Acheen Street 打石街

Lebuh Acheh, Penang (11 February 2013)


Acheen Street (Malay: Lebuh Acheh, Chinese: 打石街, Pinyin: Dǎ shí jiē, Penang Hokkien: Phak1 Ciok3 Kay1 ) is a street in the inner city of George Town and within the core zone of the George Town Unesco World Heritage Site. It derives its name from the Acehnese community that lived there. Acheen Street is almost as old as George Town itself.

Acheen Street runs from Carnarvon Street to Beach Street. From there it continues as Acheen Street Ghaut. It also forms junctions with Armenian Street and Cannon Street.

Map of Lebuh Acheh, Penang

Hotels on Acheen Street

Sights along Acheen Street

Restaurants on Acheen Street

Historic Buildings on Acheen Street

Nearby Sights

Businesses along Acheen Street

Section of Acheen Street where Kampong Che Long was located (22 November 2008)


Acheen Street sign, with Chinese (12 November 2008)

Getting to know Acheen Street

Late 18th Century
If you turn back time, to the very start of George Town, you will note that when George Town was established, it pretty much drew some trading activities away from Aceh, which was already an established trading hub in northern Sumatra. To ensure that the new trading port survives, Captain Francis Light set up the prototype of a "free trade zone". He managed to attract Tengku Syed Hussain Al-Aidid, an Arab trader who was also a member of the Acehnese royal house, to move to Penang. He did this by making a very attractive offer to this very powerful Acehnese leader: that he and his entire clan may live above British laws, and that within Tengku Syed Hussain's jurisdiction, Mahomedan Laws (that is to say, Syariah Law) prevails over colonial laws.

From the time of his arrival in 1792 until his death in 1840, Tengku Syed Hussain transformed the character of Acheen Street. He founded the Acheen Street Mosque in 1808, so that his people have a permanent place of worship. His properties include the four-storey warehouse, now called Gudang Acheh, at the junction of Acheen Street and Beach Street (Lebuh Pantai).

Acheen Street sign, with Jawi (12 November 2008)


Acheen Street road sign in Tamil (18 May 2013)


Mid 19th Century
By the mid 19th century, there were two Malay villages along Acheen Street: Kampong Che Long located at the junction of Acheen Street with Armenian Street, and Kampong Tuan Guru at the junction of Acheen Street with Cannon Square.

Kampong Che Long was established by Che Long Jaafar, a powerful Malay leader who founded the Red Flag Society. The Red Flag Society had a close relationship with the Khian Teik Society, also called the Tua Pek Kong Society, based at Hock Teik Cheng Sin and Khoo Kongsi. The leader of the Red Flag Society included Syed Al-Atas, whose mansion at 128 Armenian Street today houses the Penang Islamic Museum. The Red Flag Society and Khien Teik Society fought a common enemy, which was the alliance of the White Flag Society and the Ghee Hin. The antagonism between these two factions erupted into street fighting called the Penang Riots in 1867, resulting in the British banning these societies.

Kampong Tuan Guru was established by Abdul Ghani bin Abdul Rashid from Madura. He was also called Tuan Guru, meaning Master Teacher, because he was an orthodox religious teacher. Tuan Guru also established two mosques in Penang, the Masjid Maqbul in Jelutong and Masjid Tuan Guru in Tanjong Tokong.

An offshoot from Acheen Street is Lumut Lane, or Lorong Lumut, where the Basheer family established themselves.

2008 Acheen Street
Acheen Street was the first street in Penang to be given street signs in different languages, when Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng gave the greenlight to make the chance, as a means to promote greater appreciation of local heritage. The section from Carnavon Street to the junction of Cannon Square spot Roman and Jawi lettering of the name "Lebuh Aceh", while the section from Cannon Square to Beach Street spot Chinese characters for the Hokkien name of Acheen Street, Phak1 Ciok3 Kay1 (Stonemason's Street).

Acheen Street plaque (22 November 2008)

Restoration

Many of the houses along Acheen Street underwent restoration after the World Heritage inscription. The restoration was completed by mid 2013. As I write, some of these shophouses are being let out to commercial tenants.

Restored shophouses along Acheen Street (12 May 2013)


It is interesting to note the height difference of the restored shophouses, all of which (if I'm not wrong) belong to the Acheen Street Mosque. The taller shophouses, numbered 83, 85 and 87, in Indo-Malay Straits Eclectic Style, were built in the 1920's ¹. Also, according to the 1994 MPPP survey, house number 87 once housed a travel agency that make pilgrimage arrangements. The shorter houses, numbered 77, 79 and 81, were built in the mid-19th century, judging from their simpler appearance, in the early shophouse style.

In Other Words ...

In Hokkien: Phak1 Ciok3 Kay1 (Stonemason's Street); Kuan3 Lau2 (Tall House), for section near Gudang Acheh.
In Cantonese: Ta Shek Kai (Stonemason's Street); Ko Lau Chai (Tall House), for section near Gudang Acheh.

Getting there

Acheen Street can be reached by taking the Rapid Penang Bus 10, 301, 302, 307, 401 and 502, disembarking at Lebuh Carnavon. Check the Rapid Penang Bus Routes for details.

References

List of Streets in Penang and Streets in Malaysia

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