Ideal venue for your special day

As a state museum, it houses a large collection of Kedah’s historical, culture, and royal heritages. The collection includes early Chinese porcelain, artefacts from the archaeological excavations in Lembah Bujang (Bujang Valley) and a fabulous pokok bunga emas or ‘gold tree’ produced as a tribute to the Thais.

The museum is also a research centre on Kedah’s civilisation. Before the present premise was built in 1936, the museum – officially opened by the then Kedah Mentri Besar Tan Sri Tunku Ismail Tunku Yahya (Tunku indera Setia), on February 3, 1957 – was located in the Balai Besar (Grand Hall).

The border town of Bukit Kayu Hitam is located in the northern part of Kedah and is the main entrance to Thailand on the West Coast. Visitors will be able to find a duty-free complex here in the town. For those that love a bit of relaxation, Bukit Kayu Hitam offers a newly constructed golf course of international standard with 36 holes.

Lye Huat Garden, which is situated at Kubang Pasu, Kedah, is originated by Dato Lim Lye Huat BKM,JP. in year 2002. It was previously named as Lye Huat Stone Art gallery when it was first originated in year 1994. The exquisite scenery and elegant decoration make Lye Huat Garden so attractive that many people pay their visit here out of admiration for them. Besides deing fond of art, the owner of the garden, Dato Lim Lye Huat BKM,JP is also an enthusiast for natural ecology, especiallybirds, animals, flowers and plants. Initially, Lye Huat Garden is built only for personal interest. However, under the suggestions of his fellow friends, Lye Huat Garden is opened for public to visit.

Now, Lye Huat Garden is not merely a tourist landscape, there are also many competitions being held in this garden. For instance, in year 2002, there was a Nationwide Flower Horn fish, Bonsai and Suiseki Competition held in Lye Huat Garden, which was launched by Y.A.B Dato’ Seri Dr. Mahathir Bin Mohamad, Prime Minister of Malaysia. Later, in year 2004, in Lye Huat Garden also, there was an International Bonsai and Suiseki Competition launched by His Majesty Tuanku Sultan of Kedah.

Rumah Kelahiran Mahathir which provides an insight into the younger days of the fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia, from his school days to his success as a doctor.

He was born in Alor Star on Dec 20, 1925 at No 18 Lorong Kilang Ais, off Jalan Pegawai. His home has seen been designated a historical building and was restored by the National Archives in 1992.

When visiting this place, you will be able to view items from his chilhood to his schooldays to the time he became a doctor. There are photos, furniture and other household items. You can even take a look at his old bicycle

Located near Alor Star, this is a spot with terrain that is perhaps more rugged than the casual visitor might like, but it is just right for those in search of a little adventure and excitement.

The elephant-shaped Mount Keriang or Gunung Keriang (217.92 m) crops out in the middle of Kedah’s plain. It is an ancient limestone hill that belongs to Permian (about 250million years old) and Early Triassic conodonts (Metcalfe, I., 1981a) from Northwest Peninsular Malaysia. Gunung Keriang is the southern most of the Chuping Formation Limestone. It was believed that the regression of the sea level by 2-3m (Khoo, 1996) lifted Keriang is landing to what we called Gunung Keriang. Kamal et. al (assessed Mac09) classified at least 10 different rocks found in Gunung Keriang. This interesting diversity of rocks makes Gunung Keriang a unique geological natural heritage for further research and studies and ultimately be protected.

Kota Kuala Kedah at the mouth of the Kedah River is also known as Kota Kuala Bahang. Kota means fort and this was actually a fort that was built to ward off Kedah’s enemies who came from the sea. It was reportedly to have been built by stone masons especially brought in from India.

Today, it is a fishing village, known for the variety of seafood that is served by the numerous restaurants that have since carved their business at the old historic site.

Underwater World Langkawi is one of the largest marine and fresh water aquaria in South East Asia. Since the start of its operation on 26 August 1995, it has become one of the must visit tourist destinations in Langkawi and has attracted a large number of foreign as well as local tourists.

The concept and theme of Underwater World Langkawi are geared towards Knowledge, Education and Entertainment. It is built to raise awareness on the importance of conserving our precious aquatic life forms, thus creating understanding of the deep and inseparable bond between man and nature.

Unique to Underwater World Langkawi is the gigantic 15-meter long walk-through tunnel consisting of 500,000 liter seawater which houses many big fishes and sea creatures including the Giant Green Turtle.

This building houses the sacred instruments of the Royal orchestra, played only during royal ceremonies such as inaugurations, weddings and funerals. The instruments consist of three drums, a gong and a flute, peculiar to the haunting srains of “nobat” music.

Lembah Buiang, lying between Gunung Jerai in the north and Sungai Muda in the south, is regarded as Malaysia’s richest archaeological area.

The Bujang Valley Archaeological Museum in Pengkalan Bujang, Merbok houses numerous artificial stone caskets, gem stones, beads, etc. Fifty (50) candis or temples were found along Sungai Bujang and to date eight (8) of them have been restored to their original form using the same original materials,

At 1,200 m above level, Kedah Peak, as it was previously known, is a majestic limestone hill, covered by lush greenery offering spectacular views of the valley below of a vast expanse of relaxingly cool green padi fields. At the peak, you can find the forestry museum where many species of wood from gunung jerai forest are displayed. Perfect for jungle trekking, bird watching and camping.

From the historical viewpoint, Gunung Jerai plays an important part in the history of Kedah. Even before the Malacca Sultanate became famous, Indian and Arab merchants were already making a beeline for the Merbok estuary at the foothills. After travelling from the Bay of Bengal, the first glimpse of this strategically located mountain was a welcoming beacon to the sea farers. As a result, they traded and even settled down at the foothills.

Langkawi island is an archipelago of 104 islands lying in the north western coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The exact location of these tropical islands is at the site where the Straits of Malacca meets the waters of the Andaman Seas.

The largest of these islands is called Langkawi Island and is bigger than the Penang Island.The other islands in this group are Island of Pregnant Maiden (Pulau Dayang Bunting), Lion Island (Pulau Singa Besar) and Beras Basah Island.The smallest of these islands are atolls roughly the size of an ordinary house!

Langkawi is coined from the Malay words Lang and Kawi. Lang is a brown eagle and Kawi is a local manganese stone.The ancient fishermen must have seen eagles flying clutching the manganese stones! A giant monument of a brown eagle clutching the manganese stone greets all visitors to Langkawi near the Kuah Jetty.

The main tourist attractions of Langkawi Island is its virgin white sandy beaches.The beaches have very gentle continental slope and the water is crystal clear.

This island is unique in the sense that it has so many legends and myths associated with it. Langkawi Island is therefore also called Pulau Lagenda or Legendary Island.

The most talked about legend is that of Mahsuri who is said to have laid a curse on this island for seven generations.Luckily the period of this curse is over now and Langkawi Island is fast becoming an internationally recognized tourist destination.

The government of Malaysia has declared the entire Langkawi Island as a duty free zone. Hence this island is also termed Duty Free Island.All goods sold in this island are exempted from government tax.Therefore this Legendary Island is a haven for the shoppers.You only need to stay in Langkawi for a minimum of 48 hours to take back home a reasonable amount of tax free goods

The design was inspired by the vision of the late Sultan Muhammad Jiwa Zainal Abidin II. Masjid Zahir is located in central Alor Star, and is the official mosque for the state as well as the main mosque for the local Muslims.

Its main hall (prayer hall), measuring 3,844 sq ft, is surrounded by wide verandahs with four mezzanine areas, each topped by a dome. The main dome is situated in the north-east of the building. The five large domes symbolise the five Islamic principles.

Located in the heart of Alor Star, the 165.5 meters tall tower is the 19th tallest telecommunication tower in the world. It’s a prominent and modern landmark that signifies the rapid development in the state of Kedah.

Apart from serving the role of a telecommunication tower, it also caters as a tourist destination for the town. The tower also houses a restaurants and a souvenir shop. The tower is an observatory tower to look for the crescent moon to mark the beginning of Muslim months. The observation deck is at a height of 88 meters from the base of the structure.

It is the first paddy museum in Malaysia, and the fourth to be opened in the world after Japan, Germany and the Philippines.
The unique architecture of the Paddy Museum represents bushels of harvested rice stalks. Rice motifs are repeated throughout the building, on staircase banisters, the museum gates and the fence surrounding it.

The museum showcases the paddy cultivation process in Malaysia and displays all kinds of tools and equipment which have been used in the trade over the years. Through beautiful murals, the art work of 60 artists from North Korea, the history of paddy cultivation in Malaysia is revealed.

It honours the history, culture and significance of paddy farming in Kedah and is dedicated to the hardworking and simple paddy farmers, whose blood, sweat and toil have contributed to the objective of achieving self sufficiency in the rice industry.

The sprinkling of jade green islands that makes up Pulau Payar lies just 30km south-east of Langkawi. It’s just a 1-hour boat ride out to the best marine park on Malaysia’s West Coast, making it an ideal choice for a day outing.

This well-preserved, uninhabited marine park extends over a number of islands, with Pulau Payar being the largest. Your base out here is the floating platform moored off Pulau Payar. But the real attraction of this platform lies below sea level. Step into the underwater observation chamber to view the marine life surrounding a reef. Want to get even closer to the swirl of fishes that make these corals their home? Grab a mask, a snorkel and fins and join the spectacle!

Are you into scuba diving? The best diving is along the reef system that skirts the south, east and west of Pulau Payar. Please check with your dive operator what the visibility is like during that time. It can vary from time to time.

There is no accommodation in Pulau Payar as it is a marine park, but that’s not really an issue since Langkawi, with all its fine resorts and restaurants, is just a quick boat-ride away.

“Pekan Rabu” which literally means Wednesday Market which is located in the middle of Alor Setar is well known among the local population and tourists from outside Kedah. The business complex is not only the pride of Malay entreprenuers in Kedah but also the pride of all Malay’s in Kedah.

Moreover the fourth Malaysian Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir, once was a trader in Pekan Rabu. Most tourists visiting Alor Setar make it a point to shop around at the Pekan Rabu Complex.

The complex costing RM 3.2 millions and was built in 1975 and renovated in 1995 with cost RM 6.5 millions. Phase 2 complex was built in 1990 with cost RM 2 millions. Pekan Rabu complex has 347 stalls with a variety of business and it has become one of the important landmarks of Alor Setar.

Located towards the back of the Kota Setar Palace complex is the Balai Besar. Its initial purpose was as a Balai Rong Seri or Balai Penghadapan (audience hall). Built in 1735 by the 19th Sultan of Kedah, Sultan Muhammad Jiwa Zainal Adilin Muazzam Shah, this was a lovely building with wood pillars, roofs and flooring.

Unfortunately, the building was badly damaged in 1770 when the Bugis armada attacked the place, and ruined even further by the Siamese in 1821.

It was, however, refurbished in 1896 to prepare for the weddings of the reigning Sultan’s children. Besides weddings, the Balai Besar was also used for official ceremonies and other royal events.