Mahathir Birthplace

The capital's biggest, most prominent, and most architecturally impressive Buddhist temple complex strategically located in downtown Alor Setar. Built in Thai temple architecture with gilded roofs and colourful mosaic walls, it is a peaceful oasis for the city dwellers and caters to the mainly Chinese and Thai Buddhist populations.

This building houses the sacred instruments of the Royal orchestra, played only during royal ceremonies such as inaugurations, weddings and funerals. The instruments consist of three drums, a gong and a flute, peculiar to the haunting strains of "nobat" music.

Located towards the back of the Kota Star Palace complex is the Balai Besar. It was built as aa Balai Rong Seri or Balai Penghadapan (audience hall) in 1735 by the 19th Sultan of Kedah, Sultan Muhammad Jiwa Zainal Adilin Muazzam Shah. It was a lovely building with wood pillars, roofs and flooring, but the building was badly damaged in 1770 when the Bugis armada attacked the place, and ruined even further by the Siamese in 1821. It was, however, refurbished in 1896 to prepare for the weddings of the reigning Sultan's children. Besides weddings, the Balai Besar was also used for official ceremonies and other royal events.

Kota Kuala Kedah at the mouth of the Kedah River is also known as Kota Kuala Bahang. Kota means fort and this was actually a fort that was built to ward off Kedah's enemies who came from the sea. It is said to have been built by stone masons especially brought in from India. Today, it is a fishing village, known for the variety of seafood that is served by the numerous restaurants that have since carved their business at the old historic site.

This is a museum that teaches all you need to know about paddy and rice; from the process of planting and harvesting, and all the way to the benefits and the many grades of rice. Entrance fee is applicable. The main attraction within the museum is the rotating deck, showcasing a large 360-degree mural depicting the four phases from planting to harvesting. On weekends, you may also experience riding the Malaysia traditional mode of transportation, the cow-caravan or kereta lembu.