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"In the late 18th and 19th centuries, this was the street of Sumatran and Malay traders as well as the centre of Haj activities when the mode of transportation to Mecca was by sea."
Introduction
Also referred to as Acheen Street, Lebuh Acheh - one of the many historical areas in George Town - still bears the strong Muslim influence in terms of its population as well as architecture and culture. One of the most prominent landmarks here is the Acheen Street Mosque, built in 1808 with the benevolent donation from Tengku Syed Hussain Al-Aidid, an Achenese aristocrat who was also a wealthy trader in Penang at the time. Today, there are still some shops in front of the Acheen Street Mosque, selling Islamic books and prayer accessories.
History
Just as Lebuh Chulia and Lebuh China were accorded to the Indian Muslims and Chinese immigrants in the days of the beginning of George Town, Lebuh Acheh and nearby Lebuh Armenian were designated as the settlement area for the Malays, particularly from Acheh, in the northern region of Sumatra as well as Arab settlers.
Many of the settlers here are Muslim Malays and during its heydays, Lebuh Acheh and the surrounding area was where the Haj activities were centred during the time when the Muslim pilgrimage travelled by ship. Each year, when the pilgrimage period begins, Lebuh Achec would be filled with pilgrims from Sumatra, Thailand and the Northern Malay Peninsula busy making their travel arrangements for the Haj. During that time, Lebuh Acheh was a community bustling with travel agencies, restaurants, shops and lodging-houses – a place where the pilgrims mingled, shopped and attended religious gatherings while waiting for their ships to depart and take them to Mecca.
People
Leaders of the community in Lebuh Acheh were Arab merchants and Achehnese pepper merchants from Northern Sumatra. One of the more famous of these merchants was Syed Mohamed Alatas, whose mansion still stands along Lebuh Armenian until today. In the middle of the 19th century, it is said that there were about 300 traders in the area. Interestingly enough, there were also a minority community of Jewish settlers on nearby Lebuh Armenian at the time.
For more information, please contact:
Penang Tourism Action Council
56th Floor, KOMTAR
10000 Penang
Tel : +604-262 0202
Fax : +604-2631020
Email : enquiry@tourismpenang.gov.my
Last viewed - July 06, 2008
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