Alor Setar
The Capital Of Malaysia'S Rice Bowl, Seat Of The Oldest Sultanate On The Peninsula, And The Town That Produced Two Prime Ministers · Alor Setar, Kedah
KEDAH IS THE RICE BOWL OF MALAYSIA AND ALOR SETAR SITS IN THE MIDDLE OF IT, with paddy running flat to the horizon in every direction and GUNUNG JERAI standing alone out of it. THE KEDAH SULTANATE IS THE OLDEST CONTINUOUS MONARCHY ON THE PENINSULA, and the ROYAL SQUARE holds the evidence: the BALAI BESAR audience hall, the BALAI NOBAT tower that houses the royal orchestra whose instruments are played only for the sultanate, and the ZAHIR MOSQUE, which is genuinely one of the finest buildings in the country. THE TOWN ALSO PRODUCED TWO PRIME MINISTERS - TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN, who led the country to independence, and MAHATHIR MOHAMAD, whose childhood house is a small museum you can walk into. THE PADDY MUSEUM outside town has a revolving gallery under a painted panorama. Very few foreign visitors stop. Kedah's weekend is Friday and Saturday, which closes several museums and catches everyone out, and the paddy at dawn is the best hour in the whole district.
Alor Setar, Kedah, Alor Setar, Kedah, Malaysia
ALOR SETAR IS ON THE MAIN NORTH-SOUTH RAIL LINE and has an airport; it is about forty minutes from the LANGKAWI FERRY at KUALA KEDAH and an hour and a half from PENANG. THE ROYAL SQUARE BUILDINGS - Balai Besar, Balai Nobat and the museums around them - keep daytime hours with small fees, and SEVERAL CLOSE ON FRIDAYS, because KEDAH'S WEEKEND IS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY like Kelantan's and Johor's. THE ZAHIR MOSQUE welcomes visitors OUTSIDE PRAYER TIMES with modest dress; Friday midday is prayers. THE PADDY MUSEUM is a short drive out with its own hours and fee. MAHATHIR'S BIRTHPLACE is a small house museum in town. IT IS FLAT, HOT AND OFTEN FLOODED in heavy rain. Mornings are best.