GHOST TOWN STORY

Beyond the sleepy outskirts of Ipoh and Batu Gajah, lies a small town with an incredible history. Amidst its crumbling shophouses and empty streets, stories of past riches, war, secret societies, and even radioactive minerals intertwine with each other. This is the grand and illustrious story of Pekan Papan; the most intriguing ghost town in Perak.

Interestingly, Papan's course of history took a turn after the assassination of the 1st British Resident of Perak, J.W.W. Birch, in 1875. The resulting Perak War led to the banishment of Raja Ismail to Skudai, Johor. Around two years after his removal as the local ruler and owner of the mines in Papan, the British handed over the exclusive rights to work the tin mines to a Malay-Mandailing chief; Raja Asal. Originally from Sumatra, the Mandailings migrated to Peninsular Malaya to escape the Padri War in the 1820s. Raja Asal himself was involved in the Selangor Civil War (along with another Mandailing leader in Kuala Lumpur; Sutan Puasa) in the mid-1800s before moving to Perak.

Historical remnants and the town's current generation

Old M.C.A. branch in Lot 35, alongside a row of shophouses.