ISLAND MAP
TIOMAN

 

Kampong Genting

Tioman is 39 km long and 12 km wide and was once a monsoon shelter for merchant ships, warships, a haughty bunch of pirates and a few fisherman families. The first written mention about Tioman was found in the magazines of Arab traders, who were here 1000 AC. came here. The Indian, Persian and Chinese traders followed later.

When the route across the South China Sea was discovered by enthusiastic merchants from China, they founded many coastal settlements on the peninsula of Malaysia. Also on Tioman. Not only was the island a perfect hiding place against the monsoon storms. It was also an ideal place to store fresh water and wood. The inhabitants of Tioman also traded with the merchants. The Chinese wanted, among other things, fish and camphor wood; the Indian traders loaded their ships to the brim with betel nuts, which were found in abundance on the island, while the Arabs were searching for scented woods (such as aloe wood, camphor and sandalwood), ivory and ebony, rice, gold and bamboo. The seafarers also used the island for navigation. At the northern point one had to turn to the northeast to sail to Cambodia. There is now a lot of evidence that traders set up camp at Nipah beach.

xx