Travel Malaysia - Shopping in Kelantan

Central Market

Kelantan offers a fascinating variety of local handicrafts. This is supplemented by merchandise from Thailand which is available at the Malaysian border towns of Rantau Panjang and Pengkalan Kubur.

In the shops, richly coloured silks are displayed alongside batik scarves, prints and songket textiles.

In the mornings, the pulse of Kota Bharu is the Central Market (renamed the Siti Khadijah market).

The majority of the traders here are women and the profusion of colours, aromas and sounds bear testimony to the variety of goods on sale.

Fruits and vegetables of all colours, shapes and sizes are everywhere while cakes, spices, sweetmeats, preserved foods, pickles and dried seafood flood the senses with their scents.

Bazaar Buluh Kubu (Bamboo Fort Bazaar)

This three-storey shopping complex is stocked with just about everything imaginable and at bargain prices.

The sheer variety of locally made souvenirs, knick-knacks, batik, gold and silver songket, fine silverware and imported Thai goods leaves visitors in awe.

A wide choice of clothes, t-shirts, sarongs and hats are also offered at reasonable prices.

Jalan Temenggong

Virtually the whole street is lined with craft shops selling gold and silver jewellery, textiles, brassware and wood carvings

Be prepared to bargain and search for the best deal.

Cottage Industries

Kelantan's cottage industries are found mainly on the outskirts of Kota Bharu with the majority being within 10 km of the town centre.

For silvercraft, Kampung Marak, Kampung Sireh and Kampung Badang are the most well known. Famed for their intricate designs, Kelantan silverware offers traditional and decorative items from vases to jewellery.

Only 4 km north of Kota Bharu, at Kampung Penambang, is a songket weaving factory. Here, silk material is woven with gold and silver thread. Originally, the silk material came from Thailand while the gold and silver threads were imported from India.

The use of songket material was once reserved for royalty, but now it is used for ceremonial occasions and weddings by the common people.

Batik factories are found in Kampung Putih, Kubor Kuda and Kampung Badan. A visit to a batik factory gives an insight into the process of batik printing. In the past, basic cotton materials were printed using the stamp block method. Now much more sophisticated methods are used on a variety of materials, both for attire and as wall hangings.

Kelantanese wood carving is perhaps among the best in the region. Carvers produce ornate mirror frames, head boards, decorative panels for wall mounting or free-standing lamp stands and more. The great majority of the designs reflect floral motifs and Islamic scriptures.

The art of kite making, although not restricted to Kelantan, is of the highest quality and sophistication here. Kites of all shapes and sizes take to the skies, especially after the harvest season, and Kelantanese kites are without doubt the finest in the land. Requiring tremendous skill and patience, the art of kite-making is usually handed down from father to son. Some of these kites carry names such as 'Wau Bulan' (moon kite), 'Wau Kuching' (cat kite) and 'Wau Merak' (peacock kite).

There are numerous shops in Kota Bharu and many more along the road to Pantai Cahaya Bulan selling and displaying a vast array of gaily decorated kites.