Johor was occupied by the Japanese army during World War 2 and like the other states in Malaysia, became part of the Federation of Malaya after the war and a part of the Federation of Malaysia in 1963. In a state with its history dating back to the Srivijaya Empire, there are definitely many places of historical and religious importance to visit.
Historical & Religious landmarks in Johor
Johor is not short of archaeological evidences. A bronze bell believed to have been used as a ceremonial object in Cambodia from 150 A.D. was found near to the Muar River. The ancient city of Kota Gelanggi, which is an archaeological site reported in 2005, is believed to be the first capital of the ancient Empire of Srivijaya, one of the oldest Kingdoms of Malay Peninsula in Southeast Asia.
After the fall of Melaka to the Portuguese in 1511, Sultan Mahmud’s son, Ala’udin Ri’ayat Shah II founded the Johor Sultanate in 1528. Later, Johor became a British protectorate. The state was occupied by the Japanese army during World War 2 and like the other states in Malaysia, became part of the Federation of Malaya after the war and a part of the Federation of Malaysia in 1963.
In a state with its history dating back to the Srivijaya Empire, there are definitely many places of historical and religious importance to visit.
Segget River, Johor
Segget River is a relatively short river of slightly more than four kilometres in length. The river starts from the Chinese cemetery and flows through Johor Bahru city and ends at the Strait of Johor. Along the river was a triangular shaped islet called Segget Island. A wet market was set up in the early 1900s on this ‘islet’.
The west bank of the river was mostly occupied by Teochew immigrants from China, who owned businesses there. The east bank of the river was mainly populated by Cantonese immigrants from China, some of whom owned big plots of land there.
Segget River had been instrumental in the development of Johor Bahru. The river was a source of water supply as well as a commercial and social waterway for the people there.
Development in the surrounding areas resulted in floods and a flood gate was built at the river mouth. The name Segget was derived from the word sea-gate that referred to the flood gate. However, the locals could not pronounce it properly, hence Segget.
Today, the authority is revitalising and cleaning up Segget River, which was once the pulse of Johor Bahru’s development.
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Sultan Ibrahim Building
The Sultan Ibrahim Building was constructed before World War 2. Named after Sultan Ibrahim of Johor, the building was completed in 1940 and was officially opened by Sultan Ibrahim himself. The building was used at the state secretariat building as the British endeavoured to streamline the state’s administration.
During the Japanese occupation in World War 2, the building was used by the Japanese to plan their invasion of Singapore. The building suffered damages during the war and its painful scars remain till today.
The design of the building is a mixture of British colonial, Saracenic and Malay architecture. Reinforced concrete with stone facing was built on metal framework fabricated in Singapore. It used to be the tallest building in Johor during the pre-independence era.
The building used to house the Chief Minister’s office as well as the Johor State Legislative Assembly. It is left vacant till today when the offices moved to Kota iskandar in 2009. Nevertheless, the public is allowed to walk the grounds of the building.
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Grand Palace, Johor
The Grand Palace or Istana Besar is the palace of the Sultan of Johor. It is located in Johor Bahru. The palace overlooks the Strait of Johor.
The Grand Palace was built in 1866 by Sultan Abu Bakar, the first Sultan of modern Johor. It features the Anglo-Malay architecture.
Today, the Grand Palace is only used for official functions such as investitures, state banquets and royal functions.
A part of the palace was converted into a museum in 1982. Known as the Royal Abu Bakar Museum, it features a rich collection of royal heirloom, artefacts and history of the royal family. The museum was officially opened in 1990 but unfortunately, since January 2012, it is no longer opened to the public.
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KTM Museum Johor
The KTM Museum is housed in the old Johor Bahru Railway Station. The railway station shifted to Johor Bahru Sentral in October 2010, which is adjacent to the old one. Today, the old railway station serves as a railway museum and is the first train museum in the country.
The Johor Bahru Railway Station was probably the only railway station that operated with closed platforms because it also functioned as an immigration check-point for Singapore-bound passengers. In those days, immigration check was conducted on board for Singapore-bound passengers coming in from elsewhere in Malaysia while in-bound passengers from Singapore were checked at the Johor Bahru Railway Station.
The railway station was constructed during the British rule in 1928 and was opened for operation in 1931.
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Makam Diraja Mahmoodiah
Makam Diraja Mahmoodiah is the Johor royal mausoleum. It is located at Bukit Mahmoodiah on Jalan Mahmoodiah.
The mausoleum was built in 1895, based on a combination of Victorian, Moorish and Malay designs. In addition to the graves of the royal family of Johor, the graves of prominent leaders in Johor can also be found there.
It is believed that the name Mahmoodiah is derived from the name of a boy who is buried there. Locals believe that the boy is a relation of Sultan Abu Bakar.
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Pusat Islam Iskandar, Johor
Pusat Islam Iskandar is an Islamic centre in Johor. It was built in the 1970s and started operation in 1989. The state Islamic department, syariah court, the mufti’s (Islamic jurist) office as well as the state Islamic council are located in this centre.
The arrival of Islam to Malaysia coincided with the Melaka Sultanate and the port of Melaka as a trading centre. Melaka also served as a centre for the spread of Islam. Towards the end of the Melaka Sultanate, Islam became entrenched in several parts in the Malay peninsula, including Johor.
Today, more than half of the population of Johor are Muslim and this denotes the importance of Islam in the state.
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Masjid India, Johor
Masjid India is located at the old part of Johor Bahru. It is an Indian-Muslim mosque and its building is unlike other mosques’ buildings. The mosque is housed in a three-storey building and it has a glass dome and glass minaret.
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Church of the Immaculate Conception, Johor
The Church of the Immaculate Conception is a Catholic church in Johor Bahru. Built in 1883, it is the oldest church in Johor Bahru. The church was originally dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes.
In 1881, Johor became a parish under Serangoon in Singapore. Not long after that Sultan Abu Bakar presented a piece of land and a little church was built on that land in 1883.
In the 1920s, the present Church of the Immaculate Conception was built and blessed. The old church was turned into a funeral parlour. Sultan Ibrahim then donated a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes, which now stands in front of the church.
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Holy Light Church, Johor
The Holy Light Church in Johor Bahru is one of the oldest churches in this city. In 1886, a missionary from the Presbyterian Church of England arrived at Johor Bahru.
The original church was made of wood and still stands today. It is now used as the youth hall. Because of the large Chinese community in the area the church started with services in Chinese.
In 1952, the English service became a main offering at the church. In the early 2000s, the English session was relocated to the Hillville premises of the church.
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Arulmigu Sri Rajakaliamman Glass Temple
The Arulmigu Sri Rajakaliamman Glass Temple in Johor Bahru is believed to be the one and only glass temple in Malaysia. It is even listed in the Malaysian Book of Records for that. Believe it or not! It is entirely covered with glass.
The temple’s walls, pillars as well as floors are ornamented with colourful glasses - white, yellow, green, blue, purple and red. Large crystal chandeliers hanging down from the ceiling. Their lights reflect on the glass and create a wonderland effect.
Despite it being a Hindu temple, there are various sculptures and murals that convey a message of harmony and unity. There are statues of Gautama Buddha, Guru Nanak, Sai Baba, Jesus Christ as well as Mother Teresa. The principal deity is Lord Shiva. A statue of him sits on a lotus in the centre of the shrine hall.
The glass temple is indeed a modern temple as it is fully air-conditioned, allowing its devotees to pray in comfort. The temple can accommodate up to 1,500 devotees at any one time.
Nevertheless, few people know of this temple’s humble beginnings. It started as a simple hut on a piece of land presented by the Sultan of Johor in 1922. The worshippers were mainly railway workers as it was situated next to the railway tracks. In 1991 the chief priest of the temple was inspired to rebuild the temple during his trip to Bangkok. He was awed when he was told that the shining light he saw was a reflection from the glass artwork at a wat (Buddhist temple).
The Arulmigu Sri Rajakaliamman temple was replaced with glass fittings starting 2008 and completed in October 2009.
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Arulmigu Rajamariamman Temple, Johor
The Arulmigu Rajamariamman Devasthanam Temple is one of the oldest Hindu temples in Johor Bahru. The temple was established in 1911 when Sultan Abu Bakar donated a piece of land and some cash to the Hindu community for the construction of temple.
Back in 1911, the temple was housed in an attap shed where the Goddess Mariamman was installed as the main deity. The temple was named Rajamariamman Kovil as a gesture of respect to the Sultan because ‘Raja’ means King or Sultan.
The temple went through several consecrations - in 1911, 1935 and 2011 during the temple’s centenary celebration. The temple also changed names several times and it received its present name in 1986.
The temple was rebuilt in 1981. It took six years to complete. Additional deities are included in the new temple, which has a Rajagopuram and a Kodi Maram. In addition to Goddess Mariamman, other deities that are worshipped in this temple include Lord Murugan and Brahmana.
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Johor-Singapore Causeway
The Johor-Singapore Causeway is the first land connection between Johor and Singapore. It is a slightly more than a kilometre-long causeway that links Johor Bahru to Woodlands in Singapore. The causeway serves as a road, a rail link, a pedestrian link as well as water pipe that transfers water to Singapore.
The construction of the causeway took four years and completed in 1923. However, it was partially damaged in 1942 during World War 2. The Japanese rebuilt it when they captured Singapore from the British.
The plan to construct the Johor Bahru-Singapore Causeway started with the development of the settlement and trade activities along the banks of Segget River in the late 19th century. By the 1880s, Johor Bahru was already a bustling port. Waterway traffic increased and caused congestion at Segget River. This prompted the authority to broaden the river. There were ferry services that connected Johor Bahru and Woodlands. There was a boon to the Johor economy, especially when the railway line between Penang and Johor Bahru completed in 1909. The ferry services had to work round the clock. These led the authority to look for a more permanent alternative. As a result, the construction of a rubble causeway was proposed in 1917.
It was decided that a causeway be constructed rather than a proper bridge because it was cheaper and materials such as rubble and crushed granite were available. The foundation stone of the causeway was laid in April 1920 and the railway section was opened in October 1923. The entire causeway was completed in June 1924 and involved more than 2,000 workers comprising locals and Europeans. It was officially opened on June 28, 1924. The construction of the causeway utilised two million cubic metres of granites and stones.
