Akar Nusa
Friday noon in George Town. A call to prayer rises from a mosque. A few steps away incense drifts from a Chinese temple. Down the road a Hindu temple's bells ring, and a church tower stands across the way.
The story
George Town on Penang island was founded by Francis Light in 1786 as a trading port. He took formal possession of the island on 11 August of that year. The first roads were laid out in a grid, including Light, Beach, Chulia and Pitt streets. From the start the port drew Chinese, Malay, Indian, Siamese, Peranakan and Eurasian people. In 2008 the city centre became a UNESCO World Heritage Site, together with Melaka.
Pitt Street, also called Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling, has four places of worship for four religions within metres of each other:
- Kapitan Keling Mosque (Islam), built in 1801.
- Kong Hock Keong, the Goddess of Mercy Temple (Taoism), built in the early 18th century.
- Sri Mahamariamman Temple (Hinduism), built in 1833.
- St. George's Church (Christianity), built in 1816.
The street is nicknamed the Street of Harmony, for the way the religions and cultures live side by side along it. Dates vary a little between sources, so the old buildings are a good reason to visit and ask.
Close by, in Cannon Square, stands the Khoo Kongsi, a clan house described on our page about Chinese clan associations. Together these buildings show how migrants made a home in a port town, each community building its own place of worship and association.
UNESCO describes George Town as a unique architectural and cultural townscape. The Khoo Kongsi nearby was first built in 1851 and rebuilt after a fire, finished in 1906. Walking from the mosque to the temples to the church takes only minutes, which is part of why the street is loved.
Where you can still see it today
- Pitt Street (Lebuh Pitt), walkable in a short time. Please dress modestly and ask before entering places of worship.
- Kapitan Keling Mosque, Kong Hock Keong, Sri Mahamariamman Temple and St. George's Church, each with its own hours and visiting rules.
- Khoo Kongsi, nearby in Cannon Square.
- The wider UNESCO heritage zone of George Town.
What DNA can tell, and what it cannot
DNA cannot tell which temple, mosque or church a person belongs to. This page has no mother-line or father-line tie, and we have not made one up.
George Town's history is a mix of peoples, and a Malaysian we have tested may see a region estimate that points to several places. That is the picture of a trading port, and it says nothing about faith. DNA does not decide race, religion or any legal status. Those are matters of belief, family and law.
