๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ต, ๐ฅ๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ต ๐ง๐๐ป๐ธ๐ ๐๐๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป, ๐ง๐ฎ๐ธ๐ต๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฟ, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ด๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ ๐ก๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฎ-๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฒ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ป๐ถ๐ด๐บ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ฐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ต'๐ ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ป๐ผ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฎ๐ป๐ด.
ย ๐๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ฏ๐ข ๐๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฉ ๐ช๐ด ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ญ๐บ ๐ณ๐ฐ๐บ๐ข๐ญ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ. ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฉ ๐ณ๐ฐ๐บ๐ข๐ญ๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐ช๐จ๐ฏ๐ช๐ต๐ข๐ณ๐ช๐ฆ๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ช๐ณ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐บ๐ณ๐ช๐ข๐ฅ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ด๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด.
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๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ต
Istana Kedah or Kedah House is the residence of the Sultan Kedah in Penang. It is located along Northam Road and designed in the European Gothic style by Charles Geoffrey Boutcher.[1]
The Istana is parged in Shanghai plaster, giving it a boulder-like appearance; a striking contrast to the effervescent white plasterwork of the ornate mansions along North Beach. [2]
It is the only mansion heavily influenced by the work of famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
It is rumored that the Sultan built this house knowing that independence from Great Britain was imminent. Therefore, if Malaya gained independence, there is a slight chance that Penang might be returned to Kedah, its original rulers.
When the Sultan asked Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaya's first prime minister, if Penang would be returned to Kedah, it is said that Tunku replied, "I think not. Penang is doing rather nicely as it is".
Istana Kedah is not open to the public.
https://goo.gl/maps/ANUiJYoeQ9vk8mxU8
๐: [1] Penang Travel Tips website.
๐: [2] The Penang House
๐: [3] Penang; An inside guide to its historic homes, buildings, monuments and parks.
๐ธ: Penang Travel Tip
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๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ง
๐๐ข๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ฐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐ค๐ฎ ๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ฅ ๐๐๐ก๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ซ๐๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฒ๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ง๐๐ง๐ , ๐ข๐ง ๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ ๐ก๐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ง๐๐ฆ๐๐ ๐๐๐ค๐ก๐๐ข๐ซ?
Located just a short walk away from Youth Park, Jalan Ayer Rajah was renamed to Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman to honour our first Prime Minister, who chose to spend his remaining years in a bungalow here, which he named ๐๐๐ค๐ก๐๐ข๐ซ (Fate).
Below is an excerpt from Tunku Abdul Rahman's message, which prefaced an old book (Historical Personalities of Penang).
"When we moved to independence it was suggested that perhaps Penang and Province Wellesley might be handed back to Kedah, or at least Province Wellesley because it was under lease to the British Government, but I said, "No Penang has developed a character of its own and will make a useful member of the Federation of Malaya, so leave it alone". All the states went to make up Malaysia and Malaysia was the sole object of our loyalty.
I myself have decided to make my home in Penang, and it happened by accident rather than by design. When i left Kuala Lumpur on way to Kedah I stopped over for the Alliance Party, and my good friend Mr Tan Kim Yeow told me he had been offered two houses and would like me to take one of them.
Next day i went and saw the two houses nos 14 and 16 Jalan Ayer Rajah (now Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman) and i took a liking to No.16. It was an old house built in 1929 with a semi-tropical architecture on 1.5 acres of land. I liked it and bought it and named the house "Takhdir" (fate).
๐ and ๐ธ: Penang Hidden Gems
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๐ฅ๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ต ๐ง๐ฒ๐ป๐ด๐ธ๐ ๐๐๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป/๐จ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ ๐๐ผ๐๐๐ฒ
Rumah Tengku Kudin was the official residence of Tengku Dhiauddin ibni almarhum Sultan Zainul Rashid, more widely known as Tengku Kudin, after he retired to a life in exile in Penang from 1884 to 1906.
The significance of the house derives primarily from its extraordinary architectural style. Udini House was constructed based on the concept and architectural layout drafted by Tengku Kudin, who combined British colonial influences with traditional Malay architectural style.
The Western motifs were a nod to Tengku Kudin's European education background and his fondness for European culture. As a result, he incorporated architectural elements from the Italian Renaissance period and European arches. At the same time, Tengku Kudin adopted traditional Malay local architecture for the interior of the house, which was much more suitable for the hot tropical weather.
He also designed a magnificent European garden for Udini House that includes a stable, an aviary, and a deer park. Intriguingly, there is also, an underground tunnel that leads directly from the house towards the open beach!
The house was later purchased by Tengku Baharuddin bin Tengku Meh, who was Raja of Setul when it was still a part of Kedah, as a holiday home.
๐: Udini House: The Decaying Mansion of a Kedah Prince in Exile (Penang Monthly, February 2021)
๐ธ: Penang Travel Tips
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๐ง๐ฒ๐ป๐ด๐ธ๐ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฎ๐๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ป๐ถ ๐ฎ๐น๐บ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ต๐๐บ ๐ฆ๐๐น๐๐ฎ๐ป ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐๐น ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฑ (๐ง๐ฒ๐ป๐ด๐ธ๐ ๐๐๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป)
In 1821, Tengku Kudin was born in Penang into the royal family of Kedah. He is the second-eldest son of the 19th Sultan of Kedah, Muhammad Jiwa Azlin Muadzam Shah II. Tengku Kudin was given the title Raja Muda โ or Crown Prince โ shortly after he was born, making him the immediate heir to the throne.
His father arranged for him to receive European-style education to broaden Tengku Kudin's worldview to rule Kedah in the future. In 1867, Tengku Kudin married Tengku Arfah, the daughter of Sultan Abdul Samad of Selangor. Sultan Abdul Samad appoints Tengku Kudin as his special envoy or Wakil Yamtuan. As a Wakil Yamtuan, Tengku Kudin enjoyed special rights to govern the affairs of the Selangor Sultanate's territories: one of it was the Klang war that lasted till 1874.
Infuriated by Tunku Kudin's involvement in Klang War's battle for tin, Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin III of Kedah, his brother, stripped him of his royal title and permanently banned him from returning to Kedah. Tengku Kudin had in fact, as early as 1876 decided to leave for Kedah, but chose to move to Penang when he heard of his exile.
๐: Udini House: The Decaying Mansion of a Kedah Prince in Exile (Penang Monthly, February 2021)
๐ธ: Wikipedia
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๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ด๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ ๐ก๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฒ๐ต
Segara Ninda is a centuries-old mansion at the corner of Penang Road and Farquhar Street that once belonged to the Tengku Baharuddin bin Ku Meh, or Ku Din Ku Meh, the last Malay king that ruled Kingdom of Setul Mambang Segara, Southern Siam.
Setul was a Malay kingdom established by the cadet branch of the Kedah royal in the wake of a partition that took place in 1808. When the previous king of Setul, Tunku Abdul Rahman, had reportedly become insane, Setul was returned to Kedah in 1892 to be ruled by a high commissioner directly chosen by the Sultan Kedah. Ku Din Ku Meh was elected as the high commissioner because of his outstanding capabilities.
In 1901 Ku Din Ku Meh had acquired the plot of land upon which he built Segara Ninda. After his abdication in 1916, he involved himself in trading bird's nests, timber, rubber, and coconut. Penang was an ideal location for a permanent trading office, and so Segara Ninda became his office and holiday home.
Ku Din Ku Meh also bought Udini House as a holiday home.
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๐: The Holiday Home of the Last King of Setul (Penang Monthly, June 2019)
๐ธ: Penang Hidden Gems
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๐๐ ๐๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฒ๐ต
While Ku Din Ku Meh was not a direct descendant of the Setul royal house, he was born of nobility. In 1892, he was first elected as High Commissioner of Setul after the kingdom was left vacant. In 1900, Ku Din was appointed by the Siamese Government as the Governor of Setul.
As a statesman, his career reached its peak when he was proclaimed as King of Setul. The proclamation was affirmed by King Chulalongkorn of Siam and by the governors of the southern provinces of Siam, as an attempt to incorporate Setul under Siamese sovereignty.
In 1909 when the Anglo-Siamese Treaty was signed, Setul was recognised as sovereign territory of Siam.
Ku Din Ku Meh abdicated his throne in 1916 because of poor health. That same year, Kingdom of Siam dissolved the Malay kingship system in Setul, and the territory was renamed Satun.
Ku Din Ku Meh passed away in Setul in 1932.
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๐: The Holiday Home of the Last King of Setul (Penang Mothly, June 2019)
๐ธ: Wikipedia
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Author of this article:
Emilia Ismailย is the co-founder of Penang Hidden Gems and is an amateur โhistorianโ who enjoys discovering lesser-known historical information about Penang.