Sungai
Lembing
is a tin mining town 42 km northwest of
Kuantan in Pahang, Malaysia. Lembing
is Malay for spear, and "sungai" means
river. Per local legend, the local ruler
saw a vision of a spear in the nearby
river and thus named his town after this
vision.
Until the 1970s, Sungai Lembing was a
major producer of underground tin.
Sungai Lembing town developed in the
1880's when the British set up the tin
mining industry, although the history of
mining in this area extends much further
back. From 1891, the Pahang Consolidated
Company Limited, (PCCL), which was under
British control, had a 77-year lease to
mine the area. PCCL managed the mine
from 1906 until its liquidation in 1986
when world tin prices collapsed.
The pit mines were closed in 1986 due to
high operational costs and low yields,
but during their heyday they were among
the largest and deepest in the world.
The total tunnel length is 322 km, with
a depth of between 610 m and 700 m. A
museum highlighting the tin mining
industry was opened in 2003. The museum
is housed in an old bungalow once used
by the mine manager. The museum houses a
collection of mining artifacts
Today the town of Sg Lembing is in
decline although it was once the richest
town in Pahang, known as El Dorado of
the East. In the 1940's about 1400
people worked in the mine. Today many of
the wooden shoplots are closed and
people are moving away. The town
straddles the river, and the main street
on the right bank is split by an avenue
of majestic trees. At the end, an old
wooden building overlooks the padang
where games of cricket and other social
activities were held.
Nearby Sungai Lembing is Bukit Panorama,
which is a popular place to watch the
sunrise. 16 km from Sg. Lembing is
Gunung Tapis Nature Park, where one can
camp, fish, and shoot the rapids. Gunung
Tapis itself is 1,512 m high. On the way
to Sg. Lembing is Gua Charas, a temple
cave that is a popular tourist
destination, also Sungai Pandan
Waterfall, which is 29 km from Kuantan
Sungai Lembing Museum
The Museum of Sungai Lembing built by
the Museums and Antiquities Department
with the objectives of propagating the
information and exhibiting the proofs of
its' history as well as Pahang.
The town of Sungai Lembing lies 42
kilometers from Kuantan town with the
well-built road system. Visitors will be
entertained with the spectacular
knowledge on the subterranean tin
mining, which was once acknowledged as
the largest subterranean mine in the
world
Historically, Sungai Lembing was a rich
and famous town, as the main producer of
tin in Pahang. It was called as the East
El-Dorado in Tanah Melayu as situated a
Village of the English community here.
The history of tin mining here is
believably started since the
prehistorically period and was
intensively managed by a British
company, the Pahang Consolidated Company
Limited (PCCL), started from 1906 till
it's liquidation on 1986.
Mount Sungai Lembing, Pahang