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What to See
Offering the best of Asia, Penang 's sights and sounds reflect the colourful heritage of her many races and the pride of her people.

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Penang gourmet ranges from street food to fine dining but her myriad of flavours are definitely unique to the island state.

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Though there are definitely more than 10 interesting things to do in Penang, here's our Top 10 picks of “must-dos” when visiting the Pearl of the Orient.

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A UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE
 
  Welcome to George Town, Penang

“… A unique architectural and cultural townscape without parallel anywhere in East and Southeast Asia.” - UNESCO
 
 

About the Award

On 7th July, 2007, George Town’s rich living heritage, culture and history was officially recognised when the World Heritage Committee in Quebec City, Canada, officially inscribed the city as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Jointly listed with Melaka, George Town was acknowledged as having developed over 500 years of trading and cultural exchanges between East and West in the Straits of Malacca.

The influences of Asia and Europe have endowed the town with a specific multicultural heritage that is both tangible and intangible. Featuring residential and commercial buildings, George Town represents the British era from the end of the 18th century.

 
Penang Heritage
  Citing “outstanding universal values” as the reasons
for the inscription, UNESCO acknowledged the city as:
 
A remarkable example of historic colonial towns on the Straits of Malacca that demonstrate a succession of historical and cultural influences arising from their former function as trading ports linking East and West
The most complete surviving historic city centre on the Straits of Malacca with a multi-cultural living heritage originating from the trade routes from Great Britain and Europe through the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent and the Malay Archipelago to China
An exceptional example of multi-cultural trading towns in East and Southeast Asia, forged from the mercantile and exchanges of Malay, Chinese, and Indian cultures and three successive European colonial powers for almost 500 years, each with its imprints on the architecture and urban form, technology and monumental art
A living testimony to the multi-cultural heritage and tradition of Asia, and European
colonial influences
A reflection of a mixture of influences which have created a unique architechture,
culture and townscape
 
 
GEORGE TOWN: Cultural Heartland, Food Paradise by Khoo Salma
Heritage BuildingsLiving Heritage & Traditional Trades
 
 
 
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