AMERICAN EXPRESS - PENANG HERITAGE TRAIL

1 Fort Cornwallis Goddess of Mercy Temple Lebuh Acheh

You can walk along the church wall down Jalan Masjid Kapitan From here you can turn right onto Lebuh Acheh. In the late 18th
Welcome to the American Express- Keling, formerly Pitt Street. This street which is sometimes called
Penang Heritage Trail. Fort Cornwallis and 19th centuries, this was the street of Sumatran and Malay
the "Street of Harmony" was reserved for the places of worship traders. The Arab and Achehnese pepper merchants of North
stands at the very tip of the cape of important to Penang's multicultural community. Proceeding
George Town. Today, it is a privately- Sumatra, such as Syed Mohamed Alatas, were the leaders of this
beyond the church, you will see a Chinese temple on your right. community. In the old days when the Muslim pilgrimage was
managed cultural venue which can be The Goddess of Mercy Temple was founded around 1800 and
visited for a small admission fee. The more often made by ship rather than by airplane, this street was
features a sweeping roof with ornately decorated copings and the centre of Haj activities.
ramparts overlook the harbour in the North Channel and the port ridges. Today, it is a very popular temple, visited by young and
activities which extend along the eastern waterfront. At the Pilgrims came from North Sumatra, South Thailand and the
old alike offering sandalwood incense. Chinese opera or puppet Northern Peninsula to make their travel arrangements and embark
northwestern point of the fort is a Dutch cannon from 1603, theatre is performed in the granite-paved forecourt on the Goddess
called the Seri Rambai. Local women place flowers on the barrel on the Haj. In this area, bustling with travel agencies, shops,
of Mercy's feast days, which are celebrated three times a year. restaurants and lodging-houses, the pilgrims mingled, shopped
in supplication for improved fertility. In 2000, the fort was restored
and part of the moat was reinstated. and attended religious gatherings while awaiting the ships that
Little India would take them to Mecca. Today, there are still some shops in
Proceed along Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling, past the flower-sellers' front of the mosque selling Islamic books and prayer accessories.
State Assembly Buildings stalls, and then cross the road toward Lebuh Pasar, formerly Market
Along the southern side of the field or Padang, are the State Street. This is the part of George Town commonly known as Little
Assembly buildings along Lebuh Light. This handsome ensemble India, as there are a number of South Indian stores and eating
of buildings, with Greek porticos date from the mid-19th century, places here. You may want to browse and shop for sarees, garlands, 9 Malay Mosque, Acheen Street
formerly served as the Police Courts. From the Fort, you can walk spices, trinkets, sculptures or Indian music. The octagonal minaret marks the entrance to
along the Esplanade towards the City Hall which is just across the Acheen Street Mosque, founded in 1808 by
the Padang. The Esplanade is popular among locals for evening Mahamariamman Temple a wealthy Arab merchant prince from the
strolls. At the City Hall end there is a seaside hawker centre. Acehnese royal family. The mosque is located
Turn right to Lebuh Queen until you come to the Mahamariamman
Temple. This is the oldest Hindu temple in town, dating to 1833, in the middle of a large compound, surrounded
with a magnificently sculptured entrance gate. by detached houses which are rare survivors
2 City Hall At the end of Lebuh Queen is the Penang Teochew Association, of the mid-19th century village. You can walk
a 19th century South Chinese district association temple. Note clockwise around the mosque, passing the
The majestic City Hall is the jewel in the granite beams and the beautifully gilded paintings of door gods cemetery where the mosque founder, Tengku
the Municipal Council's crown. The at the facade. From Lebuh Queen, turn right along Lebuh Chulia Syed Hussain, is buried.
Council Chamber, where the 24 until you come to the traffic lights, where you should turn left on
Municipal Councillors regularly to Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling. Here you will find many Indian
convene, is located on the ground floor. Muslim money-changers and jewellers. The four-storey landmark
The small monument you see on the at the junction of Lebuh Chulia and Jalan Masjid Kapitan 10 Khoo Kongsi
Esplanade is the Cenotaph, a memorial to victims of World War I. Keling is a Chinese medical hall known as Eu Yan Sang. Coming out of the mosque compound,
walk straight ahead onto Lebuh Cannon.
Kapitan Keling Mosque This street is supposedly named after
3 Town Hall Cross the road to visit the Kapitan Keling Mosque, a monumental a hole in the ground made by cannon
mosque crowned by yellow domes. This is the largest historic balls fired into the area during the
The Town Hall, like the City Hall, has a balcony mosque in town, founded before 1800. Originally a rectangular Penang Riots of 1867. These were the
that overlooks the Padang. In olden days, the building with verandahs and a hipped roof, the mosque has been secret society wars, fought between local groups, which the British
elite used to gather on the balconies of the enlarged several times. British architects commissioned by the tried to suppress. The Straits Chinese from the surrounding clan
Municipal Council buildings to view the Muslim and Hindu Endowments Board gave the mosque its British associations together with the Acheen Street Mosque community
processions and games held below. The exquisite Moghul Revival appearance in 1916. The elegant minaret dates formed an alliance against later Chinese immigrants and the Rope
19th century fountain next to the Town Hall from this time. Walk Mosque community.
is one of Penang's many Victorian memorials. Walk in a counter-clockwise direction around the mosque, past On your left, you will see a row of Straits ecletic-style terrace
Koh Seang Tat, who donated the fountain, lived the ablution area, the former mosque official’s quarters behind the houses from the late 1930s, faced with Shanghai plaster. On your
behind the Town Hall in a grand mansion which mosque and exit near the old well onto Penang's own Buckingham right are a plainer row of shophouses from the late 19th century.
once stood at the site of the present Dewan Sri Pinang. He Street. Turn left onto Lebuh Buckingham and you will come back Enter the porte cochere in the middle of the row to visit Penang's
entertained the Duke of Edinburgh in 1869, and thereafter his to Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling. Proceed south to Lebuh Armenian. most famous historic monument, the Khoo Kongsi at Medan
residence was called Edinburgh House and the road leading to Cannon. You will walk through a charming street flanked by rows
it was named Duke Road. From the fountain, follow the broad of mid-19th century shophouses. Turn right and you will see the
grey sidewalk, keeping to the right side of Lebuh Light. recently renovated Khoo Kongsi office building before you come
6 Yap Kongsi Temple to the majestic Khoo Kongsi, a gloriously ornate late Ch'ng dynasty
temple, and the theatre building. Both were recently restored.
As you approach Lebuh Armenian, you The Khoo Kongsi is a clan association of the Leong San Tong
4 Court Buildings will see the Acheen Street Mosque (Dragon Mountain Hall) clan, whose forefathers come from Sin
minaret straight ahead in the distance, Kang clan village in Hokkien province. The Khoos were among
The Court Buildngs today house the the Yap Kongsi temple on the right, and
High Courts. Logan's Monument is the wealthy Straits Chinese traders of 17th century Malacca and
on the left, a corner coffeeshop, with early Penang. In the 19th century, the clan complex resembled
located in the grounds. The dedication the entrance to the Tua Pek Kong
proclaims Logan, who died in 1869, as a miniature clan village, with its own self-government as well as
Temple next to it. The Tua Pek Kong Temple, dedicated to the educational, financial, welfare and social organisations. The clan
"an erudite and skillful lawyer, an Chinese God of Prosperity, was formerly the base of the Straits
eminent scientific ethnologist" who has temple was built in 1906 when the Khoo clan was at the height
Chinese secret society called the Tua Pek Kong Society. of its wealth and eminence in Penang society.
"founded literature for these settlements". Apart from being a
fearless advocate, the prolific intellectual was also the editor of
the Pinang Gazette and founder of the Journal of the Indian
Archipelago and Eastern Asia in 27 volumes, also called Logan's 7 Dr Sun Yat Sen’s Penang Base 11 Cheah Kongsi
Journals.
Follow the graceful curve of Lebuh Armenian.
Like the Khoo Kongsi and the Acheen Street
The low and rickety shophouses on your right
Convent Light Street Mosque, the Cheah Kongsi is located in a large
survive from the early 19th century, when this
compound accessible only through a narrow
At the end of the road is the Convent Light St, or Convent of the area was a village composed mainly of Malays
entrance. Coming through the gateway, you
Holy Infant Jesus, a girls’ school established by a French Sisters' and Sumatrans. In the mid-19th century, the
will find a little surprise - a splendid double-
Mission in 1852. Within the walled complex is one of the oldest Straits Chinese moved into the area and built
storey Chinese temple with an open balcony
buildings in George Town, the bungalow of Francis Light which residential shophouses which were of a fine
and sweeping roof, decorated with British
dates back to around 1793. As the seat of the Penang Government standard for their time. You will come to a blue
lionheads, standing on the edge of a small
in the early 19th century, it was called the "Government House". shophouse on your right, No. 120 Lebuh
but well-kept lawn. Straight ahead is the
Stamford Raffles, founder of Singapore, worked here from 1805 Armenian, which dates from the 1870s. The first owner was a
association's office building, with a charming heritage interior.
to 1810 as Deputy Secretary to the Governor of Penang. The Straits Chinese named Cheah Joo Seang, a trustee of the Cheah
You can ask for permission to enter the office building and the
Convent which took over the site then added a chapel, cloisters Kongsi. The shophouse has kept its original historic interior, with
temple during office hours.
for the Sisters, an orphanage, a boarding house for student boarders carved timber screens and air wells.
and many classrooms. Today, it is the most important inner city From 1909-1911, it was the base of Dr. Sun Yat Sen, leader of
school in Penang and the oldest school complex in the country, the historic Chinese Revolution, and the headquarters of the Next steps
having remained on this site for almost one and a half centuries. Southeast Asian branch of the Tung Meng Hooi. The local Chinese Emerging from the Cheah Kongsi, you have several options. You
Follow the wall of the Convent around the corner to Lebuh of that time supported Dr. Sun Yat Sen in the great movement can head back to Fort Cornwallis, catch a bus from the Lebuh
Farquhar and cross the road at the overhead pedestrian bridge. against the Manchu government and the foreign imperialists in Victoria bus station or you can proceed to the clan jetties at Gat
China. In 1911, China became the first republic in Asia and Lebuh Armenian.
Dr. Sun Yat Sen became its first provisional president.

5 State Museum OPTION 1

To head back, you can turn left onto Lebuh Armenian and then
As you walk around the Court 8 Syed Alatas Mansion left again onto Lebuh Pantai. If you continue north to the end of
Buildings, you will see a building with
Proceed towards the junction of Lebuh Armenian Lebuh Pantai, you will see the Fort Cornwallis at the end of the
twin towers - this is the Cathedral of
and Lebuh Acheh. On your left is a children's street.
the Assumption built in 1860. Your
next stop is the State Museum, which playground. On your right is a lovely double-
grants admission for RM1. The storey bungalow set in a walled compound. This OPTION 2
Museum only occupies half a building, as the eastern half was is the Syed Alatas Mansion, recently restored
destroyed in World War II bombing. The statue of Francis Light in a government-funded pilot demonstration To get to the bus station, you can turn left onto Lebuh Armenian,
which stands in front of the Museum was modelled after a portrait project undertaken with French technical turn left onto Lebuh Pantai, turn right onto Lebuh Chulia and
of his son, William Light, founder of Adelaide. The Penang Heritage assistance in 1993. Before restoration, the then turn left again onto Lebuh Victoria until you come to the
Trust Museum shop operates from a former Penang Hill Railway bungalow was occupied by Indian Chettiar scrap bus station. On the way you will pass the Beach Street Fire
Carriage. dealers and was used as a collection yard. Station and the Yeoh Kongsi, another Straits Chinese clan
Syed Mohamed Alatas was a wealthy Achehnese merchant of association, at the junction of Lebuh Chulia and Lebuh Victoria.
Arab descent who traded between Penang and Aceh. After the
St. George’s Church Dutch laid siege on Aceh in the early 1870s, he was instrumental OPTION 3
The St. George's Church dating from 1818 stands at the corner in smuggling arms to the Achehnese resistance. Syed Mohamed
of Lebuh Farquhar and Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling. The edifice Alatas resided here with his first wife, a Malay of royal descent. To make a detour to the clan jetties, just continue east along
was designed by Captain Robert Smith, a military engineer whose His second wife was the daughter of Khoo Tiang Poh, a leading Lebuh Armenian and Gat Lebuh Armenian until you reach Weld
oil paintings of early Penang are displayed in the Museum. This Straits Chinese pepper merchant, shipping tycoon and a leader of Quay along the waterfront. Then cross the road and you will
is the oldest Anglican church in the country, modelled after a the Khoo clan. come to the Chew Jetty.
large church in Madras. In front of the church is a handsome This is a clan jetty, a village built on stilts over the sea and
memorial to Francis Light, who died on October 21, 1794. The populated by members of the same clan. Altogether there are six
Church maintains much of its original setting. clan jetties along Weld Quay. Of these, the Chew Jetty is the most
attractive, with a large community of petty traders, fishermen,
stevedores and their families. Their homes are the attap-roofed
timber houses on stilts built over the water, their streets are the
wooden plank walkways and jetties.
 Exploring
The Streets of
George Town

LEBU
LEBUH B
PENANG

H FA
HERITAGE
TRUST

RQ
UCKIN

UHA
LORONG STEW
GHA

R
1 Fort Cornwallis

KAM

M
2 City Hall LEB

PON
UH
AC BUH

AR

ART
GK
H
HE

MEN
3 Town Hall

OL
LE

AM
IAN
4 Court Buildings
LEBU
CANNH
5 State Museum ON JALAN MASJID
KAPITAN KELING

6 Yap Kongsi
LEBUH QUEEN

7 Dr Sun Yat Sen’s

Penang Base

LEBUH BISHOP
HULIA
8 Syed Alatas

LEBUH LIGHT
LEBUH C
Mansion
N

LEBUH GEREJA
NIA

PASAR

LEBUH CHINA
9 Acheen St Malay
ME

Mosque
AR

LEBUH
UH
EB

10 Khoo Kongsi
TL

SHEH BARAKBAH
GA

JALAN TUN SYED

11 Cheah Kongsi
LEBU
H PA
NTAI
 You will find Penang a joy to get to know. The city is full of little
Introduction surprises. Daily life spills out onto the five-footways and into the
streets. The local people are friendly and English is widely spoken.
Penang, Pulau Pinang, Isle of the Betel-Nut, Pearl of the Orient. Its
The historic communities in the city still keep alive their dialects,
capital city, George Town, has an extensive heritage environment of
occupations, religious traditions and street festivals. For over 200
shophouses and villas. Its special attraction is that it has retained its PULAU PINANG
years, the influences of various ethnic groups have intermingled and
historic communities and living traditions.
this has resulted in its beautifully eclectic architecture, a colourful and
The historic core of George Town can be surveyed on foot or by
varied lifestyle, and last but not least, the hybrid street foods that make
trishaw. Such leisurely exploration is the best way to appreciate the
Penang world famous as a hawker's paradise.
old world charm of the old shops and coffeeshops. The cultural
diversity of the place is expressed in the minute details of architecture
and lifestyle, which normally escape those who only see the city from
the tour bus.
While Fort Cornwallis and the religious monuments along Jalan Food And Shopping
Masjid Kapitan Keling are included in most packaged city tours,
highlighted on this walkabout trail are several other interesting locations, Penang offers a wide range of shopping possibilities. The area in the
especially those in the Lebuh Armenian and Lebuh Acheh area, that vicinity of the Heritage Trail is a good place to begin. Most of the
give you further insight into the multicultural history of Penang. antique and curio shops are found along Jalan Penang (near
The American Express - Penang Heritage Trail will take one and the E & O Hotel), Lebuh Chulia, Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling and
a half hours for a leisurely stroll, or up to three hours if you investigate Lebuh Bishop. Along Lebuh Chulia you will find craft shops making
each cultural attraction along the way. timber slats and rattan furniture, as well as budget hotels, internet
cafes, pubs, ethnic clothing and souvenir shops catering for backpacker
tourists. Along Campbell Street are traditional Chinese medicine shops,
as well as shops selling bags, shoes, leather goods and clothing.
If you are looking for something special, you could select specially-
200 Years of Multicultural History mixed perfumes from Badjenid & Sons, at the junction of Lebuh Chulia
and Lebuh Pantai. The shop is run by three generations of Yemenite
Penang was part of the sultanate of Kedah until Captain Francis Light
traders. Along Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling are Indian Muslim jewellery
established the British trading post for the East India Company on
shops and money-changers.
the island. Light first landed at the site of Fort Cornwallis to take
The old quarter of Penang is famous for its Indian Muslim
possession of the island in 1786. He supposedly encouraged the
food - you will find lunch time spots at Lebuh Union and Lebuh Bishop.
local inhabitants to clear the ironwood trees by firing coins out of the
There are several hawkers' centres which offer a variety of ethnic
cannon into the forested swamp.
foods. There are two which mainly feature Malay food - the hawker
It was Light who laid the grid of the commercial town, bounded
centre next to Fort Cornwallis caters to the lunch crowd while the one
by Light Street (now Lebuh Light), Beach Street (Lebuh Pantai), Pitt
by the Esplanade is most popular in the late afternoon and evening.
Street (Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling) and Chulia Street (Lebuh Chulia).
Along Lebuh Pasar (Market Street) you will find many Indian foodstalls
Beach Street then ran along the beach and Pitt Street was reserved
especially busy in the morning and at night. Vegetarians can opt for
for places of worship.
Indian or Chinese vegetarian food. For Chinese food, try some of the
A handful of military and civilian Europeans settled along Light
coffeshops along Lebuh Union, Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling, Lebuh
Exploring
Street. The Eurasians from Kuala Kedah and Phuket settled along
Pantai or Lebuh China. 100 Cintra Street and The Garage both have
Bishop Street (Lebuh Bishop) and Church Street (Lebuh Gereja).
a collection of attractive shops housed in refurbished heritage premises.
The Straits Chinese traders from Kedah and Malacca settled along
China Street (Lebuh China). The various ethnic groups mingled at
Market Street (Lebuh Pasar). The early Indian traders, of whom the
majority were Tamil Muslims, settled along Chulia Street.
By the early 1800s, the town was extended by two more
streets - Armenian Street for the Armenians and Acheen Street for
the local community comprising Achehnese, other Sumatrans and
Malays. Each ethnic group was allotted its own street with a section The Streets of
of the waterfront along Beach Street. However, Penang was established
without the formal segregation that characterised the foundation of
other colonial towns like Singapore, Hong Kong or Yokohama.
Traders and settlers came from Europe, the Arab world, India
and China to the port of Penang. They also came from other parts SPONSORED BY AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
of the Indonesian archipelago, Thailand and Burma. For almost all For more information please contact:
of the first hundred years of Penang's history, the most important
items of regional trade were pepper from the Achehnese ports, spices American Express (M) Sdn Bhd
such as clove and nutmeg from the local plantations, and textiles from Menara Weld, Tingkat 18, Jalan Raja Chulan,
India. Tin gained importance in the mid-19th century and then rubber. 50200 Kuala Lumpur
Penang enjoyed great fame as a tourist destination. The former or
British Straits Settlement was known to have the most delicious food, Penang Heritage Trust
the poshest residences, the best schools and sporting grounds, and
the most pleasant recreational spots in the region.
Tel/Fax: 04-2642631
26A, Lorong Stewart, 10200 Penang.
Email: [email protected]
George Town
Website: http://www.pht.org.my