kampung Cina. Several Arab and Chinese writers mentioned Pekan.
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Wikipedia