Golden dome
An elegant octagon.
Zamwan — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Marufish from Alor Setar, Malaysia — CC BY-SA 2.0 · No machine-readable author provided. Lunofabo assumed (based on copyright claims). — Public domain · Marufish from Alor Setar, Malaysia — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Marufish from Alor Setar, Malaysia — CC BY-SA 2.0
An elegant three-storey octagonal tower in yellow and white, crowned by a golden onion dome, on the royal square in central Alor Setar. It was built in 1906 in the reign of Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah to house the nobat, the instruments of the royal orchestra of the Kedah sultanate. The nobat is a traditional royal ensemble of nine instruments, mostly drums with pipes, a trumpet, cymbals and a gong, played only at the greatest royal ceremonies such as the installation of sultans and royal weddings. Tradition holds that its first drums were a gift from the Sultan of Malacca in the fifteenth century, making them among the sultanate's oldest symbols. The tower is not open to visitors, and the instruments stay inside until they are brought out for official occasions, so a visit means seeing it from outside. In front stands an ornate white gateway that completes the picture. It is a few steps from the Balai Besar and the Zahir Mosque, so take them in on a short walk around the royal square; it photographs best in morning light or before sunset.
An elegant octagon.
Played only at ceremonies.
An ornate entrance before it.
The royal square in central Alor Setar, opposite the Balai Besar and the Zahir Mosque
Balai BesarThe royal audience hall of the sultans of Kedah, at the heart of the historic sq2 minutes walk
Kedah Royal MuseumAn old royal palace known as Istana Pelamin, the wedding palace, completed in 172 minutes walk
Zahir MosqueKedah's state mosque and one of the oldest and most beautiful mosques in Malaysi2 minutes walk
Kedah State Art GalleryAn art gallery in a handsome historic building on the royal square in central Al3 minutes walk
Alor Setar TowerA 165.5-metre telecommunications tower, the tallest structure in Kedah and the t5 minutes walkIt is played only at the greatest royal ceremonies such as installations and royal weddings, so visitors very rarely see or hear it.