What Makes Georgetown a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Ever get the feeling that most of your holidays have been following a similar pattern? Three museums, 2 ancient ruins, 4 shopping trips and a dozen club related hangovers?

Try something new this summer!

Fort Cornwallis in Georgetown is one of the oldest forts in Malaysia.Dial up the culture quotient of your vacation week and head to Georgetown in Penang, Malaysia. Visit its most important sites to see for yourself why this awesome city has been honoured as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Go crazy with the ‘Georgetowners’ as they celebrate the fifth year of their city’s inscription on July 7^th and come back wide eyed at all the history strewn about. And yes, don’t forget to shop!

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The Stunning Qualifiers

World Heritage Cities qualify on the basis of sites, places and architectural commemorations depicting events that have had an impact on the region’s history. Here are a few sites in Georgetown that make it worthy of this honour. Go see:

Fort Cornwallis: One of the oldest forts in Malaysia that was built by Sir Francis Light, the founder of Penang, at his original landing spot on the island. The fort is home to one of the oldest light houses, the largest canon and the oldest chapel in Malaysia.

Wat Chaiyamangalaram: A Thai-Style Buddhist temple built in 1845, famous for its enormous reclining Buddha statue. At 33 meters, it is the longest anywhere in the world!

Wat Chaiyamangalaram is a famous Thai-Style Buddhist temple built in 1845. Photo Credit: Myloismylife / Wikimedia

Kapitan Keling Mosque: One of the oldest mosques in the city, this early 19^th century tranquil structure was built by an Indian Muslim trader Caudeer Mohudeen and is a very revered place of worship. It is significant for being the keystone of the Islamic population in Georgetown for the last 200 years.

Protestant Cemetery: The cemetery is a testimonial to the  colonial era of Penang and is an important heritage site being the oldest Christian cemetery in all of Malaysia. This gardened site is also the final resting place of Captain Francis Light – the founder of Georgetown. An interesting place to visit, the burial site, also known as the Northam Road Cemetery, offers you a glimpse of the tough living conditions of the earliest residents of the city:  most people buried here did not even reach the age of 50!

Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion: The erstwhile home of the wildly successful and very influential Chinese merchant, Cheong Fatt Tze is a one of the most vivid memories you would take back with you. Built on the principles of Feng Shui, the bright blue mansion showcases the mastery of Chinese architects and masons.

Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion or the blue mansion showcases the unique skill of Chinese architects and masons. Photo Credit: Mahen Bala / Wikimedia

E&O Hotel: A venerable Penang landmark, the Eastern & Oriental Hotel dominates the coast on the Strait of Malacca – one of the busiest sea lanes in the world. Visiting the E&O Hotel and looking out at the strait gives you an idea of why Penang was once the most important harbour in Asia for competing colonists like the English, Dutch and Portuguese.

Georgetown has a good mix of colonial-era architecture and buildings constructed in the typical Chinese and Muslim styles. This is what forms the background to the conspicuously diverse, rich tapestry of life in the city that is so worth exploring. You could always visit beaches and wildlife parks, but here is a once in a lifetime experience that you shouldn’t miss. Excited enough to go? Book your flight, plan your travel and find a great hotel in Penang on MakeMyTrip.com.