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The history of Terengganu goes back to ancient times. Being on the east coast of West Malaysia, Terengganu is located along the ancient trade routes. It was mentioned in the chronicles of ancient Chinese merchants and seafarers in the early 6th century A.D.
In its earliest state, Terengganu was a principality that practiced a culture combining Hinduism and Buddhism with animistic traditional beliefs. This was a few hundreds of years before the arrival of Islam. According to historial accounts, Terengganu could have been part of the Srivijaya Empire between the 7th to the 13th or 14th century. During that time, it traded extensively with the Majapahit Empire, the Khmer Empire and especially the Chinese.
Floating Mosque of Kuala Terengganu
Author: bbbsheep (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)
A stone with Arabic inscriptions dating to 1303 attributed Terengganu as the first Malay state to receive Islam. The stone was found in Kuala Berang, the capital of the district of Hulu Terengganu. During the 15th century, Terengganu became a vassal state of Melaka. After the fall of the Malacca Sultanate, Terengganu retained considerable autonomy with the emergence of Riau-Johor Empire.
Terengganu emerged as an independent sultanate in 1724. The first Sultan was Tun Zainal Abidin, the younger brother of a former sultan of Johor. Johor exerted a strong influence on Terengganu politics through the 18th century. According to the book Tuhfat al-Nafis written by Raja Ali Haji, Tun Zainal Abidin was in 1708 installed as the Sultan of Terengganu by Daeng Menampuk also known as Raja Tua under the rule of Sultan Sulaiman Badrul Alam Shah.
Terengganu became a vassal state of Siam in the 19th century. It sent an annual tribute to the King of Siam in the form of "bunga mas" (a gift of flowers fashioned from gold plates). Under Siamese rule, Terengganu prospered, and was largely left alone by the authorities in Bangkok. The Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909 transferred the administration of Terengganu to Great Britain. A British advisor was appointed to the sultan in 1919, and Terengganu become one of the Unfederated Malay States. The move was highly unpopular locally, and in 1928 the British used military force to suppress a popular uprising.
During World War II, Japan occupied Terengganu and transferred sovereignty over the state back to Siam, along with Kelantan, Kedah, and Perlis. After the defeat of Japan, British control over these Malay states was reestablished. Terengganu became a member of the Federation of Malaya in 1948, and a state of independent Malaya in 1957.
Following decades of rule by the Barisan Nasional (National Front) coalition, the Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS) came to power in the 1999 General Elections, making Terengganu the second state in Malaysia to be ruled by the Islamist party (the first being neighboring Kelantan). However, in the 2004 General Elections, Terengganu was recaptured by the Barisan Nasional.
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