MALAYSIA | PERAK | JOHOR |
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Perak (Malay pronunciation: [peˈraʔ]; Jawi: ڨيرق,), one of the 13 states of Malaysia, is the second largest state inPeninsular Malaysia. It borders Kedah and the Thai Yala Province to the north; Penang to the northwest; Kelantanand Pahang to the east; Selangor to the south, and the Straits of Malacca to the west. The state's administrative capital of Ipoh was
known historically for tin-mining activities until the price of the
metal dropped, severely affecting the state's economy. The royal
capital, however remains at Kuala Kangsar, where the palace of the Sultan of Perak is located. |
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History Legend tells of a Hindu-Malay Kingdom called Gangga Negara in the northwest of Perak. Archaeological discoveries indicate that Perak was inhabited since prehistoric times. |
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Kellie's Castle |
Tourism The Lost World of Tambun theme park is surrounded by a 400 million-year-old limestone mountain, and includes a 175-room hotel.[14] |
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Popular Food Lemang, a Malay delicacy made from glutinous rice cooked in a bamboo tube over slow fire is a must-have during the festivities such as Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Hari Raya Haji, especially along with some rendang. Some say lemang originated from the indigenous people who cook their rice using bamboo. Tempoyak is another popular Malay delicacy. It is durian extract which is preserved and kept in an urn. Commonly eaten with chillies and other dishes, it is well known due to the popularity of its key ingredient, durian, among the locals. |
CEMPAKA SARI This is a traditional court dance whose movements are accompanied by melodious music with equally matching lyrics. The song “Cempaka Sari”, incidentally, was an original composition by the late Sultan Idris Shah II of Perak. The dance attempts to highlight the astuteness of the Perak sultanate of yore. The colour of the dancers’ attires and the heavily hand-crafted fans that the female dancers carry, epitomise the grace, the beauty and gaiety of the dance, per se. Tarian Bubu According to Malay mythology, a fisherman dreamed that his daughter was abducted by spirits when she went fishing in a river one day. The following day, the fortunate man was blessed with good fortunes. A shaman advised him to return the favour by performing a ceremony to please the jungle spirits. The dance focuses on a girl encased in a fish trap (bubu). The male dancers carry fish traps (bubu) adorned in female attires. BELOTAH This dance is performed after a padi harvest. The movements of the dancers’ legs depict the harvesting of padi where the grains are being separated from the stalks, as farmer would do in the padi fields. The female dancers carry a rattan pan called nyiru to demonstrate panning actions to separate rice grains from husks. The dance is definitely ritualistic in nature done to appease the spirits for a bountiful harvest. |