The wedding palace
Among the city's oldest buildings.
Marufish from Alor Setar, Malaysia — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Marufish from Alor Setar, Malaysia — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Marufish from Alor Setar, Malaysia — CC BY-SA 2.0
An old royal palace known as Istana Pelamin, the wedding palace, completed in 1735 when Alor Setar became the seat of government under Sultan Muhammad Jiwa, which makes it one of the oldest buildings still standing in the city. The palace was restored and opened as a royal museum in 1983. It displays the collections of the late Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah of Kedah, who twice served as King of Malaysia, along with items from other members of the royal family: costumes, weapons, decorations, gifts and photographs that trace one of the oldest ruling houses in the region. In the garden in front, old cannons line both sides of the path. Entry is free, and it opens daily from nine in the morning to five in the afternoon, closing on the first day of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. The visit is short, about an hour. It stands on the royal square beside the Balai Besar, the audience hall where royal ceremonies are held, and facing the Balai Nobat tower and the Zahir Mosque, so make it part of one walk through the heart of the city.
Among the city's oldest buildings.
Sultan Abdul Halim's collections.
Old guns lining the path.
The royal square in central Alor Setar, beside the Balai Besar
Zahir MosqueKedah's state mosque and one of the oldest and most beautiful mosques in Malaysi3 minutes walk
Alor Setar TowerA 165.5-metre telecommunications tower, the tallest structure in Kedah and the t7 minutes walk
Kedah State MuseumKedah's main state museum, founded in 1957 as the Kedah History Museum and moved23 minutes walkThe Balai Besar is the royal audience hall where the sultanate's ceremonies are held; it is not usually open to visitors, but its ornate architecture is worth admiring from outside.