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Kedah .
Penang .
Perak .
Selangor .
Melaka .
Kelantan .
Terengganu .
Sarawak .
Kuala Lumpur .
Others |
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MALAYSIA |
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MY
KEDAH |
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Kedah Darul Aman, Malaysia |
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myMalaysiabooks brings you Kedah Darul Aman (Kedah,
Abode of Peace), our home state. Learn about My Kedah from a Kedahan.
A warm welcome to KEDAH -
2008 is Visit
Kedah Year!!
Discover the ancient wonders of Malaysia in Kedah
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Clock Tower, SP |
Langkawi |
Welcome to the Rice Bowl of Malaysia
Kedah Darul Aman mean Kedah, Abode of Peace.
True to her name, Kedah is a land of peace and tranquillity. Discover nature's
paradise in this state - from the spectacular beauty of the Langkawi
islands, white sandy beaches to green forest parks and virgin rainforest
on highlands. A great relaxing vacation destination for nature
lovers and the family.
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The Visit Kedah Year 2008 is held in conjunction with the
golden jubilee celebrations of the reign of the Sultan of Kedah,
Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah. A total of 70 events, including 29
to be hosted in Langkawi, have been planned to help the state
achieve its target of 3.88 million tourists next year.
Among the national and international events that will be held in
Kedah in 2008 are:
-Royal International Langkawi Regatta (5 – 11 January)
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Kedah Hot Air Balloon (18 – 23 March)
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The Launch of National Water Festival 2008 (4 – 6 April),
Langkawi
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International Jet Ski Competition (9 – 10 May)
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Islanders Music & Dance Festival Langkawi 2008 (30 May – 1 June)
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Kedah International Media Hunt (29 – 30 June)
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International Tomoi Competition (13 – 16 August)
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Jerai International Mountainbike Challenge (7 – 9 November)
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International Kedah Golf Border Challenge (29 – 30 November)
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Area and Location of Kedah
Land area - 9,426 sq. kilometres with over 100 islands.
Shares a border
with the states of Perlis, Penang (Pulau Pinang) and Perak and its northern and north-eastern boundary is the Malaysia-Thai border.
11 administrative districts with it own district centres in Kedah.
Alor Star
/Alor
Setar is the state capital with a population of about 250,000.
Free map of Kedah and Malaysia |
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Travel to Kedah Darul Aman (or simply Kedah), a land rich in history and natural beauty. It is an excellent destination
for nature lovers, the eco-tourists and history enthusiasts.
Kedah is located in the northern part of peninsular Malaysia and is
often referred to as the ‘Rice Bowl of Malaysia’. As you travel round Kedah, you will see stretches of paddy fields
(padi in Malay) and lush green rainforests on highland. Virtually two third of the state is still
forested with some opened to the public as
forest recreational parks. Undulating hills
at the forest edge are covered with rubber, oil palm and fruit plantations.
Kedah offers a mix of kampongs, fishing villages, small urban centres and
many nature parks.
Be sure to savour the array of tropical
fruits in Kedah. The area around Baling and Changloon in Kedah are famed for
local fruits: durians, rambutans, langsat, dukong, cempedak, nangka and even
pomelos. Sample Kedah food that is made from rice or spiced with aromatic herbs and hot chillies. Our
Kedah
recipes here...
Over 100 magnificent tropical islands are scattered off the west coast of
the state. Some, like the Langkawi islands
(or Pulau Langkawi)- isle of myths and legends, is one of Asia’s best tropical island destination - a paradise for sun, sea and nature
lovers. The beauty of the islands are as spell-binding as the legends that
surrounds them Don't leave langkawi without exploring her mangrove
forests and her rainforests.
The prominence of Kedah as a maritime Kingdom dates back as early as the 1st Century AD. History enthusiast should not miss a
visit to the Bujang Valley, the Ancient wonders of Kedah, where historical evidence of the
place gives an insight to the state's rich historical heritage - the Kingdom of Kedah,
which was once part of the fabled Kingdom of Langkasuka. Learn
about the rich history of the state in Alor Star/ Alor Setar, the capital. The Royal
Museum in Alor Star chronicles the history of the Kedah Sultanate - the
oldest sultanate in the world! The Kedah sultanate is the 2nd continuous
line of monarchy in the world, second to Japan.
More on where to go and what to
do:
Alor Star - historical enclave, heritage buildings, museums, palaces, etc.
Towns and villages in Kedah
Bujang Valley
historical site, Merbok (near Sungai Petani)
Sungai Petani
- major town, water theme
park near Cinta Sayang, pasar malam, etc
Pulau Langkawi
- 99 exotic and mystical tropical islands
Tropical Forest Parks - On Langkawi and all over Kedah
........all here at where to go in Kedah
........events in 2008 ..visit kedah 2008
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Legends of Mainland Kedah |
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Puteri Lindungan Bulan is a famous Kedah folktale that recounts a
historical event that happened at Kampung Siputeh, located in Padang
Sera, Kubang Pasu District. It tells of how the Raja of Aceh was
cheated of a Kedah Princess of ‘white blood.......
Raja Bersiong -
Raja Ong Maha Perita Deria alias Raja Bersiong (fifth Raja of Kedah) was a legendary cruel ruler .
He had a fondness for blood and grew fangs, so he came to be called
‘Raja Bersiong’ or Fang King (bersiung means ‘fangs or tusk like canine teeth’ in Malay). Other stories say that he was nicknamed
‘bersiong’ because he would threaten to tear his enemy with his teeth. His subjects revolted because of his cruelty. While escaping, the Raja
suffered pain from his fangs, so he pulled it out and threw it. The place his fang was thrown is thought to be in the Baling District (baling
means ‘throw’ in Malay).
....more legend at our Langkawi
page.
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Where to go |
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Where to Stay in Kedah |
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History of Kedah |
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 Recorded history of Kedah often starts at the
Bujang Valley, located
in central Kedah. This maritime kingdom at Bujang was visited by
Indian, Persian, Arabs and Chinese traders as far back as the 4th
century CE/ AD(CE: Common Era).
For many centuries, the Empires of Sri Vijaya and later the Cholas all
exerted their influence and domination over this Kingdom. Kedah Peak
(Gunung Jerai), at 1217 metres, provided the navigational
landmark for ships in the Malacca Strait. The Bujang Valley was a
collecting centre for products of the Malay Peninsular and a transit
trading post for ships awaiting the change of currents and monsoon
winds of the Indian Ocean. Traders soon propagated Hinduism and
Buddhism and their culture, building shrines and temples along the
coastal area, evident from artefacts found at the valley.
The Kedah Annals weaves an interesting tale of the first Kedah ruler,
a Hindu known as Merong Mahawangsa (Read the interesting legendary tales of
Merong Mahawangsa here).
He is the first Maharaja of Kedah. Eight Hindu Maharajas is believed
to have ruled Kedah before the ninth maharaja, Phra Ong Mahawangsa,
who converted to Islam in 1136. On conversion, he subsequently ruled
as Sultan Mudzafar Shah ( 1136 - 1179) .
The Kedah Sultanate , the oldest monarchy in Malaysia, starts with
this first sultan and has been intact for more than eight centuries.
The sultanate is one of the world's oldest continuous line of
monarchy. The present Sultan, Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah,
installed in 1959, is the 27th Sultan of Kedah.
Between the 18th to mid-20th century AD, Siam,
the British and Japanese exercised political and economic control over
Kedah. In 13th century saw Kedah dominated by Siam and the
Kedah became a vassal of Siam. Occupied by protracted wars with
Burma, Siam however left Kedah much on its own. The succeeding
centuries saw the scramble for power and control of the spices trade
by other foreign powers such as the Portuguese, Achehnese and Bugis,
that devastate the state, slowly destroying Kedah’s prosperity.
The British exerted their influence from the 18th century and took
possession of part of Kedah including Penang island. Siam continued
their influence and attacked Kedah in 1821. Kedah soon lost more
of her territories - Satun (now part of
Thailand) and Perlis (state in Malaysia) was taken away from Kedah by
Siam.
During the Japanese occupation of the Malay Peninsular, Kedah was
technically under Japanese rule for 19 months. In October 1943, the
Japanese relegated the governance of Kedah to Siam. However, in
practice, Japan still held the ultimate power (all military, policing
and communication services were held by the Japanese).
The British regained control of Malaya in 1945 and continued their
influence until 1957, when Malaya gained her independence and Kedah
become part of the Federation of Malaya.
Today, the economy of Kedah is
agricultural-based with largely
small-scaled industries. Kedah is the largest rice producer in
Malaysia and supports other agricultural products and agro-based
industries. The state also has a sizable manufacturing and
high technology-based industries, mainly in Kulim and
Sungai Petani.
Kedah enjoys a diverse economy – agricultural, manufacturing and
tourism.
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How to get to Kedah |
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Most international flights to Malaysia lands in
Kuala Lumpur, KLIA. From there you can get a connecting
flight to Alor Star, Kedah or to Penang (adjacent state). You can also
travel by bus to the city bus terminal to catch an express coach to Kedah.
Trains are also available from KL Sentral.
If you are travelling from Singapore, the fastest option is by air to Alor Star (via KLIA) or direct to Penang. Travelling by
coach/ bus will take you one whole day or a whole night; but you can board the bus in Singapore itself. Direct train from Singapore takes you to
Butterworth (Penang state) or you can change trains at KL to travel the Langkawi express which takes you to Arau. Driving is an option for those
familiar with Malaysian road. The toll expressway from Johor Bahru (Johor)
takes you right through Kedah, to the Malaysian-Thai border.
From Thailand, you can fly to KLIA then
to Kedah. Most Thais and Kedahans cross the Malaysian-Thai border daily at
Bukit Kayu Hitam, of take the train across. There are daily coaches that
takes you from Hat Yai, Thailand to Alor Star,Kedah. Details on
travelling
from Thailand to Kedah
By Air Kedah has two airports: Langkawi International Airport on
Langkawi island and
Sultan Abdul Halim (Alor Star) Airport, a
domestic airport, near Alor Star. Fly to these two places if you want to go
to the northern part of Kedah. The nearest airport to central and south
Kedah is the Penang International Airport (State of Pulau Pinang or Penang).
Air Asia, Malaysia Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Firefly (from April 2007) and Thai International are some of
the airlines that fly to Langkawi or Penang. If you fly to the Kuala
Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), you can also get a connecting flight
on Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia to Alor Star, Penang or Langkawi island.
By Road
The north-south expressway (toll motorway/
plus expressway)cuts through the State to the Thai-Malaysian border at Bukit Kayu Hitam,
Kedah.
Note that the Malaysia-Thai border opens at 6am Malaysia and closes at 12
midnight Malaysia (11pm Thai). (Read details on -
how to travel from Thailand
to Malaysia) The system of trunk roads links you to all
parts of the state - to the villages and forest parks at the fringe of the
virgin jungle.
From Kuala Lumpur, catch an express coach from Hentian Duta. From
Singapore or Thailand or other states in Malaysia, most express coaches
stops at Alor Star (Alor Setar) or Sungai Petani.
Some Express Bus Companiess in Kedah
Transnasional; website:
www.nadi.com;
Alor Star Tel: 04-7203300, 04-7203303; Sungai
Petani, Tel: 04-4214346, 04-4221186
Plusliner;
website:
www.plusliner.com; Alor Star, Tel: 04-7325842; Sungai Petani,
Tel: 04-4217343
By Train
Keretapi
Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) or the Malayan Railways takes
you through the state of Kedah. You can stop at Sungai Petani or Alor
Star. However you have only 2 train services (twice
a day only) going up north.
By Sea Daily ferry from Satun,
South Thailand takes you to
Langkawi Island.
There are also daily ferries from Kuala Perlis (Perlis), Kuala Kedah
(Kedah) and Pennag island (Pulau Pinang). Langkawi is also a great
destination for private yachts.
Check details of ferry or yacht marinas at
our
Langkawi page
More On Malaysia Transport:
Road Maps of Malaysia
From
Thailand to Kedah
From
Singapore to Malaysia
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Tourist Information Centres
Main Office: Kompleks Pelancongan Negeri Kedah, Seksyen 20,
Jalan Raja, Alor Setar, Kedah; Tel: 04-731 2322Fax: 04-734 0322
- Langkawi International Airport, Langkawi; Tel: 04-955 7155
- Langkawi Tourist Information Centre, Jalan Persiaran Putra, Kuah, Langkawi; Tel: 04-966
7789 / 9416
- Bukit Kayu Hitam Tourist Information Centre, Bukit Kayu
Hitam; Tel: 04-922 2078
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More on Kedah and Other links |
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