Penang heritage trails

Wander through the old streets in the heart of Penang and find real treasures

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

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

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.

Lone Pine Hotel at Batu Ferringhi

The Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion Penang is another excellent option to stay, and so is the Eastern & Oriental Hotel Penang or E&O. Here is more about these two hotels in Georgetown.

See also George Towns Gurney Drive

More about the celebrations of George Town now part of UNESCO World Heritage

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