Colonial Penang’s Southern Frontier: Tin, Treaties and the Pangkor Connection

THE NAME PANGKOR was mentioned as far back as 1511 by Sulaymān al-Mahrī in his treatise al-Minhāj al-Fākhir fī ʿIlm al-Baḥr al-Zākhir (The Precious Method on the Science of the Rising Sea). He states that sailing past Falu Finanj (Pulau Pinang) towards Malaqa (Melaka), one will first encounter Dengdeng (Dinding) and then Bankūr Lau (Pangkor Laut).