Gurun, Kedah
Gurun | |
|---|---|
Town | |
| Other transcription(s) | |
| • Jawi | ݢورون |
| • Chinese | 莪仑 (Simplified) 莪崙 (Traditional) É-lún (Hanyu Pinyin) |
| • Tamil | குரூண் Kurūṇ (Transliteration) |
The town of Gurun | |
Location of Gurun in Kedah | |
| Coordinates: 5°49′12.7056″N 100°28′38.352″E / 5.820196000°N 100.47732000°E | |
| Country | Malaysia |
| State | Kedah |
| District | Kuala Muda |
| Municipal council | Sungai Petani Municipal Council |
| Population (2010) | |
• Total | 7,667 |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | Not observed |
| Postcode | 08800 |
| Area code(s) | 04-4xxxxxxx |
| Vehicle registration | K |
Gurun is a mukim and a small town in Kuala Muda District, Kedah, Malaysia. "Gurun" in English means desert, however the town does not resemble in the slightest the meaning of its English translation. Rather, it derived its name from the word "gerun", which means terrify or "kurun" meaning elephant in the Siamese dialect. These words are associated with an incident during the reign of King Ekataat’s grandsons, Sultan Jaafar Mad Azam Syah, Sultan of the Islamic State of Ayutthia, who was killed in 1876 by the invading Thai armies when they crushed his body using an elephant. This incident took place behind the current Gurun Police Station.