Penang, Georgetown

             Panoramic view of Georgetown, Ayer Itam and Gelugor

Gee, where should I start? Maybe I start with the oldest part of the town where early merchants from India, China, Europe and Middle East settled down. Today, these merchants are no longer there but their legacy are remembered through street names, buildings and their decendants who still plying the same trade. There are many historically important buildings along Jalan Kapitan Keling, Lebuh canon and Jalan Armenian (Yes, there were Armenian settlers in Penang, I believe they move to Singapore later on)

Khoo Kongsi

The temple was built in 1884 by members of Khoo Clan which was formed by the migrant workers at that time. The original temple was a wooden bungalow. The temple was used as a site for ancestor worship and a meeting place to resolve conflict and to discuss matters related to members.

Today, the temple is maintained by board of trustee of Khoo Kongsi. The temple is now one of the tourist attractions in Penang. Do not forget to pick up a booklet which describe in details about the history and features of the temple.

Kapitan Keling Mosque

Before the Penang State Mosque at Ayer Itam was built, Kapitan Keling Mosque was the official state mosque. The word Kapitan which means Captain in English is believe to originate from Portugal. Keling means Indian in Hokkien. The word Keling was originated from a seaport city called Kelinga in South India. The Hokkien in Penang then refered Indian from that part of the world as Keling ( The Indian in Malaysia consider it as an insult if you address them as Keling). The mosque was built by an Indian Muslim merchant Caudeer Mohudeen in 1801. Since then it has gone through few renovations in 1910 and 1930. The most recent renovation was done in 2003. The mosque is used by the Indian-Muslim community living and work in that area. The are is famous for its' monay changing trades and Indian restaurant