George Town (Penang)
Coordinates: 5 ° 25 ′ 5 ″ N , 100 ° 19 ′ 47 ″ E
George Town ( Malay also Tanjung ) is the capital of the island of Penang and the state of the same name in Malaysia . It is located on the northeastern tip of the island and has 178,358 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2005), mostly Chinese. If you add the suburbs, which together with George Town form the 119 km² Timur Laut district , a total of over 520,000 inhabitants live in the catchment area of the city (as of 2010).
history
In 1786 traders of the British East India Company settled under the leadership of Francis Light . The city is named after the British monarch George III. The locals call their city "Penang".
Culture and sights
There are numerous mosques, churches, Hindu and Chinese Buddhist temples in downtown George Town.
The Captain Kling Mosque , the oldest mosque in Penang , is particularly worth mentioning here . Originally built by members of the East India Company in the late 18th century. In November 1801, Captain Kling, a prominent Tamil and Muslim merchant, was given 18 acres of land to build a new mosque. In 1916 the current mosque replaced the old building. Here Islamic architecture is reflected with the Indian influence.
The Hainan Temple , originally founded in 1866. The current building is from 1895, it was restored in 1995.
The Goddess of Mercy Temple, the first foundation of which was laid by Chinese colonists in 1728, is one of the oldest Chinese temples on Penang. It was completed in 1801. It is dedicated to the Buddhists Kuan Yin and Ma Chor Poh. Its original name is "Kong Hock Keong Temple" .
The Arulmigu Mahamariamman Temple, also Sri Mahamariamman Temple or Mariyamman Temple . The original Sri Mahamariamman Shrine was expanded into a temple in 1833, making it one of the oldest Hindu temples in George Town. It is dedicated to the Hindu deity Sri Muthu Mariamman. A statue of the god inside the temple is procession through the “Little India” district on the occasion of the nine-day festival of Navarithri . The Mariamman Temple has a 23 meter high sculpture tower on which there are 38 statues of Hindu deities.
After the landing of the British under Captain Francis Light in 1786, they built the "Fort Cornwallis" here . Originally it consisted only of palisades. In 1804 it was then provided with massive stone walls. Today there is an open-air museum and an open-air theater in the fort . The cannons are originally from Holland and were delivered to the Sultan of Johor . After a few detours, they were finally placed here. To the northeast of the fort, the "Fort Cornwallis Lighthouse" was built in 1882 . It formed a prominent point in the colonial times. In 1914 and 1928 the lighthouse was renovated and converted into a harbor lighthouse. It now has a white steel framework tower 21 meters high. The visibility of the beacon is 16 nautical miles .
Also worth seeing is Khoo Kongsi , the ornate house of a Chinese family clan. The original house burned down completely in 1884. A new building was built in 1902, although it is smaller than the old house. Chinese master craftsmen decorated the house with fine ornaments and carvings. The workers also left their initials.
Near the headland is the 18-meter-high clock tower, which was built in 1897 for Queen Victoria's sixtieth jubilee.
In the suburb of Air Itam, the Ke Lok Si is the largest Chinese temple in Malaysia. It is one of the most important Buddhist facilities in Malaysia.
George Town has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List together with Malacca since 2008 .
Economy and Infrastructure
George Town is one of the most important ports in Malaysia and is a transshipment point for rubber and agricultural products. The place gained importance as a berth for merchant ships that operated between the Chinese Empire and India . In 1985, a 13.5 kilometer cable stayed bridge to the mainland was opened, the " Penang Bridge ". It is the longest bridge in Southeast Asia. In 2007, construction began on the 24-kilometer-long second Penang Bridge , which was completed in 2014.
education
George Town is also home to a university and the World Fish Center.
religion
George Town is the seat of the Diocese of Penang . The Christian denominations are mostly made up of people of Chinese descent. Often they are also Buddhists . The city's Malay residents are predominantly Muslim . Most of the descendants of Indian immigrants from Hindustan are Muslim. This group is known as the Jawi Peranakan , especially if their ancestors settled in the Straits Settlements , which included the island of Penang. There is also Hindu . The Baghdadi Jewish and Armenian Orthodox communities that arose during the colonial period have dissolved. However, the cemeteries of these communities still exist today.
Town twinning
-
Adelaide , Australia -
Xiamen , People's Republic of China -
Kanagawa , Japan -
Medan , Indonesia -
Taipei , Republic of China -
Bangkok , Thailand
sons and daughters of the town
- Chin Eei Hui (* 1982), badminton player
- Lee Chong Wei (* 1982), badminton player
- Low Wee Wern (* 1990), squash player
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Statistics Yearbook Malaysia 2011: Tables. (PDF; 2.64 MB) Department of Statistics Malaysia, December 14, 2012, accessed on October 11, 2013 (Malay, English; page 2, PDF page 2).
- ↑ Statistics Yearbook Malaysia 2011: Tables. (PDF; 2.64 MB) Department of Statistics Malaysia, December 14, 2012, accessed on October 11, 2013 (Malay, English; page 18, PDF page 17).
- ↑ UNESCO World Heritage Center: Melaka and George Town, Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca. Retrieved September 29, 2017 .
- ↑ Christopher Bayly, Tim Harper: Forgotten Wars - The End of Britain's Asian Empire . Penguin Books, London 2008, ISBN 978-0-14-101738-9 , pp. 330 f .
Heritage: Malacca and George Town (2008) | Archaeological Sites in the Lenggong Valley (2012)
Natural heritage: Kinabalu Park (2000) | Gunung Mulu National Park (2000)