welcome to KEDAH....

This is my state. I come from Kedah and I want to tell a bit about my beloved state.

Kedah's flag

Maps of Kedah,Malaysia

Kedah also known by its honorific, Darul Aman, or "Abode of Peace"[citation needed]) is a state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area of over 9,000 km², and it consists of the mainland and Langkawi. The mainland has a relatively flat terrain, which is used to grow rice. Langkawi is an archipelago of islands, most of which are uninhabited. Kedah was called Kadaram by ancient and medieval Tamil people and Syburi by the Siamese when it was under their influence.

To the north, Kedah borders the state of Perlis and shares an international boundary with the Songkhla and Yala provinces of Thailand. It borders the states of Perak to the south and Penang to the southwest.

The state's capital is Alor Setar and the royal seat is in Anak Bukit. Other major towns include Sungai Petani, and Kulim on the mainland, and Kuah on Langkawi.

History

Archaeological evidence found in Bujang Valley reveals that a Hindu–Buddhist kingdom ruled ancient Kedah possibly as early as 110 A.D. The discovery of temples, jetty remains, iron smelting sites, and clay brick monuments dating back to 110 A.D shows that a maritime trading route with south Indian Tamil kingdoms was already established since that time. The discoveries in Bujang Valley also made the ancient Kedah as the oldest civilisation of Southeast Asia.

Reference to ancient Kedah was first mentioned in a Tamil poem Paṭṭiṉappālai written at the end of 2nd century A.D. It described goods from Kadaram "heaped together in the broad streets" of Chola capital. Other than Kadaram, Kedah was known with different names at varying times in Indian literature; Kataha-Nagara (in Kaumudi Mahotsava drama), Anda-Kataha (in Agni Purana), Kataha-Dvipa (in Samarāiccakahā), and Kataha (in Kathasaritsagara). In the middle eastern literature, ancient Kedah was referred as Qilah by Ibn Khordadbeh in Kitāb al Masālik w’al Mamālik, Kalah-Bar by Soleiman Siraf & Abu Zaid al Hassan in Silsilat-al-Tawarikh (travels in Asia), and Kalah by Abu-Dulaf Misa'r Ibn Muhalhil in Al-Risalah al-thaniyah. The famous Tang Dynasty Buddhist monk, Yi Jing who visited Malay archipelago between 688-695, also mentioned about a kingdom known as Ka-Cha in the northern part of Malay peninsula, which according to him was 30 days sail from Bogha (Palembang), the capital of Sribogha (Srivijaya).

According to Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa or the Kedah Annals, Kedah was founded by a Hindu king named Merong Mahawangsa. According to the text further, the Sultanate of Kedah started in year 1136 when King Phra Ong Mahawangsa converted to Islam and adopted the name Sultan Mudzafar Shah.

In the 7th and 8th centuries, Kedah was under the loose control of Srivijaya. In 1025, the city was conquered by Rajendra Chola, the Chola king from Coromandel in South India, who occupied it for some time. A second invasion was led by Virarajendra Chola of the Chola dynasty who conquered Kedah in the late 11th century. During the reign of Kulothunga Chola I Chola overlordship was established over the Sri Vijaya province Kedah in the late 11th century.

It was later under Siam, until it was conquered by the Malay sultanate of Malacca in the 15th century. In the 17th century, Kedah was attacked by the Portuguese after their conquest of Malacca, and by Aceh. In the hope that Great Britain would protect what remained of Kedah from Siam, the sultan handed over Penang and then Province Wellesley to the British at the end of the 18th century. The Siamese nevertheless invaded Kedah in 1821, and it remained under Siamese control until transferred to the British by the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909.

In World War II, Kedah (along with Kelantan) was the first part of Malaya to be invaded by Japan. The Japanese returned Kedah to their Thai allies who had it renamed Syburi, but it returned to British rule after the end of the war. Kedah was a reluctant [citation needed] addition to the Federation of Malaya in 1948.

Since 1958, the hereditary Sultan of Kedah has been Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah. The Kedah Sultanate began when the 9th Kedah Maharaja Derbar Raja AD) converted to Islam and changed his name to Sultan Mudzafar Shah I. Since then there have been 27 Sultans who ruled Kedah.[citation needed] The Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) is currently Dato' Paduka Mukhriz bin Tun Dr. Mahathir, the son of former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad, himself from Kedah.

Geography

Kedah is the 8th largest state by land area and 8th most populated state in Malaysia, with a total land area of 9,500 km2 (3,700 sq mi), and a population of 1,890,098.The Pedu Lake is the largest man-made lake in the state.

Administrative divisions

Modern Kedah is divided into 12 administrative districts or "daerah" in Malay. There are:

1. Baling
2. Bandar Baharu contains Serdang
3. Kota Setar, contains Alor Setar
4. Kuala Muda contains Sungai Petani
5. Kubang Pasu
6. Kulim
7. Pulau Langkawi contains Kuah
8. Padang Terap
9. Pendang
10. Pokok Sena
11. Sik
12. Yan 

administrative divisions in Kedah

Tourism

Tourism is mainly concentrated on Langkawi Island, the largest island in the archipelago. There are some places of interest on the mainland as well.

  

      Kedah Mainland

• Bukit Kayu Hitam
• Alor Setar Tower – One of the tallest telecommunications tower in the world, standing tall at 165.5-metre in heightBalai Nobat
• Bukit Kayu Hitam
• Balai Seni Negeri
• Batu Hampar Waterfall
• Bujang Valley Archaeological Museum – The only museum in Malaysia to display archaeological artefacts proving the existence of international trade and development of the Hindu Buddha religion in South-East Asia in the 3rd - 12th century
• Junjong Waterfall
• Kota Kuala Kedah
• Lata Mengkuang Waterfall
• Lembah Bujang Archaeological Park
• Pekan Rabu (Wednesday Market) – A multi-storey arcade selling a wide range of traditional delicacies, handicraft products and apparel
• Rumah Merdeka
• Seri Perigi Waterfall
• Sungai Merbok Recreation Park
• Sungai Sedim Tree Top Walk – The longest canopy walk in the world stretching 950m-long, visitors can enjoy the fabulous sight of rushing streams and truly fascinating flora and fauna all from 50m up
• Ulu Muda Eco Park
• Ulu Paip Recreational Forest
• Hutan Paya Laut
• Ulu Legong Hot Springs – The only 24-hours hot spring, located 22 km from Baling[23]
• Titi Hayun Waterfall
• Gunung Jerai
• Zahir Mosque (Masjid Zahir) – One of Kedah's most distinctive architectural landmarks, it is one of the oldest mosques in the country

   Langkawi

  The Langkawi International Airport is located at Padang Matsirat and is also considered a tourist attraction as the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition takes place every 2 years near the airport. The airport handled almost 1.2 million passengers and over 41,000 aircraft movements in 2008. It serves as the primary gateway into Langkawi. In 2007, Langkawi Island was given a World Geopark status by UNESCO.

Places of interest at Langkawi

•        Mount Mat Cincang
•        Field of Burnt Rice
•        Hot Springs
•        Telaga Tujuh (The Seven Wells)
•        Beach of Black Sand
•        Tasik Dayang Bunting (Lake of the Pregnant Maiden)
•        Gua Cerita (Cave of Stories)
•        Gua Langsir (Curtain Cave)

Let’s visit Kedah