Batu Kawan

Batu Kawan

Batu Kawan is an island with a small town in the area of Penang, Malaysia. The island is situated off Seberang Perai, which is on the mainland. One of the ends of the future Penang Second Bridge is in Batu Kawan. The Batu Kawan Stadium (Penang's state stadium) is also located there.

Batu Kawan was long considered a quiet backwater, noted for sugar-cane, coconut and rubber plantations in the 1800s. It was among the oldest towns in Penang. Since the government chose Batu Kawan as the mainland site for the Penang Second Bridge, its development and progress have come under intense scrutiny.

Local History

The tiny island has many hidden historical gems, dating back to the days of the British colonial masters.

Tangga Seribu

Locals in Batu Kawan would have heard about Tangga Seribu (a thousand steps) which charted a path up Bukit Batu Kawan but few outsiders have knowledge about it.

The steps continued to the top of the hill and down the other side. They were believed to have been built by a rich quarry owner about 200 years ago. At the summit of the 776ft-highhill there once sat a village, for whose villagers the steps had been built. The waterfall near the summit has dried up since the plantation of rubber trees.

The ruins of the steps are now covered by forest vegetation and soil, and there remain only some stone structures to indicate the position of the old pathway, which ends at the beach near Batu Musang jetty.

Batu Musang Jetty

The Batu Musang jetty was once used by tongkang (junks) to transport quarry stones from nearby hills to build George Town.

Club Beach

The short strip of beach at Batu Kawan was once popularly known as the Club beach. There was a clubhouse frequented by Europeans who worked and lived on the island, where they danced and dined at night. The clubhouse is long gone, and locals refer to it as Batu Musang beach. the only structure in the vicinity of this secluded beach is the newly built Batu Musang jetty.

Batu Kawan Kampung

Around the "kampung" (village), there are several age-old bullock-powered stone grinders that were used in the past to crush sugar cane to extract the juice. Though the stone grinders were missing, the granite base of the contraptions was still intact.

References

* [http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/12/12/north/16290602&sec=North Tiny island of historical gems] , The Star, December 12, 2006.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Batu Maung — is a small town in Penang, Malaysia. It is located in the southeastern part of Penang Island. It consists of several smaller villages namely Kampung Seronok (at the border with Bayan Lepas), Kampung Binjai, Permatang Damar Laut, Kampung Batu… …   Wikipedia

  • Malaysia Federal Route 149 — Federal Route 149 Jalan Batu Kawan Major junctions West end: Batu Kawan   …   Wikipedia

  • Penang Second Bridge — Infobox Bridge in Malaysia bridge name=Penang Second Bridge official name=Penang Second Bridge malay name=Jambatan Kedua Pulau Pinang locale=Penang Second Bridge carries=Motor vehicles crosses=Penang Straight, Penang mainspan=17 km length=24 km… …   Wikipedia

  • Seberang Perai — (also known in English as Province Wellesley) is a narrow hinterland opposite Penang island on the Malay Peninsula, which together with the island forms the Malaysian state of Penang. History The province was originally named after Richard… …   Wikipedia

  • North–South Expressway Northern Route — See also: North South Expressway, Malaysia and North South Expressway Southern Route E1 Expressway North–South Expressway Northern Route Route information …   Wikipedia

  • Liste der Autobahnen in Malaysia — Qualitätssicherung des WikiProjekts Straßen …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Malaysia Federal Route 150 — Federal Route 150 Jalan Paaboi Major junctions West end: Bukit Tambun   …   Wikipedia

  • Bukit Tambun Interchange — Malaysian expressway interchange Interchange=MES EXIT|158A MES EXIT|158B BUKIT TAMBUN Code=BTU BTS Expressway location=MES E|1 AHN AH|2 North South Expressway Northern Route Location= Bukit Tambun Penang Interchange type= Parcelo interchange… …   Wikipedia

  • Malaysia Federal Route 1 — Federal Route 1 Route information Length: 826.6 km (513.6 mi) Existed: 1903 – present …   Wikipedia

  • Ramasamy Palanisamy — Yang Berhomat Prof. Dr. Ramasamy Palanisamy Deputy Chief Minister of Penang, Malaysia Incumbent Assumed office 2008 Member of the Malaysian Parliament …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”