Gurun, Kedah

Geography

Gurun is located between Guar Chempedak to the north and Bedong to the south and can be reached via a highway; the North-South Expressway, and it even has its own train station. The main road junction in the town center connects the eastern part of Kedah to the town of Jeniang and the district of Sik. The junction was currently shifted to a new location situated in front of Gurun Post Office due to the construction of Malaysian double track railroad. The construction of Gurun Railway Station is a part of the Bukit Mertajam - Alor Setar railway extension project started in late 1912 and completed in 1915. The project was carried out under the Federated Malay States Railway Administration and the Pinang Tunggal to Gurun track was officially opened to the public on 1 March 1915 and the Gurun to Alor Star on 4 October 1915. The station was now demolished in order to make way for a new railway station located about 1 kilometer to north of the old station, which opened to public on 11 September 2015.

Gunung Jerai, formerly known as Kedah Peak, is a massive limestone outcrop situated to the west of Gurun and is the highest point in Kedah rising 986 metres (3,235 ft). It is the main tourist attraction to Gurun.

History

During the period of Thai invasion in 1876-1881 and continued until the early 1900s, Gurun became well known as a base for local heroes such as Panglima Nayan, who operated from his hometown of Jeniang, about 10 miles to the east of Gurun. The strategic location of Gurun that connects every town in Kedah had enabled these warriors to plan and executed their activities freely without any fear from the occupying forces.

During the Second World War, Gurun became the line of defense for the 11th Indian Division in the Battle of Gurun in early December, 1941. However, the British strategy was poorly executed and they were easily overrun by the Japanese army.

During the Malayan Emergency period, Gurun was among the first areas declared as a "White Area". Gurun then served as the forward staging base for the Commonwealth forces launching their operations against communist insurgents. Horbart Camp, located on 8 mile peg of the Gurun-Jeniang road, was the base for these activities and also served as the training camp for units waiting to be sent into the jungle for operations. The Horbart Camp still functions as a training camp today.

Infrastructure

Probably the most prominent building in Gurun is the former United Transport Company (UTC) bus station. However today, the building no longer functioned as a bus station because it was turned into a grocery store. However the taxi station is still where it was 30 years ago.

Gurun enjoyed treated water earlier than electricity. By the 1980s, a majority of Gurun area enjoyed these two services. By the 1980s, the North-South Expressway project which linked Gurun to Alor Setar was started. However the expressway exit was not at the present location. Instead it was located at Kampung Guar Nenas. The original road for this exit still exists today and is still usable by the public.

Gurun has a railway station which is served by KTM Komuter Northern Sector, a commuter service that links the northern states of Perak, Penang, Kedah, and Perlis, and KTM ETS trains, an inter-city higher-speed rail service.