George Town Heritage Enclave

Cannon Square in front of Leong San Tong clan temple (4 February 2006)


George Town Heritage Enclave is a section of George Town that was marked out as the cultural and heritage precinct of the city. This was done at the turn of the 21st century, during the period when George Town and Melaka were still in the nomination and tentative stages of being inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Penang Heritage Enclave comprises the area bounded by Armenian Street, Cannon Street and Acheen Street. Some times, Pitt Street and a section of Chulia Street all the way till the Nagore Durgha Shrine is included.

Bordering the George Town Heritage Enclave are Little India to the east, the Chinese Trades Neighbourhood to the south and New Chinatown to the north. There are overlaps between different neighbourhoods.

Interior of Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi (28 February 2004)


The Penang Heritage Enclave has one of the highest concentration of historical buildings in George Town. Among the sights worth mentioning along Armenian Street includes the Syed Alatas Mansion (Penang Islamic Museum), Dr Sun Yat-sen's Penang Base, Yap Kongsi, Yap Temple (Choo Chay Keong Temple), Hock Teik Cheng Sin Temple and Cheah Kongsi. On Cannon Street, which links Armenian to Acheen Street, is the grandest heritage building in Penang, the Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi. On Acheen Street, we find the World Heritage Office (Penang Tourism Information Centre) and Acheen Street Mosque.

The Penang Heritage Enclave can be easily explored on foot. Most visitors start at the junction of Armenian Street and Cannon Street, and work their way to all the sights in the area. You should allocated about 3 hours to visit all the sights, assuming you can to slowly go through each of them and read their history plaques.

Acheen Street Mosque (4 July 2004)

How to reach the Penang Heritage Enclave

By Bus
Rapid Penang buses that you can take include CAT Free Shuttle or Nos. 10, 103, 301, 401 or 401E to Pitt Street. Get down at the bus stop at Pitt Street and walk south in the direction of Armenian Street. If unsure, as the locals "How to go to Khoo Kongsi", and they will point you to the Penang Heritage Enclave.

By Walking
From the Weld Quay Ferry & Bus Terminal, take the pedestrian crossing to cross Pengkalan Weld (Weld Quay). Walk south along Pengkalan Weld until junction with Gat Lebuh Chulia (Chulia Street Ghaut). Turn right, walk along Gat Lebuh Chulia. After the intersection with Lebuh Pantai (Beach Street), it is known as Lebuh Chulia (Chulia Street). Continue on Lebuh Chulia until intersection with Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling (Pitt Street). Turn left, walk along Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling until intersection with Lebuh Armenian (Armenian Street). The Penang Heritage Enclave starts here.

Dr Sun Yat Sen's Penang Base (4 February 2006)

Location Map of the Penang Heritage Enclave

The red line denotes the approximate area of the Penang Heritage Enclave. The green line denotes the route from the Weld Quay Ferry & Bus Terminal. Red squares pinpoint places of interest along the way.

Location of the Heritage Enclave on the map