Welcome to Kedah

Welcome to Kedah, one of Malaysia's most iconic travel destinations and home to an amazing array of sights, activities and events. Even first time visitors to Kedah will quickly be enthralled by how fun and fascinating Kedah really can be. For those looking for a glimpse of the real Malaysia, or just a fun night out, Kedah mixes old world charm with a modern and vibrant night life.

History

Kedah also known by its honorific, Darul Aman, or "Abode of Peace" is a state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area of over 9,000 km², and it consists of the mainland and Langkawi. The mainland has a relatively flat terrain, which is used to grow rice. Langkawi is an archipelago of islands, most of which are uninhabited. Kedah was called Kadaram by Tamil people and Syburi by the Siamese when it was under their influence.

Kedah’s early history can be traced from the prehistoric period to the archeological site of Bujang Valley, the early Maritime trade of India, Persia, Arabs to the written works of the early Chinese pilgrims and early Chinese records, the Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa or known as the Kedah Annals to the Al-Tarikh Salasilah Negeri Kedah. Kedah was also known as Kedaram, Kidaram, Kalagam and Kataha by the Tamils. It was known as Kalah or Kalaha by the Persians.

Kedah possess numerous islands, legends, historical relics, hill stations and scenic waterfalls. The legendary and famous island Langkawi is just off Kedah’s western shore. It has Bujang Valley, where evidence of the existence of an early civilisation dating back to the 6th century was found with other archeological discoveries. Not to mention its vast paddy fields spans across the backdrop of rolling hills which provides serenity and breathtaking views.

In the 7th and 8th centuries, the region was dominated by Sri Vijaya. It followed by the Siamese until the 15th century, when the Malay sultanate of Melaka came to power. During this period, the Melakan influences were introduced while the dominant aspects of Kedah’s ancient civilisation began to wane.

In the 17th century, Kedah was attacked by the Portuguese when it conquered various parts of Malaysia. In 1821, Kedah fell into the hands of the Siamese and remained under their control until British took over when the Anglo-Siamese Treaty was signed in 1909. Kedah established independence along with the rest of Malaysia in 1957.

As Kedah is quite close to Thailand, some of its cultural traditions, songs and dances have Thai influences in them. Apart from that, even Kedah’s people often bear signs of Thai or Archinese ancestry looks.

Governance

Kedah's Constitution was promulgated by its Ruler in July 1950. The various provisions laid down in the Constitution include the role and powers of the Monarch, the State Parliament and the State's Civil Service.
The Sultan of Kedah is the constitutional ruler of the State. His position is hereditary and he holds office for life. The Ruler is the head of the religion of Islam in the State and the executive power of the state government is vested in him. The current Sultan is Sultan Abdul Halim of Kedah, who has reigned since 1958.
The State Executive Council, which along with the Sultan is Kedah's executive branch of government. It is composed of the Menteri Besar, who is its chairman and Kedah's head of government, and ten other members. The Menteri Besar and other members of the council are appointed by the Sultan of Kedah from members of the Dewan Undangan Negeri (State Assembly). The current Menteri Besar is Dato' Seri Azizan Abdul Razak, of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (also referred to as Parti Islam Se-Malaysia or PAS).

List of Chief Ministers
Mohamad Sheriff bin Osman 1948–1954 UMNO of Barisan Nasional
Tunku Ismail bin Tunku Yahaya 1954–1959 UMNO of Barisan Nasional
Syed Omar bin Syed Abdullah Shahabuddin 1959–1967 UMNO of Barisan Nasional
Tun Dato' Seri Utama Syed Ahmad bin Syed Mahmud Shahabuddin 1967–1978 UMNO of Barisan Nasional
Syed Nahad bin Tun Syed Sheh Shahabuddin 1978–1985 UMNO of Barisan Nasional
Haji Osman bin Haji Aroff 1985–1996 UMNO of Barisan Nasional
Sanusi bin Junid 1996–1999 UMNO of Barisan Nasional
Syed Razak bin Syed Zain Barakhbah 1999–2005 UMNO of Barisan Nasional
Dato' Haji Mahdzir bin Khalid 2005–2008 UMNO of Barisan Nasional
Dato' Seri Azizan bin Abdul Razak 2008- 5 May 2013 PAS of Pakatan Rakyat
Datuk Paduka Mukhriz Tun Mahathir 6 May 2013 – present UMNO of Barisan Nasional

Economy

Kedah is considered the "rice bowl" of Malaysia, accounting for one about a half of Malaysia's total
production of rice. In 2008, the state government banned the conversion of padi fields to housing and industrial lots to protect the rice industry. Tourism, particularly on the island of Langkawi is of growing importance. More recently, Kedah has forged its economy towards the automotive and aerospace industries with Modenas and Asian Composites setting up bases here. One of the main advantages is the low labour costs and the infrastructure in place with the North-South Expressway and the Penang International Airport close by. In 1996, the Kulim Hi-Tech Park (KHTP) was officially opened as the first high technology industrial park in Malaysia.[citation needed] The Park comprises a total land area of approximately 14.5 square kilometres (5.6 mi²).
According to the Ninth Malaysia Plan, this economic area is part of the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER). The Northern Corridor Economic Region is one of three development regions formed in Peninsular Malaysia; other development regions being the Iskandar Malaysia (or South Johor Economic Region) and the East Coast Development Region.

Religion / Races

As of 2010 the population of Kedah is 

• 77.2% Muslim, 
  
• 14.2% Buddhist, 
  
• 6.7% Hindu, 
  
• 0.8% Christian, 
  
• 0.3% Taoist or Chinese religion follower,
•  0.7% follower of other religions, and 
• 0.1% non-religious.

Educations

Public universities and colleges

The state has a campus of Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), which is located in Bandar Baru Sintok. It was formally incorporated on 16 February 1984. The University was established with the specific mission of providing a leadership role for management education in the country. The academic establishments in UUM include College of Business (COB), College of Law, Government and International Studies (COLGIS) and College of Arts and Sciences (CAS).
Kedah also has several public universities and colleges such as Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) in Merbok, the Malaysian Spanish Institute of Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL MSI) and the Polytechnic Institute of Sultanah Bahiyah (PSB) in Kulim, the Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology (AIMST University) in Bedong, Kolej Universiti Insaniah (KUIN) in Mergong and the Polytechnic Institute of Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah (POLIMAS) in Jitra.
There are 2 teacher training institution in Kedah, Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Sultan Abdul Halim (IPGKSAH) in Sungai Petani and Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Darul Aman (IPGKDA) in Bandar Darulaman that are set up by the government to provide teaching courses for trainee teachers.

Private universities and colleges

Private universities and colleges that are located in Kedah include the Open University of Malaysia (OUM) Regional Learning Center for the state of Kedah and Perlis at Sungai Petani, the Albukhary International University in Alor Setar, Pusat Bahasa Titian Jaya the PTPL College and the Cosmopoint College.

Technical institutes

Kedah houses three technical institutes that are affiliated with MARA, that is Institut Kemahiran MARA Sungai Petani, Institut Kemahiran MARA Alor Setar and Institut Kemahiran MARA Sik.

Boarding schools

This state also has several boarding schools such as Sekolah Berasrama Penuh and MARA Junior Science
College or MRSM.

Private and Public Schools

Consists of several private and public primary school or secondary school. Public secondary school such as SMK Taman Jelutong, Keat Hwa Secondary School, Convent Secondary School (Formerly known as St. Nicholas Convent Secondary School), Kolej Sultan Abdul Hamid,Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Sultan Badlishah, Sin Min Secondary School, Chio Min Secondary School,SMK Sultanah Asma, SMK Convent Father Barre, SMK Khir Johari, SMK Aman Jaya, SMK Bedong, SMK Bakar Arang, SMK Darulaman, SMK Ibrahim, SMK Jitra, SMK Mahsuri, SMK Tunku Panglima Besar, Keat Hwa Secondary School and etc. Private secondary school such as Keat Hwa High School, Sin Min High School and SM Sin Min.

Sports

In 2006, Kedah hosted the 11th Sukma Games. The opening and closing ceremonies were held at the Darul Aman Stadium in Alor Setar.

Sukma Games is a sporting event in Malaysia held once every year. Sukma is an acronym for Sukan
Malaysia; literally Malaysian Games, in other words this event is often viewed as a high end national level competition and is usually referred to as the "Malaysian Olympics". The first Games was held in 1986 in Kuala Lumpur. The game will be held annually from 2011. Participants of the event are picked from an extremely competitive pool of possible strong elite athletes for each respective state and are usually extremely proficient and skiled in their own respective disciplines.

Interesting Places

What are the top Kedah attractions?
Here is my suggested list of what to see in Kedah.

Lagenda Langkawi Dalam Taman 

The Lagenda Langkawi Dalam Taman is a beautiful theme park with and a garden museum. Located in Kuah Jetty, next to Eagle Square and Jetty Point, the opening hours for this place is 9am to 7pm on a daily basis. The area is covered with great and inspirational sculptures of ancient birds, historic giants and ogres.  Lagenda structure comprises of beautiful green plants, fruit trees, and a garden with beautifully hand crafted Malaysian designs. It is a great tourist spot and is one of the best places to explore about the Malaysian civilization and ancient historical culture.

Sungai Kilim Nature Park
The Sungai Kilim Nature Park offers great variety of flora and fauna that is a mango grove with area occupancy of about 100 sq kms. Located in Pulau Langkawi it offers a wide range of landscaping and wildlife for tourists and visitors to see. Months from September to March are a great time for bird watching. It also offers a great marine life. There are rock formations of limestones on the mango grave.

Langkawi Bird Paradise
This is a bird sanctuary located in Jalan Ayer Hangat, Kampung Belanga Pecah. It consists of more than 2500

species of exotic birds. This includes more than 100 species of owls, flamingos, eagles and canaries, etc. The part covers a total of 10000 sq km area and has more than 1000 birds that fly freely. There is also a walk-in aviary near Gunung Raya, which offers carefully crafter crystal ornaments from Brazil and China.

Mahsuri's Tomb
The tomb of Mahsuri is a historic site in Langkawi and is located at Kampung Mawat, Mukim Ulu Melaka. Their operating hours are from 8am in the morning until 6pm in the evening. The tomb is a symbol for the great Princess Mahsuri, who was also called the also called the Makam Mahsuri. You can also see the diorama museum that has preserved Mashuri’s jewellery and also the weapon that was used to kill her.

Telaga Tujuh Waterfalls
The Telaga Tujuh Waterfalls or the Seven wells waterfalls is situated towards the northern part of the island and is located at a distance of 45 kilometers from the city of Kuah. You can take a cable car ride to the site from which covers the distance in just about 10 minutes from the Oriental village. The waterfall is located towards the lower part and the upper part consists of seven pools. You can go for a dip in the pools but be careful from sliding down the rocks that are situated between them. Another thing is that you have to climb more than 300 steps for reaching the well. It is a beautiful site but it is not meant for families because of the toil involved.

Visit some beaches including Pantai Cenang, Pantai Kok, Pantai Tengah, Datai Bay, Tanjung Rhu, Burau Bay, Pantai Pasir Hitam, and Pasir Tengkorak.

Events

Kedah has a selection of exclusive events, with the vast majority of festivities taking place on Langkawi. The state also enjoys all of the country’s major festivals, which include those of Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist origin. The highlight of the non-religious events is perhaps the Langkawi Water Festival held in April. The weather at this time of the year is hot, making it the ideal time to enjoy water-based fun.

January

Thaipusam: is a Hindu festival which is celebrated mainly by the Tamil community. The festival celebrates both the birthday of Lord Murugan and his success in defeating the demon Soorapadman.

February

Chinese New Year: lively celebrations take place in Kedah among the Chinese community over Chinese New Year. This is also often a time for residents to return to their family homes in other parts of the country therefore some destinations are quiet during the New Year period. Locals like to buy new clothes and enjoy festive meals with family as well as make peace with any friends or relatives with who they have had grievances. Traditional lion and dragon dances take place in Langkawi and Alor Star.

Sauk Sotong: also known as the ‘Squid Scooping Challenge’, this popular event is held at Kuala Chenang Jetty and sees flocks of fishermen battle it out to see who can manage the greatest haul of squids and take the winning title.

Royal Langkawi International Regatta: now known across Southeast Asia, this popular event sees boat races involving over 50 yachts manned by expert sailors from across the globe.

Tour de Langkawi: Southeast Asia’s answer to the Tour de France, this popular event has been running for over a decade and sees riders from across the globe compete in a gruelling race from Langkawi to Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur.

March

Chap Goh Meh: 15 days after the beginning of Chinese New Year celebrations, the Chinese community celebrates Chap Goh Meh, also known as the Lantern Festival. It’s traditional on this day to make and consume dumplings known as tangyuan, made from glutinous rice flour.

Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday: the large Muslim community of Kedah celebrates Prophet Muhammad’s birthday by visiting mosques for prayer and contemplation.

April

Easter: Kedah’s Christian community is not especially large, but Easter celebrations are enjoyed all the same with traditional religious ceremonies during Holy Week and family get-togethers on Easter Sunday.

Wilderness Langkawi Challenge: this annual sporting event is akin to a triathlon in terms of challenge and format and sees participants engage in a combination of cycling, kayaking and running in a bid to secure the prestigious winner’s title.

Langkawi International Water Festival: Telaga Harbour Park on Langkawi hosts this fun-filled annual event which sees a variety of light-hearted games and activities.

Langkawi Koh Adang International Fishing Challenge: professional anglers and enthusiasts of the sport gather at Langkawi for three days of competitive fishing.

May

Wesak Day: this important Buddhist festival is celebrated across the country and sees the faithful commemorating the three most important events in the life of the Buddha; his birth, enlightenment and achievement of Nirvana.

June

Langkawi Fire-fighting Competition: the Langkawi Fire and Rescue Department presents this unusual event in conjunction with the Langkawi Tourism Association. During the competition, local fire-fighters get to show off their skills in an effort to promote fire safety habits.

July

Langkawi Food and Fruit Fiesta: all of Malaysia celebrates food during the month of July, with the events and activities at Langkawi being especially lively. Visitors can expect restaurants across the state to hold special gourmet food tastings and present a wider variety of dishes than would ordinarily be available on menus.

Rambutan Trail: the unusual looking seasonal fruit known as the rambutan is the focus of this fun event which sees tastings, fruit carving demonstrations and other odd but entertaining activities.

August

Merdeka Day: Kedah along with the rest of the country celebrates Merkeda Day, a national holiday held in commemoration of Malaysia’s declaration of independence. Typically, large towns and cities enjoy street parties and firework displays.

September

Mid-Autumn Festival: often referred to as the Moon Cake Festival, this annual affair sees the Chinese community remember the success enjoyed by their ancestors against Mongol oppressors during the 14th century. Locals make and eat tasty moon cakes, since legend holds that their ancestors distributed details of their rebellion inside these cakes. Lanterns are also hung outside houses in memory of those used to give signals between Chinese camps.

October

Hungry Ghosts Festival: is observed by both Buddhist and Taoist members of the Kedah population. The festival is intended to appease troubled and restless souls that roam the earth in search of retribution against persons responsible for wrong doings against them during their lives. Joss sticks are lit and offerings of food are left on street corners in order to discourage the ghosts from entering abodes.

Hari Raya Haji: also referred to as Eid al-Adha, this Muslim festival is one of the most significant in the Islamic calendar. The theme revolves around sacrifice as Muslims remember the time when Ibrahim was asked by Allah to sacrifice his son Ishmael. Mosques are filled with worshippers offering thanksgiving prayers and animals are sacrificed as part of the festival rites.

November

Deepvali: also referred to as the Festival of Lights, Deepvali is a Hindu celebration in commemoration of Lord Krishna’s victory over the demon King Narakasura. The devoted take herbal baths at dawn then put on new clothes and offer prayer to Krishna. Oil lamps are hung outside houses to attract the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi.

December

Christmas: celebrations are similar to those enjoyed by Christians across the world with a mix of festive activity and religious service.

Foods

Feast on mouth-watering delicacies and traditional gourmet offered by Kedah. Not only they are unique but it appeals to the whole wide range of food lovers.

Rice Delights
As Kedah is known as the ‘Rice Bowl of Malaysia’ and rice being the staple food in Malaysia, it has several distinctive rice delights that whets up any appetite. One of the local’s favourite is Nasi Ulam. It is actually rice mixed with various fresh raw vegetables and rare spices. Ingredients include ginger flower, dried shrimp, bird’s eye chilli, and cucumber and fruit julienne. It also has kerisik or known as toasted grated coconut. This is a very vital ingredient as it gives texture to the mixture and aroma to the rice. It also gets its share of lime juice and palm sugar gravy. It can be eaten like that alone or paired with meat or other dishes. It is usually eaten during the fasting month of Ramadhan.

Popular among people living in northern Kedah, the Pulut is one of their famous rice dishes. It is glutinous rice which is paired with fruits such as mango, durian and bananas. Aside from fruits, it could incorporate savoury side dishes such as sambal. Pulut Inti and Tapai Pulut are other variations of glutinous rice found here.

Laksa
The laksa is another popular dish among the people of Kedah as well as other states in Malaysia. The dish consists

of thick rice noodles or rice vermicelli and is eaten with fish curry, cucumber slices and onions. It exudes the rich fish broth with spices and is slightly spicy and sweet.

It also has Laksam, a specialty also found in Kelantan and Terengganu. It is made with very thick flat white rice flour noodles in rich white gravy. The gravy is prepared from fish and coconut milk. Traditionally, laksam is eaten with hands due to the gravy’s thick consistency but now it is eaten with eating utensils.

Desserts
Kedah’s taste buds are more inclined to the sweet side hence desserts and sweet dishes are popular here. These sweet indulgences include Baulu and Dodol. These sweet cakes are made from flour, coconut and sugar.

Kuih Karas is also a popular dessert here. The crispy, sweet kuih that resembles fried vermicelli can be widely found at stall and markets around Kedah. Another sweet delicacy here is Serabai, a rice flour pancake laced with thin syrup made of coconut milk and sweetened with palm sugar.

Others
Traditional local delights include Gulai Nangka or known as jack fruit curry. The locals have a penchant for spicy food. Their dishes heighten their curries with the use of tamarind and sambals.
It is also popular with Sayur Kelado and Pekasam.

Kedah is also famous for its seafood. Grilled fish is one of the many local favourites. Fish choices include ikan terubuk, kembung, pari and keli. They are usually marinated in spices before grilled. You can try its chilli crabs, grilled squids or prawns. Salted fish and fish crackers are quite a delicacy here too.