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Nama Marudu di wilayah Sabah
yang sekarang diduga sudah eksis sejak zaman kuno. Nama kota ini sudah
diidentifikasi dalam peta Ptolomeus abad ke-2 yang disebut Peta Taprobana. Di
Sabah banyak nama-nama kota baru seperti Kudat, sebagaimana kota-kota Weston
dan Beaufort. Kota-kota baru ini berkembang sejak awal kehadiran Inggris di
Sabah (Maskapai Borneo Utara).
Kota Marudu (Malay: Pekan Kota Marudu) is the capital of the Kota Marudu District in the Kudat Division of Sabah, Malaysia. Its population was estimated to be around 8,716 in 2010. It is located 130 kilometres north of the state capital, Kota Kinabalu, along the federal highway linking Kota Kinabalu with the town of Kudat, near the northern tip of Borneo. Places of interest in Kota Marudu include Sorinsim Waterfall, located 40 kilometres from the main town, and Sagabon Park, an agriculture research station on Buyut Lake. Kota Marudu also boasts Southeast Asia's largest solar power station. The town celebrates an annual Maize Festival in honour of the agricultural product's contribution to the district's socio-economic development. The line-up of activities includes a variety of exhibitions, competitions, traditional sports and a beauty pageant. It is not very clear when Kota Marudu was established but it is appeared on 15th century map of borneo by Johannes Cloppenburgh (circa 1632) and map by Benjamin Wright (1601) with name of "Marudo". It th also referred as "Malloodoo" in others old maps. In some other old map it also refer as Bandau. According to the legend, Bandau is a derivative of the word 'Mondou' from the Rungus dialect which means "the head (leader) of all the beasts". Mondou was once believed to have been found by Aki Rungsud in the area along the Bandau River. The town was renamed 'Kota Marudu' after a fort (kota) built by local warrior named Sharif Usman at Marudu Bay to protect the area from the British North Borneo colonial authorities, where he was considered by the latter as a pirate. (Wikipedia)
Lantas bagaimana sejarah Marudu dan Kudat, kota kuno dan kota baru? Seperti disebut di atas, pulau Kalimantan sudah dikenal sejak era Ptolomeus yang mana kota Marudu di Sabah diduga adalah kota kuno. Sebalik kota Kudat adalah kota baru yang dibangun baru pada era Maskapai Borneo Utara 1878. Lalu bagaimana sejarah sejarah Marudu dan Kudat, kota kuno dan kota baru? Seperti kata ahli sejarah tempo doeloe, semuanya ada permulaan. Untuk menambah pengetahuan dan meningkatkan wawasan sejarah nasional, mari kita telusuri sumber-sumber tempo doeloe.