Tangkak is the principal town and capital of Tangkak District in Johor, Malaysia. The town is nicknamed "Fabric Town" or "Syurga Kain" in honour of its many textile shops. It is also well known as being a major entry point to Mount Ophir, the highest mountain in Johor.
History, Etymology and Infrastructure
Tangkak is located in the north-western corner of the state of Johore, bordering Melaka by the Kesang River and Chohong River and was formerly the second largest town in Muar District with full of loan shark. Tangkak was founded in the year 1901 at the foot of Mt. Ophir and was under the direct control of Muar district then. In 1946, the local council was established and was governed by the Assistant District Officer who in turn reported to the Muar District Office in those days. According to hearsay, the word Tangkak came from the Malay word merangkak, meaning to crawl. It was believed that Long Mahmud had led 7 brothers from the Riau Province to start the first settlement that is today Tangkak. These 7 brothers had sailed from Riau Province and sailing along the Kesang River before finally arriving at Tangkak River. They saw the flat terrain and decided to stay put at the place. Unfortunately they had difficulties getting up the river bank as their legs got stuck at the slippery river mud. They had to use the roots of trees to help them to get on land. When other settlers asked them the name of the place, they will answer tang merangkak tu. Over a period of time, it was shortened to Tangkak, the name of the settlement today. This town is linked to the famous mountain - Gunung Ledang where it was said that the most beautiful princess resided there in the ancient times. This princess, known as Puteri Gunung Ledang, had the last Sultan of the Malacca Sultanate so smitten with her that he had sent his top warrior, Hang Tuah, to ask her for her hand in marriage. Myth or otherwise, Hang Tuah never came back after his second visit to the mountain. Tangkak has a police organization that would soon be upgraded as a Police District Headquarters. The town is served by the Tangkak District Hospital which offers assistance to many highway mishaps and numerous primary health centres. Tangkak District Hospital also serves as a teaching hospital for Melaka Manipal Medical College.
Developments
The sub-districts of Tangkak and Muar; referred as Muar Utara and Muar Selatan respectively earlier. The Tangkak district was the northern part of the Muar district which was separated from the southern part by the Muar River. In 2006 both were administratively were divided and Tangkak was upgraded to a full-fledged district, and it was initially named as the Ledang district after the Gunung Ledang nearby. The Ledang district covers Tangkak town, Tanjung Agas, Kesang, Sungai Mati, Serom, Sagil and Bukit Gambir. A ceremony headed by the sultan on 9 June 2008 saw the official proclamation of that northern part becoming Johor's 10th district named Ledang District. The district was then renamed Tangkak District at the end of 2015 by the decree of Sultan Ibrahim Ismail to preserve the historical value of traditional name of places in the state.
Tangkak has an extensive network of roads including proximity to the North-South Expressway. The PLUS Expressway has an exit to Tangkak. Federal highway links Tangkak to Muar in the south and Segamat in the north.
