Bukit Mertajam: From Agriculture Town to Trade Center, and Home to St. Anne’s Church and Penang’s Delicacies.
Bukit Mertajam is a town on the mainland side of Penang neighboring Butterworth. Bukit Mertajam is actually named after a nearby hill, rather than situated on a hill as the name might imply. The roots of Bukit Mertajam can be traced back to the early 18th Century when immigrants from China settled down in Penang. Bukit Mertajam started out as an agriculture town that slowly evolved into a trade center as Penang Island started to become a major international port.
St. Anne’s Church is one of the oldest Roman Catholic Church in Penang, the original chapel constructed in 1846 by a French Priest, Father Adolphe Couellan. Its annual celebration of the feast of St Anne is able to attract over 100 thousand pilgrims, many from neighboring countries. Many Malaysians would also love to go on a food trip to Bukit Mertajam, and one of the place to stop by is Pek Kong Cheng, a food haven full of hawker stalls that sells all sorts of famous Penang delicacies.
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Attractions in Bukit Mertajam: |
1. St Anne’s Church | 2. Recreational Forest | 3. Mengkuang Dam |