The Southern Gateway

Johor is the southernmost state of Peninsular Malaysia, making it ‘The Southern Gateway to Malaysia’. It’s name Johor is a translation from the Arabic word ‘Jauhar’, which means precious stones or jewel and long before it was known as Ujung Tanah or Land’s end in Malay owing to its southern tip location of the Malay Peninsula. Coincidentally, Johor is the most southerly point of the Asian continental mainland.

Johor has a long and established history which stretches back as far as the early 16th. century after the fall of the Malacca Sultanate to the Portuguese. Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah II founded the Sultanate of Johor after succeeding from his father’s throne, Sultan Mahmud Shah the last Sultan of Malacca. Johor became a center of great power and is the only state, apart from Malacca, that has grown into an empire. During its peak, the whole of Pahang and the present day Indonesian territories of Riau Archipelago and part of Sumatra Island were under Johor's rule. The empire was not united and under Portuguese and Achinese (Northern Sumatra) attacks, many states began to break away. Consequently in the 18th. century the empire was taken control by the Bugis of Celebes and the Minangkabaus of Sumatra, thus ended the Johor Lama Empire. With British intervention, Johor Bahru was founded in 1855 by Temenggong Daing Ibrahim who took the title of “Raja Temenggong Tun Ibrahim Seri Maharaja Johor”. His son succeeded to his throne in 1862, proclaimed the title of “Datuk Temenggong Abu Bakar Seri Maharaja Johor” and later in 1868 as “Raja Temenggong Tun Abu Bakar Seri Maharaja”. In his reign, he laid the foundation of Modern Johor and since then prospered as to what it is today .

Johor has a diverse cultural heritage and some gazette rainforest, namely the Endau-Rompin range, ever inviting for an unforgettable experience. Also, being the only state covered by water on three sides, it is naturally a beach-lovers heaven for its miles of golden sandy beaches and beautiful offshore islands with clear water which are excellent for diving, snorkeling and deep-sea fishing. Since the most number of golf resorts thrive in Johor, it serves as a golfer’s paradise for the enthusiasts. For other visitors, Johor has some spectacular places of interest to see, especially historical buildings and impressive architecture.