Kampung Minyak Beku? Labis? 5 More Fascinating Johor Town Name Origins
Photo Source : @UiHua Cheah
Driving through Johor, you may come across towns like Batu Pahat, Gelang Patah, or Labis. But have you ever wondered how they got named as such?
As it turns out, these names immortalise a rich heritage of Johorean history, mythology, and folklore. So, let’s see how these 5 towns got their names.
1. How Batu Pahat got its name - From thirsty Siamese soldiers
Photo Source : @UiHua Cheah
Since Batu Pahat means chiselled rock, you might have assumed the town had a quarry at some point in time.
The actual story actually goes back much further, to what’s now known as The Battle of Batu Pahat in the mid-15th century.
This was one of the Siamese attempts to invade the Malacca Sultanate, led by Admiral Awi Di Chu. This was the battle where Bendahara Tun Perak famously tied torches to trees on the shore, leading the Siamese to think the Malaccan forces were larger than they actually were. The demoralised Siamese were defeated and forced to retreat to Singapore.
Along the way, the Siamese forces took up camp in an area. To supply themselves with fresh water, they chiselled rocks
at a site near the coast to create a freshwater well. And this area became known as Batu Pahat.
Photo source: Delok-Delok Sekitar
What’s amazing is that this well still exists! You can find the well in Kampung Minyak Beku, on a mound by Minyak Beku beach. But why is the place called Minyak Beku (Frozen Oil), you might wonder?
2. How Kampung Minyak Beku got its name - From a strange weather phenomenon
Photo Source : @UiHua Cheah
It’s perhaps a coincidence that the well from which Batu Pahat got its name is in a village that also has an interesting name.
Stories vary, but the most common is that the village was founded by a great warrior named Daeng Ahmad. During the building of the village, the usually free-flowing wood oil they extracted from keruing trees unexpectedly hardened (or ‘froze’).
Taking this as a sign, Daeng Ahmad named the village Kampung Minyak Beku, or Frozen Oil Village.
3. How Gelang Patah got its name - From a princess and jellyfish
Photo Source : @UiHua Cheah
There are two versions for the origins of Gelang Patah (Broken Bracelet).
In the more fantastical one, a princess was on a ship near the area, when her favourite bracelet slipped off into the sea. Overwhelmed by the loss, she started to cry.
Her tears gained the sympathy of a bloom of jellyfish, who found the bracelet and returned it to her. Unfortunately, the bracelet broke the moment she wore it, leading her to accept that she was never fated to have the bracelet. In that moment, she named the area “Gelang Patah” in memory of the incident.
In the second version, Dato’ Jaafar Muhammad (1838 - 1919) and his wife were exploring the area as a potential settlement, using a long beam (galang) to steer their sampan through the water. At one point, the beam broke, leading him to name the area Galang Patah.
Due to their similarity, people kept confusing galang with gelang, and both were used interchangeably for years until Gelang Patah won out.
4. How Kulai got its name - From a tortoise invasion
Photo Source : @UiHua Cheah
Kulai was originally settled by Chinese migrants, who named it Gui Lai.
The name came from an annual occurrence where tortoises would crawl out of the Kulai River and into the town, seeking refuge from the flood caused by the monsoon rain. The mostly Hakka settlers referred to these incidents as Gui Lai or “Tortoises Coming”.
Over time, difficulties in writing and pronouncing the Chinese name simplified and romanised Gui Lai to Kulai.
5. How Labis got its name - From a translation error
Photo Source : @UiHua Cheah
Unlike many other towns, Labis actually had an original name - Kampung Paya Merah.
Kampung Paya Merah was named after the river grass which attracted river terrapins (Labi-Labi) that fed on it.
In the early 1900’s, British administrators surveying the land were intrigued by the animals, having never seen them before. They asked their guide what the terrapins were called, and the guide responded “Labi-Labi”.
Due to how the Malay and English language handles plural forms, the British officers started calling the terrapins “Labis”, and officially named the area after the fascinating animals.
Johor isn’t just a food and tourism destination - it’s also for history and culture.
Photo Source : @UiHua Cheah
The state of Johor and the towns within it are full of stories that are as colourful as the places themselves.
And while these tales can be centuries apart, many of them point to one thing - Johor’s identity has always been shaped by its rivers, coasts, and connections to the outside world. In fact, here are the origins of other town names in Johor - including Johor itself:
Click here to learn more Johor name origins
It’s perhaps fitting that Berjaya Waterfront proudly stands at Johor’s coast, continuing that story as a modern gateway to Johor’s waterways and to the outside world. If you’ve ever wanted a quick and affordable island getaway, it looks like you’ve successfully…. mencari jodoh.
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