PENANG - Malaysia Heritage List 
Cultural sites on tentative World Heritage List: Historic Sites of Penang 
Natural sites on World Heritage List: Mount Kinabalu National Park, Mount Mulu National Park
Old map of Southeast Asia

 

Penang: Culture of Tolerance, Peace, Diversity, 

Conflict and Continuity 

Summary  

Penang, or Pulau Pinang (the original Malay word means the Beetle /Areca- Nut Island) is situated in the north-west coast of the Malaysian peninsula at the point where the Andaman Sea seems to be exiting and entering into the busy Straits of Melaka which separates the island from the state of Kedah on the mainland and the huge island of Sumatra in its southwest.  The greater parts of the island are hilly and rise to points over 2,000 feet high.  The lush green tropical forests that cover the island have natural vegetation that vary in composition and structure depending on the elevation of the land above sea level.  Temperatures are often humid but cool and fresh after torrential rains especially during the monsoon seasons.  The waterfronts may be covered with mangrove forests or mud especially in estuaries of the main rivers, but also have beaches that are deep enough for small and medium ships to anchor.  The north-eastern triangular part of the island which formed a spit or tanjong in the local language, was deemed to be the most strategic. When the British took over the island from the sultan of Kedah in 1786, this area was named George Town (Georgetown) after the reigning British monarch, King George III, while the Malays had popularly called it Tanjong Penaga ( Penaga spit).  It was from this area that the modern development of Penang began to emanate.
 
 
        
        Old map of George Town         
 
 
             

 

 

 

Old map of Peninsular Malaysia

Penang has developed into a multicultural port city par excellence.  The built environment and the living cultures are testimony of more than two hundred years of history.  They are there to be appreciated and enjoyed, especially in George Town which is only about 145 ha.  Within this ‘kaleidoscope of many things and many people’ one can hear the call of the Muazzin from the Masjid Kapitan Kling, or the ringing of bells from the Mahamariamman Temple, or smell the incense of joss sticks from the Khoo Kongsi.  Simultaneously one can enjoy asam laksa near Pak Kan Lai (inside the market), the teh tarik  at the Kalai Kadai (Prangin Road Market), or nasi kandar  near Rumah Tinggi.  These are some of the landmarks that can be reached easily within minutes of walking, or a ride on the ingenuous maneuvering of a trishaw cyclist, or the comfort of an air-conditioned vehicle. The vibrant multicultural society of Penang upholds the greatest universal values of peace, tolerance, and continuity. The alchemy has worked and, “Now we invite the world, To see this tapestry”.

 

 

 

Q&A (texts): Prepared by AR&T Heritage Consultancy S/B, 9 April 2001
Website design: Prepared by Dr Ahmad Sanusi Hassan, Univ. Sains Malaysia, 18 June 2001
QUESTION
 
Proposed WHL sites:
Q1: What is  UNESCO’S World Heritage Lists (WHL)? 
Q2: What does it mean to be inscribed on the World Heritage Lists? 
Q4: When did Penang and Melaka decide to submit a joint nomination for World Heritage Listing?
Q5:What is the area in Penang which is being nominated and on what criteria?
Q6: What is the nomination process, how is the decision made and when will we know?
Q7: What does World Heritage Listing mean for the people of Penang?
Q8:Are there economic or other returns?
Q9:What implications are there to ownership and control?
Q10:Can new developments be allowed within the World Heritage site?
Q12:What does the nomination process involve?