In the 1900s, Tumpat was a famous port town with lighthouses built at strategic places. One of the earliest was built at the beach near the jetty, but many were at a site now known as Padang Mahkota (Mahkota Square), near the residence of the Tumpat District Officer.

The lighthouses were made of wood, with a height of at least 10m, and they were rectangular with a narrow tip.

Another lighthouse, found in the compound of the K.T.M. store, was made of bricks, spherical in shape and narrow at the top. It is 23m high, with a bottom perimeter of 12m. Steps were built in the light houses for easy access to operate the light.

According to a local, the lighthouses were built before the Second World War by a marine team to guard the waters of Tumpat.

The Japanese during their occupation of Malaya (1941 - 1945) used the lighthouses for defence and navigation. Now they are no more, relics of a bygone era.