Bukit Puteri Fort, Terengganu : journeymalaysia.com

Bukit Puteri (Princess Hill)

A short climb to the peak reveals a small fort dating back to the early 19th century. In 1839, Baginda Omar overthrew his cousin, Sultan Muhammad and successfully captured the fort after 3 attempts. Baginda had finally ascended the throne as predicted by an astrologer pointing to the mole on his chest perhaps implying that moles are points in the chart of his destiny. One night, having heard about the astrologer's prediction, Baginda Omar's older brother stole into the fort and bit off the mole, believing that the loss of the mole would have meant loss of the throne. That surely, didn't work out quite as his brother expected (?!!!) - instead Baginda had the fort rebuilt and fortified - loaded with a number of canons for protection against his enemies, even his family! This was where he lived during the first years of his reign.

He spent much of his early days as the ruler of Terengganu discussing war strategies with his generals on a raised platform called a 'singgahsana' as seen still at the fort. Here, a large bell sits comfortably on its hold. It was commissioned during the reign of Sultan Zainal Abidin III in the year 1908 and was used to sound alarm in times of emergency - such as enemy attacks, fire and even people running amok (wild) in the streets.

The bell, the 'singgahsana' and a few canons have survived the years of fighting and can be seen at Bukit Puteri. However, many of the original canons were taken back to Siam (Thailand) by the Siamese when they ruled Terengganu from 1843-1845. Apart from the remains mentioned, there is not much to see except that the hill has a nice view of the waterfront and is a good place to rest under the shady trees during hot afternoons.

Dated: 1st June 2001

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