Kampung Melayu, Air Itam

Jalan Kampung Melayu, Air Itam, Penang (9 September 2012)


Kampung Melayu is one of the settlements in Air Itam, Penang. Its name came about because it was originally a Malay village in the late 19th century. The settlement of Kampung Melayu developed at the confluence of Sungai Air Itam with Sungai Air Putih.

The early settlement of Kampung Melayu drew inhabitants from earlier Malay settlement on Penang island, among them the Malay village of the Acheen Street area. The village may have seen an influx of refugees during the period when war broke out between different factions of the Malays, who found themselves aligned to either the Red Flag or White Flag secret societies whose activities were prominent in George Town.

Sheikh Omar Basheer Mausoleum, Kampung Melayu, Air Itam (9 September 2012)


The Malay settlers of Kampung Melayu left their mark in the Air Itam area. Among them, the Malay Boys' Orphanage, at the junction of Jalan Air Itam and Thean Teik Road, stands as a reminder of the once predominant Malay character to the area.

Probably the most prominent member of society in Kampung Melayu was the Naqshabandiah Sufi teacher, Sheikh Omar Basheer Al-Khalidy. His mausoleum, a gazetted heritage site in Kampung Melayu today, is the biggest Muslim mausoleum in Penang.

Aerial view of Kampung Melayu, Air Itam, with the Kampung Melayu Flats in the background (18 May 2013)

Streets in Kampung Melayu

Going to Kampung Melayu by public transport

Kampung Melayu is served by Rapid Penang Bus 204.

Location of Kampung Melayu on the map

List of Villages on Penang Island

Private Guided Tours of Penang

If you are seeking private guided tours of Penang, message Penang Tour Guides at penangtourguides@gmail.com and enquire with them.

 Buy, rent or sell properties in Penang

Do you have a property for sale or to rent out? Are you looking to buy or rent a property? Get in touch with me. WhatsApp me (Timothy Tye) at 012 429 9844, and I will assign one of my property agents to serve you. I will choose the agent for you, according to your property needs. So when you message me, provide me some details of what you need, whether to sell, to buy, to rent or to rent out, and what type of property, is it condo, apartment, house, shop, office or land.

 Latest updates on Penang Travel Tips

Map of Roads in Penang

Looking for information on Penang? Use this Map of Roads in Penang to zoom in on information about Penang, brought to you road by road.

About this website

Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

While I try my best to provide you information as accurate as I can get it to be, I do apologize for any errors and for outdated information which I am unaware. Nevertheless, I hope that what I have described here will be useful to you.