Wandering through the old streets of the Armenian Quarter
Penang has a wealth of heritage buildings
to visit. The Penang heritage goes back a long way. There's plenty to tell about
the history of many buildings in Penang.
Some of the oldest relics in Penang is located near St Anne's Church in
Bukit Mertajam. Penang is bigger then just the island Penang, Penang
stretches to the mainland including Butterworth, Bukit Mertajam and other
cities. The relics near St. Anne's church is called: Cheruk Tokun.
It's a little hard to find relic that dates back to the 6th century. Nearby
is a megalith that dates back to the 5th century.
Many tourists and even locals have never heard of these relics. Most
tourists wander in George Town, visiting some spectacular temples and Malay
buildings. And there is plenty to visit. You can easily spend a week by just
visiting those Penang heritage buildings.
Cheah Si Sek Tek Tong
It may be clear George Town has plenty of heritage to visit. The Armenian
quarter is a good start. The old Armenian quarter is probably the most
visited of Penang. The Penang Heritage Trust, PHT, has set out a trail to
follow the most interesting buildings to see. You can get a description of
the routes with the Tourist Information Center, the Penang Heritage Center
and of course in the Penang Heritage Trust.
It would be impossible to tell you about all the heritage buildings on
this page. Therefore we decided to give you a few good examples showing the
beauty of the Penang Heritage. The choice on this page is, of course,
personal.
Armenian Quarter
While visiting the Khoo Kongsi temple, you will wander through the small
streets of one of the oldest parts of George Town Penang: the Armenian
Quarter. Here is the area where the earliest of Penang's settlers lived,
worshipped and worked. The Acheen Street mosque is the Armenian Quarter's
landmark, build in the early 19th century.
There are several Chinese temples like the Yap temple, the Hock Teik
Cheng Sin Temple and around the corner the Khoo Kongsi.
At the central square in the Armenian quarter the father of modern
Malaysia Sun Yat-Sen had his Penang base. The Khoo family moved in this
house. Khoo says, it is to encourage more people to move into George Town's
historic buildings.
The graceful Acheen Street mosque, built at the beginning of the 19th
century by a wealthy pepper magnate from North Sumatra, is the oldest mosque
on the island to survive in its original form.
Khoo Kongsi
Khoo Kongsi temple, Canon Square Penang, part of the Penang Heritage
trail
The Khoo Kongsi is a one of the major Chinese clanhouses, build in 1906.
The Khoo's arrived in the 17th century and settled themselves in Penang
where they build several houses and temples of which the Khoo Kongsi the
most important is. It is the biggest and most mahestic clan temple in
Malaysia and thus not for nothing included in the Penang heritage.
Inside the temple you will find many name tablets of clan members on the
altars. The temple includes an association building, a traditional theatre
and the late 19th century rowhouses for clan members. In front of the temple
is granite-paved square.
You will find this beautiful piece of the Penang heritage in the heart of
George Town in Canon Square. The temple is a must visit for anyone who is
interested in the Penang history and Penang heritage.
PHC, Penang Heritage Center
The Penang Heritage Center is located at Carnavon Street. It is a
terrific example of early Straits architecture. The house was build by Syed
Alatas, a Muslim trader in the 19th century. The house houses now the PHC
and is therefore easy to visit. It is beautifully restored. Going inside
will give you an idea of the grandeur of the early years of Penang. The
purpose of the PHC, Penang Heritage Center is to preserve Penang's
historical heritage.
The Penang Heritage Center, Carnavon Street, at the corner of the Armenian
Quarter
PHT, Penang Heritage Trust
Contrary to the PHC, the Penang Heritage Trust is a non government
organization. The PHT says: "We are a
membership-based non-government organization open to all, taking on the
challenge to preserve the heritage of Penang for future generations, and to
re-establish a cultural vibrancy for diverse communities. We welcome you to
get to know our activities and hope our efforts will generate greater
awareness and appreciation of Penang heritage."
Contrary to many other Asian cities, there is still a lot of cultural
heritage left and although much should be included for restoration, there is
much done too due to both PHC and PHT.
With Penang now on the list of world heritage list, there's a good future
for preserving Penang's beauty in cultural differences. The unique mix of
Malay, Chinese and English architecture should not be lost and fortunately
with inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List this will not happen.
Stay in a heritage building
There are a few heritage hotels in Penang. The most famous is probably
the Eastern & Oriental Hotel Penang or E&O. A few years ago this
magnificent hotel was restored to it's former glory. Even if you don't have
the budget to stay here, just have a coffee in the restaurant and breath the
atmosphere of the lost colonial days.
The Lone Pine hotel is located at Batu Ferringhi. It's the oldest hotel
in Penang, build in 1948 and it's one of the hotels on the Penang Heritage
list. The hotel is a unique place to stay where you can go back in the days
of the British Empire and breath the colonial atmosphere.
If there is one hotel In Penang where you can breath the days of the
rich Chinese in Penang, it's the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion Penang. This
magnificent mansion is worth a visit alone.
Here you can go back in time and find the lost high class Chinese world
of the 19th Century. Again, it's not cheap, but it's such a beautiful place.
I recommend the same for the Cheong Fatt as I did for the E&O: if you don't
have the budget to stay here, at least give it a visit.
The Nine Emperor Gods festival is a festival
celebrated in many countries including Malaysia. I was guest of Mr.
Chandra and Mrs. Pearly and together we visited the festival in Penang
and Butterworth.
