Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, began their maiden visit to Penang at the beginning of November by visiting places of worship in George Town, the UNESCO World Heritage site.
The British royal couple’s one-day visit to Penang, which was originally named “Prince of Wales Island”, started with a stopover at the St George’s Church, the oldest Anglican church in Southeast Asia, before proceeding to the Kapitan Keling Mosque.
Built in 1801 by Penang’s first Indian Muslim settlers, Kapitan Keling Mosque is located at the junction of Lebuh Buckingham and Lebuh Pitt, and is one of the largest mosques in Penang Island built according to the Indo-Moorish structure.
Other stops included the Han Jiang Ancestral Temple, Sri Mahamariamman Temple at Queen Street and the Seven Terraces, a contiguous row of Anglo-Chinese terrace houses located just behind the Goddess of Mercy Temple at Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling.
Intrepid travellers can follow in Prince Charles and Camilla’s footsteps with curated day trips in Penang:
Tour Code: PENDMGHT
See the best of Penang’s unique sites and sounds during this comprehenive half-day tour. Visit the world’s fourth longest statue of The Reclining Buddha at Wat Chayamangkalaram, then proceed to the elaborate Dhammikarama Temple, which is the first Buddhist temple to be built in Penang in 1803. Drive past the harmony street of Penang, where Saint Georges Angelican Church (built in 1818), Kuan Yin – Goddess of Mercy Temple (Penang’s oldest Taoist temple built around 1800 when the Chinese settled in Penang), Sri Mariamman Temple (the island’s oldest Hindu temple) and Masjid Kapitan Keling (the oldest Indian Muslim mosque) all can be found. Next, stop at Khoo Kongsi, a magnificent hall embellished with intricate carvings and wood work, followed by a visit to a local coffee shop and brief photo stop at Fort Cornwallis, the points where Francis Light and crew landed in 1786.