The Kinabalu Mystery Unfolds

Don't you guys think that Kinabalu is a unique name? Well,there’s a secret behind its mysterious name. It was originated from the Kadazan words, ‘Aki Nabalu’, which means ‘the revered place of the dead’. The local Kadazan people strongly believe that spirits reside on the top of the mountain. 

According to another urban myth, the name Kinabalu actually means Cina Balu which translates into ‘Chinese widow’. Legend tells that a Chinese prince climbed the mountain in search of an enormous pearl secured by a barbarous dragon. 

After he managed to fulfil the pursuit, he got married with a Kadazan woman. But he soon abandoned her and returned to his homeland, China. His wife brokenheartedly wandered to the mountains to weep. After that, she turned into stone.

Mount Kinabalu is situated on the east coast of Sabah, on the island of Borneo. It is peculiar and temperamental, but always a breath-taking view, this mount has seized the visions of locals and explorers for a long time.

This mountain is surrounded with a park full of various kinds of habitats, from wealthy tropical lowland and hill rainforest to tropical mountain forest, sub-alpine forest and heath on the higher elevations. 

In 2000, Mount Kinabalu was included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List to uphold and maintain its natural heritage. It has also been entitled as the Centre of Plant Diversity for Southeast Asia.


The Great Wonders of Mount Kinabalu 

The Birthplace of the Land Below the Wind

It all happened a long time ago since Sabah or was known as North Borneo, became part of the Sultanate of Brunei in the 16th century while the north-eastern coast of the state turned out to be part of the Sultanate of Sulu which was centered in the southern islands of the Philippines. In 1888, North Borneo became a colony of Great Britain and British failed to take control over the region until 1942 when the Japanese invaded.



When Sabah was left in a disaster by the Allied bombings during World War II, it was extradited over to the British administration after the war ended. The British political masters were assigned to reconstruct the basic frames, facilities, educational system and medical conveniences for the welfare of the locals who had barely endured the Japanese brutal actions. British faced bankruptcy as the war had costed them a lot of money to battle with the Japanese. Therefore, they initiated a project to make Sabah and Sarawak stand on their own feet, as part of a pact with the US which was to let go of their protectorate after World War II, on term that the states would be ready before they were awarded with independence.

 During this phase, the British put three development policies into effect in order to improve Sabah to become a state capable of self-governance. It began with the First North Borneo Development Plan (1948-1955) followed by the Second North Borneo Development (1955-1960) and the Third North Borneo Development Plan (1959-1964). North Borneo together with Malaya, Sarawak and Singapore formed the Federation of Malaysia and from then on it became known as Sabah.

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