Other sights in Georgetown
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A
Tua Pek Kong
The name is ostensibly Tua Pek Kong, but this recently renovated structure, resplendent in red and gold and with polished black columns, has quite a few more aliases: Hock Teik Cheng Sin, Poh Hock Seah, Hokkien Kongsi and Tong Kheng Seah, among others. What’s with all the names? Well, besides serving as a temple and assembly hall, this building has also been the registered headquarters of several secret societies (Aside: secret societies register their headquarters? Really? With who?). Each society occupied a different portion of the temple, which became a focal point during the 1867 riots/war between societies. The fighting got so intense a secret passage was built betwe…
reviewed
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Temple of the Reclining Buddha
The Temple of the Reclining Buddha is a typically Thai temple with its sharp-eaved roofs and ceiling accents; inside it houses a 33m-long reclining Buddha draped in a gold-leafed saffron robe. The icon represents the Buddha’s attainment of nirvana and peaceful passage from this existence, although the claim that it’s the third-longest reclining Buddha in the world is dubious. The symbols on the Buddha’s feet represent the marks of a true Buddha (a title that means ‘enlightened one’ as opposed to a name). Also note the entrance and exit; the former is set off by a Naga, a Southeast Asian water dragon, while the latter is marked by a Chinese dragon, the East Asian equivalen…
reviewed
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B
Lebuh Armenia
Although this street is named for Penang's Armenian population (such as the famous Sarkies who established the Eastern & Oriental Hotel), there's no evidence that any Armenians actually ever lived here. In the early 1800s the street was known as Malay Lane from a kampung settlement here, and later the Chinese named it pak thang-ah kay (copper worker's street) because this is where brass- and copperwares were sold.
It later became a centre for Chinese secret societies and was one of the main fighting stages of the 1867 Penang riots.
reviewed
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C
Acheen Street Mosque
If you’re entranced by the call to prayer wafting over the short walk from Khoo Kongsi, the Malay Acheen Street Mosque is unusual for its Egyptian-style minaret (most Malay mosques have Moorish minarets). Built in 1808 by a wealthy Arab trader, the mosque was the focal point for the Malay and Arab traders in this quarter – the oldest Malay kampung (village) in Georgetown. Only Muslims can enter the mosque.
reviewed
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D
Penang Gelugpa Buddhist Association
This small Buddhist Temple, next to Loo Pun Hong, isn’t particularly impressive compared to Penang’s other religious buildings. But it is unique for being the major representative structure of the Gelugpa (Yellow Hat) school of Buddhism. The Yellow Hats are a Tibetan order, and as such there are some beautiful Tibetan wall hangings in this temple that you’d be hard-pressed to find outside of a museum.
reviewed
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E
Masjid Kapitan Keling
Penang’s first Indian Muslim settlers (East India Company troops) built Masjid Kapitan Keling in 1801 at the junction of Lebuh Buckingham and Lebuh Pitt. The mosque’s domes are yellow, in a typically Indian-influenced Islamic style, and it has a single minaret. It looks sublime at sunset. Mosque officials can grant permission to enter.
reviewed
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F
Dr Sun Yat Sen’s Penang Base
This well-preserved 19th-century townhouse was where the founder of modern China, Dr Sun Yat Sen, organised the Penang Conference and planned the Canton Uprising, which established the Republic of China in 1911. The ground floor, with original tiled floors, furniture and Nonya-style kitchen, is open to visitors by advance reservation.
reviewed
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G
Dr Sun Yat Sen’s Penang Base
This well-preserved 19th-century townhouse was where the founder of modern China, Dr Sun Yat Sen, organised the Penang Conference and planned the Canton Uprising, which established the Republic of China in 1911. The ground floor, with original tiled floors, furniture and Nonya-style kitchen, is open to visitors by advance reservation.
reviewed
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H
Acheen Street Mosque
If you’re entranced by the call to prayer wafting over the short walk from Khoo Kongsi, the Malay Acheen Street Mosque is unusual for its Egyptian-style minaret (most Malay mosques have Moorish minarets). Built in 1808 by a wealthy Arab trader, the mosque was the focal point for the Malay and Arab traders in this quarter – the oldest Malay kampung (village) in Georgetown. Only Muslims can enter the mosque.
reviewed
-
I
Tua Pek Kong
The name is ostensibly Tua Pek Kong, but this recently renovated structure, resplendent in red and gold and with polished black columns, has quite a few more aliases: Hock Teik Cheng Sin, Poh Hock Seah, Hokkien Kongsi and Tong Kheng Seah, among others. What’s with all the names? Well, besides serving as a temple and assembly hall, this building has also been the registered headquarters of several secret societies (Aside: secret societies register their headquarters? Really? With who?). Each society occupied a different portion of the temple, which became a focal point during the 1867 riots/war between societies. The fighting got so intense a secret passage was built betwe…
reviewed
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J
Penang Gelugpa Buddhist Association
This small Buddhist Temple, next to Loo Pun Hong, isn’t particularly impressive compared to Penang’s other religious buildings. But it is unique for being the major representative structure of the Gelugpa (Yellow Hat) school of Buddhism. The Yellow Hats are a Tibetan order, and as such there are some beautiful Tibetan wall hangings in this temple that you’d be hard-pressed to find outside of a museum.
reviewed
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K
Masjid Kapitan Keling
Penang’s first Indian Muslim settlers (East India Company troops) built Masjid Kapitan Keling in 1801 at the junction of Lebuh Buckingham and Lebuh Pitt. The mosque’s domes are yellow, in a typically Indian-influenced Islamic style, and it has a single minaret. It looks sublime at sunset. Mosque officials can grant permission to enter.
reviewed
