Alor Setar Royal Heritage Trail

Known as the “Rice Bowl of Malaysia”, Kedah, together with Perlis, produces more than half of the country’s home-grown rice supply. Located just 45km south off the Thai border, Alor Setar is the capital and largest city of the State of Kedah.

Menara Alor Setar

We began the Alor Setar Royal Heritage Trail cycling tour from the 2nd tallest telecommunication tower in Malaysia, 1. Menara Alor Setar. The tower is also listed as the 19th tallest tower in the world. The 165.5m tower offers magnificent bird’s eye view of the entire city of Alor Setar.

From the tower, we cycled 600m along Lebuhraya Darul Aman to Medan Budaya. You can park your bicycles anywhere within the vicinity and walk around the old buildings, as they do at Dataran Merdeka. These old buildings chronicle the stages of progress of the Kedah State and bear much testimony to the journey that the ‘Abode of Peace’ has undertaken since the beginning of its days.

Istana Pelamin

Medan Budaya is home to 2. Istana Pelamin. The palace was built circa 1700’s and was the host venue of the royal weddings of Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah’s five children from 1897.

Masjid Zahir

Across Lebuhraya Darul Aman, facing directly opposite the palace, is the 101-year-old 3. Masjid Zahir. Also known as ‘Masjid Zahrah’, this mosque is one of the grandest mosques in Malaysia and has been voted as one of the most beautiful mosques in the world.

Balai Seni Negeri

And then there is the 4. Balai Seni Negeri which was built in 1912, in conjunction with the celebration of KDYMM Sultan Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah’s Silver Jubilee. Originally built for the Supreme Court, Balai Seni Negeri is now the State Art Gallery that houses collection of art works, wood carvings and calligraphies from veteran and young artists.

Balai Nobat

On the other side of Istana Pelamin is 5. Balai Nobat. Also built in the 1700’s, the 5-storey Throne Hall is the exhibition hall for flutes, trumpets, drums, gongs and other musical instruments used by the royal families for official functions.

Rumah Merdeka

From Medan Budaya, we cycled a kilometre along Jalan Kampung Perak to 6. Rumah Merdeka. The land on which the Merdeka House was built upon was originally owned by Che Menjalara, the mother of Malaysia’s first Prime Minister, the late YTM Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra. The land was subsequently bequeathed to the Father of Independence, who led Malaysia to independence in 1957. Tunku built a single storey wooden house on this very site in 1942 and later on, constructed a brick house on the same site, simultaneously, raising the wooden house to the top floor in 1953. Built at an estimated cost of RM20,000, the house came to be known as Rumah Merdeka by Tunku’s close friends, of whom were Malaya’s top political figures at the time, namely Senu Abdul Rahman, Mohd. Khir Johari and Tan Cheng Lock.

Tunku always made it a point to return to Rumah Merdeka during his break when he was serving as Prime Minister and even so, post-retirement. Rumah Merdeka was used as a venue for Tunku to discuss private and confidential matters with other leaders within the UMNO party and the government, affecting the party and the nation. This was also the place where Tunku conceived and organized his successful election strategies in preparation for the general elections of 1955, 1959, 1964 and 1969. It was also in this house that Tunku had penned the scripts for two well-received movies on the Malay legends, “Mahsuri” and “Raja Bersiong”.

Guest Room

Dining Area

Court Yard

Reading-cum-music-room

Bedroom

Rumah Merdeka is open to the public for free. When you are visiting Alor Setar, Rumah Merdeka is a must-visit site. Visitors are allowed to walk around the house and journey down the memory lane of our late Tunku by seeing Tunku’s 7. Guest Room, 8. Dining Area, 9. Court Yard, 10. Reading-cum-music-room, and his 11. Bedroom.

We spent almost an hour at Rumah Merdeka before proceeding to Jalan Gangsa/Jalan Suka Menanti for Taman Jubli Emas. The 4km flat road ride towards the park was pleasant with stretches of stalls occasionally lining along the side of the road. Road users were, generally, friendly to cyclists, but extra caution is advised as this is the main road used by heavy vehicles and motorists.

Taman Jubli Emas

The 20-hectare 12. Taman Jubli Emas was built in 2008 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the reign of the 27th ruler of Kedah, Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah, who is also the current Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia.

Golden Jubilee Monument

The Golden Jubilee Park features a Golden Jubilee monument, series of musical fountains, a skate park, a man-made lake and a mural. The 20-metre tall 13. Golden Jubilee Monument has five “keris” (Malay daggers) sculptures that signify the 50-year reign. The park is one of the most popular public parks in Alor Setar.

Gunung Keriang

We then cycled 3km further, taking a right turn to Jalan Gunung Keriang to get a glimpse of the 14. Gunung Keriang from quite a distance. The hill is famous for its limestone and crystal formations.

Istana Anak Bukit

A turn to the left at the junction between Jalan Gunung Keriang and Lebuhraya Darul Aman took us to 15. Istana Anak Bukit, the Sultan of Kedah’s royal palace and official residence. There is a mini zoo within the compounds of the colourful royal garden which is open to visitors.

After cycling the final 6km from Istana Anak Bukit, we ended the Alor Setar Royal Heritage Trail cycling tour at where we started, Menara Alor Setar.

Overall, this was an easy 16.43km tour, which was mostly done on flat road. It is suitable for tourists of all ages but may appeal more to those who prefer to cycle a certain distance before making a stop.

All in all, the historical and heritage sites, that we have had the opportunity to visit this time, were definitely worth going all the way for.

Cycling Route – Alor Setar Royal Heritage Trail