Mahathir's Birthplace

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.

China Town

Chinatown in Alor Setar. Chinatown is situated nearby to the Galleries.. there are a lot of old chinese shophouses with unique windows... very nice indeed.. Just walk along the many shophouses and take pictures.. you should try a cake mould or  kuih bakar.

Events Held

there are a few events was held in alor setar such as general senamrobik at dataran and sambutan maulidul rasul

Foods

Zakaria Laksa Teluk Kechai @ Alor Setar

Alor Setar, the capital of Kedah, is very very famous of it’s laksa. No, not the Asam Laksa you find it Penang, but rather a variant of it, known as Laksa Kedah.

The most famous Kedah Laksa is Laksa Teluk Kechai, and Zakaria Laksa is the best according to many people.

According to what I understand, Kedah Laksa is supposed to be very similar to Asam Laksa in Penang, and the only difference is the garnishing used.

However, it doesn’t taste the same to me. Well, yes it taste the same if you were to compare it to those really lousy Asam Laksa in Penang. The soup is sorta tasteless besides salty, and I can’t taste any fish on the soup. It was so bad that I almost want to stop eating it after 1 spoon, but looking at the crowd there, I find that doing it will be too insulting to them.

However, although the laksa soup is very very bad, but the noodle is good. It’s much firmer and also taste nicer, and better to bite it compare to many other places.

The Lai Chee Kang is ok though, although I don’t really like it especially they have peanuts inside it.

This is also the 1st time I saw a laksa stall actually selling laksa based by weight. RM10 per kg! This is madness.

Look at the crowd, it’s 3 PM evening, not during lunch or dinner time. When I pass by them during dinner time later, the road was full of cars parked by people who are dining there, which I totally can’t understand, what so good about it?

Total Damage: RM2.50 per bowl of laksa

Operating Hours: 12 PM to 7 PM

Location: Jalan Kuala Kedah, Alor Setar

Climate

Alor Setar features a tropical rainforest climate under the Köppen climate classification. Alor Setar has a very lengthy wet season. As is common in several regions with this climate, precipitation is seen even during the short dry season. Temperatures are relatively consistent throughout the course of the year, with average high temperatures around 32 degrees Celsius and average low temperatures around 23 degrees Celsius. Alor Setar sees on average roughly 2300 mm of precipitation per year.

Alor Setar average rainfall 2013 can be compared with other places in Malaysia via Annual Mean Rainfall Locations In Malaysia 2013

Shopping Malls at Alor Setar

Souq Al-Bukhary Souq Al-Bukhary is one of the most recently built malls in Alor Setar, Kedah. Souq Al-Bukhary employs Islamic motifs in its design with elements borrowed from Mughal as well as Moorish architectural styles. Souq Al-Bukhary consists of a three-story air conditioned mall with Giant Hypermarket.

Alor Star Mall The mall is located near North-South Expressway South Alor Setar EXIT. It is one of the newest malls in Alor Setar,  in which the anchor tenant is Pacific Store. In addition, the mall also has 4 halls MBO Cinema former"Big Cinema" and "E-Box" as the main entertainment attraction for the locals.

Aman Central Mall Aman Central will have a supermarket, a major department store spread over four levels, a branded fashion retail, food and beverage outlets, a 36-lane bowling alley and eight cineplexes. The first Parkson will be the tenants of this mall and will be open in late of 2014.

Pekan Rabu (Wednesday Market)

Pekan Rabu is located near the government offices in Alor Setar. Although the name literally means “Wednesday Market”, this market is open all week long, and sells a variety of items from tidbits to beautiful handicraft.

This is a popular spot amongst tourists and locals and is a source of pride for Kedahans. Even former Prime Minister Tun Dr, Mahathir bin Mohamad was once a trader at Pekan Rabu.

Museums and Galleries In Alor Setar

Muzium Negeri (State Museum) 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).

Pusat Sains Negara(National Science Center) Located at Gunung Keriang next to Alor Setar Aquatic Centre and Paddy Museum, the center is the first science center built in northern Malaysia region.

Muzium Padi (Paddy Museum) The museum is the first paddy museum in Malaysia, and the fourth to be opened in the world after Japan, Germany and the Philippines.

The museum showcases the paddy cultivation process in Malaysia and displays tools and equipment which are 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.

Balai Seni Negeri (State Art Gallery) The Kedah State Art Gallery was set up with the objective of fostering interest in and an appreciation of art in the state. Its collection includes paintings, photographs, musical instruments and handicrafts.

Galeria Sultan Abdul Halim This building formerly was the Alor Setar High Court, before it was moved to Kompleks Mahkamah Alor Setar in Suka Menanti. This building is located at the junction of Jalan Putera, adjacent to the Balai Nobat. Initially, this building was the place for the existing Balai Seni. This building was built on Rabiulawal 1341 Hijrah equivalent to November 1922.

Muzium Diraja Kedah (Royal Kedah Museum)

This building which originated from the Kota Setar Palace is a wooden building that was built by HRH Sultan Muhammad Jiwa Zainal Adilin II, the 19th Sultan of Kedah), who was the founder of Alor Setar town in 1735. This building had undergone demolitions several times due to attacks by the Bugis (1770) and Siamese (1821).

The concrete building was completed during the reign of HRH Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin Mukarram Shah). His Royal Highness had once stayed in this palace with his queen, Wan Hajar Wan Ismail who was also known as "Mak Wan Besar". Therefore, this palace is also known as the "Mak Wan Besar Palace".

YTM Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra was also born adjacent to this palace (the Pagoda building, which no longer exist today) on 8 February 1903 and once grew up in this palace while his father the late HRH Sultan Abdul Hamid and his mother Mak Che Manjalara resided there.

This palace is also renowned as the "Pelamin Palace" when the space of the palace was extended to as a pavilion and additional rooms when HRH Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah wanted to marry off his five princes and princesses. This grand wedding ceremony lasted for three months in 1904. After 1941, this palace was used as a school and an office for several organizations including the office for the St. John Ambulance and the Scout movements. On 25 July 1983, this palace was declared the "Kedah Royal Museum".

Popular Destination in Alor Setar

The Zahir Mosque is Kedah's state mosque. It is located in the heart of Alor Star, the state capital of Kedah, Malaysia.

The mosque was built in 1912, a contributory effort of YTM Tunku Mahmud Ibni Almarhum Sultan Tajuddin Mukarram Shah. The site of this mosque was the cemetery of Kedah warriors who had died while defending Kedah from the Siamese in 1821. The architecture of the mosque was inspired by the Azizi Mosque in Tanjung Pura, Langkat Sultanate (present-day North Sumatra). This mosque is enhanced with five prime large domes symbolizing the Five Pillars of Islam.

Its official opening ceremony was held on Friday, 15 October 1915 by the late HRH Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah. Tunku Mahmud read the Friday sermon while HRH Sultan Abdul Hamid Shah led the Friday prayer. Behind Zahir Mosque is the Syariah Court building complex and a Pre-School for Children aged below 6 years old.

Alor Setar

Alor Setar, (Jawi: الور ستار) or also known as Alor Star in 2004-2008, is the capital of Kedah, Malaysia; largest city in the state of Kedah; important city in the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The city houses the Kota Setar District Administrative Centre the City Muadzam Shah and the royal city of Kedah, City Anak Bukit.

Alor Setar is located 93 kilometers north of Penang and 45 km from the southern border of Thailand. Alor Setar City is managed by the local authorities (PBT) Alor Setar City Council. As a transportation center in the northern region of Peninsular Malaysia, Alor Setar, which covers a land area of 666 km2 (square) occupied by more than 300,000 thousand inhabitants according to the census of 2010 is one of the oldest cities in the area.

Alor Setar which is also an important city of the state of Kedah is among the major cities in Kedah apart from the city Sungai Petani, city Kulim and city Langkawi These cities are also developing in line with the existing development in Alor Setar.

Alor Setar linked with northern states of Peninsular Malaysia with an airport, the Sultan Abdul Halim Airport, newly built in 2006 to serve only domestic flights but also provides international flights only for pilgrims, through the North-South Expressway in and out through the toll plaza North Alor, Alor Setar Selatan toll plaza and toll plazas Alor Setar Hutan Kampung, a railway station in the City Centre Alor Setar, Shahab Perdana bus station and transport out of the mainland to the island of Langkawi through the Kuala Kedah Ferry Terminal.

It is also the birthplace of two Prime Minister, YTM Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia's first Prime Minister, and Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad, Malaysia's fourth Prime Minister. Many celebrities also originated from Malaysia here.

Here are some photos of Alor Setar city.

History 

Alor Setar was founded in 1735 by Kedah’s 19th Ruler, Sultan Muhammad Jiwa Zainal Adilin II and is the state’s eighth administrative centre since the establishment of the Kedah Sultanate in 1136. The earlier administrative centres were located in Kota Bukit Meriam, Kota Sungai Emas, Kota Siputeh, Kota Naga, Kota Sena, Kota Indera Kayangan and Kota Bukit Pinang. The name came from the combination of two Malay words which is "Alor" which mean ("small stream") and from the name of a tree "Setar" ("Bouea macrophylla Griff").

Significant events held here included the handing back of Perlis and Setul (now Satun) to Kedah by the Siamese in May 1897 (both provinces were separated from Kedah since 1821) and a 90-day festival from June to September 1904 to celebrate the wedding of the five children of Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah.

Alor Setar had been officially granted as a city – the ninth in Malaysia, on 21 December 2003, during which the spelling of its name was officially changed to Alor Star from the prior Alor Setar. The proclamation ceremony to declare the Kedah capital a city was held at Dataran Tunku, Alor Setar. Among those present at the historic ceremony were the Kedah's Sultan Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah and his consort Che' Puan Haminah Hamidun, the Raja Muda of Kedah and Raja Puan Muda (Heir Apparent of Kedah State and his consort), members of the Kedah royalty, parliament members and state exco members. The ceremony was also witnessed by civilians and tourists. The name was returned back to Alor Setar on January 15, 2009.