A 1912 bank
Kelantan's first bank.
Gula Kapas — CC BY 3.0 · Muhamad Fadhli Ahmad — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Zamwan — CC BY-SA 3.0
A stone building put up in 1912 for Kelantan's first bank, the Mercantile Bank of India, and the first building in the state made of stone. Locals know it as Bank Kerapu, the rough bank, because its facade was coated in cement mixed with small pebbles, leaving the surface coarse and uneven. In the Second World War the Japanese secret military police made it their headquarters, and Kota Bharu itself was the first place the Japanese landed in Malaya, on a nearby beach on 8 December 1941. Today, as a war museum, the building tells the story of that invasion and the years of occupation through photographs, documents and military objects. Entry costs a few ringgit, about four for foreigners; hours vary, and many of Kelantan's museums close on Fridays, so check before you go. It stands at the edge of Padang Merdeka, where there is a war memorial, a few steps from the Islamic Museum, the Muhammadi Mosque, Istana Jahar and Istana Batu, so make it part of your walk round the royal quarter.
Kelantan's first bank.
Where the invasion of Malaya began in 1941.
The secret of the name Kerapu.
Jalan Pejabat Pos Lama, at the edge of Padang Merdeka, central Kota Bharu
Kelantan Islamic MuseumA small museum in a two-storey timber building shaped like a mosque, its walls a1 minute walk
Muhammadi Mosque (State Mosque)Kelantan's state mosque and the most venerable mosque in Kota Bharu, first built1 minute walk
Istana Jahar (Royal Traditions and Customs Museum)An elegant nineteenth-century timber palace in the heart of Kota Bharu's old roy2 minutes walk
Istana Batu Royal MuseumAn elegant yellow palace built in 1939 under Sultan Ismail as a wedding gift for3 minutes walk
Siti Khadijah MarketKota Bharu's central market and the best-known market on the east coast, in an o6 minutes walkBecause Japanese forces landed on a beach near the town on 8 December 1941, the opening move of the invasion of Malaya, shortly before the attack on Pearl Harbor, and from there pushed south until Singapore fell in February 1942.