Pasir Mas (town)

Pasir Mas
Pasir Mas
Town
Country	Malaysia
State	Kelantan Darul Naim
District	Pasir Mas District
Government
• President	Mohamed Nor Husin
Area
• Total	139 km2 (54 sq mi)
Population (2010)
• Total	180,878
• Density	1,300/km2 (3,400/sq mi)
Vehicle registration	D

Pasir Mas (Jawi: ڤاسير مس, Chinese: 巴西馬, Kelantanese: Pasey Mah) is a town in Pasir Mas District, in north-western Kelantan, Malaysia.

Pasir Mas was once the second biggest city in the state until the early 1990s when it was overtaken by Tanah Merah.^{[citation needed]} The town is blocked from expanding to the east by the Kelantan River. To the north, the railway line splits the town - further limiting land suitable and desirable for commercial real estate development. 99.8% Malay 207,896 and 0.02% Chinese 42

Haphazard development over the past decades has resulted in the mushrooming of residential houses that encircle the town. This makes potential land acquisition for commercial development a complex and costly exercise. A new township is slowly taking shape about four miles away at the Mukim of - a previously swampy area along the road leading to Rantau Panjang.^[4]

History[]

According to legend, this area which is now known as Pasir Mas was first opened up by Che Leh Ismail who was also known as Che Leh Tok Pendekar. Che Leh Ismail was forced to shift to Pasir Mas from Kota Bharu when his land was taken over by the Sultan to build his palace.

During that time, a religious teacher from Bachok came to teach the Quran to the villagers in Pasir Mas. The religious teacher returned to Bachok after his teachings were completed. However, a few days after the religious teacher returned to Bachok, three pots of gold suddenly appeared in some bushes. The pots of gold then rolled into a pond at the fringe of the bushes. The villagers who witnessed this happening shouted "Mas! Mas!" (Malay for gold) Hence the place was subsequently called Pasir Mas. The word Pasir originated because there was a large field of sand at the bank of the Kelantan River, which was situated near Pasir Mas.^[5]

Education[]

A public institution of higher learning; (MARA Higher Vocational College); is located in the township of Tal Tujuh within the district. A Nurses Training College is located near the Pasir Mas Poliklinik, Jalan Hospital.