Fort Puteri Hill or locally known as Bukit
Puteri is a place in Terengganu that gives historical vibes to the visitors. It
is situated at the mouth of Terengganu River. It covers an area of almost 660
hectares and 200 meters height from the sea level. It is the highest point of this state. This place was built to
defend the Sultan from enemies attack. This hill is easily accessible and there
are steps to lead to the top.
The
name came from the folks story that said there was a Puteri Bunian live there.
The place was her residence, but it was said that the Puteri left Bukit Puteri
when the local residents borrowed her cutlery and did not return them to her.
A
few historical artefacts still exist on Bukit Puteri till now. There are a huge
bell, cannon, a flag pole, light house, graves, and defence wall. It used to be
a lot of cannons on Bukit Puteri. Those cannons are from Spain, Portugal, and
the Malay states. They were given names like local royal people such as Seri
Jamlor, Seri Buih, Seri Johor, and Laila Majnun.
Beside cannons, the bell also still exists even though it was built during the reign
of Sultan Zainal Abidin III in the year of 1908. It was made from yellow
copper, and it weights 175 kilograms. The bell is only pounded when there were
rampage, fire, or enemies attacking the state. According to the folks, a boy
from royal family was believed to guard the bell.
A
cave, or called Gua Puteri can also be found here. This place was used to be a
storehouse for gun powder, stone, and iron bullets.
Other than that, a flag
pole on top of Bukit Puteri was used to raise the royal flag when there were royal
ceremonies held. The lighthouse on the peak of Bukit Puteri was used to guide
fishermen and sailors to sail into the mouth of Terengganu River.
These
days, Bukit Puteri is used for cannon’s firing range for royal ceremonies.
Aside from that, Bukit Puteri is also a tourist attraction because of the
beautiful scenery. All of the city can be seen from the top of the hill.