Ayer Rajah is a residential

neighbourhood A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural are ...

within the city of George Town in

Penang Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

. Located within the

Pulau Tikus Pulau Tikus is a northwestern suburb of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. Situated between the city centre and Tanjung Tokong, this upper class suburb was named after a rock just off the coast of Penang Island. It is home to small minorities of ...

suburb, the neighbourhood lies west of the city centre. This leafy, affluent neighbourhood, situated adjacent to the Penang Botanic Gardens, mostly consists of landed properties such as

bungalow A bungalow is a small house or cottage that is either single-story or has a second story built into a sloping roof (usually with dormer windows), and may be surrounded by wide verandas. The first house in England that was classified as a b ...

s and semi-detached houses, surrounded by tree-lined avenues.

Etymology

Ayer Rajah was named after Ayer Rajah Bay, the northern bay of George Town which forms the city's northern shoreline and includes the present-day

Gurney Drive Gurney Drive (,, ) is a popular seafront promenade within George Town, Penang, Malaysia. The road is also famous for the street cuisine at the seafront's hawker centre and has been listed as one of the 25 best streets worldwide to visit by the A ...

History

By 1796, 10 years after the establishment of George Town by

Francis Light Captain Francis Light ( – 21 October 1794) was a British explorer and the founder of the British colony of Penang (in modern-day Malaysia) and its capital city of George Town in 1786. Light and his lifelong partner, Martina Rozells, were th ...

, more than of the area had been cleared, forming the Ayer Rajah Estate. The agricultural plantation, founded by Light's Scottish partners, David Brown and James Scott, was owned by the Brown and Scott families. In particular, Scott Road, which runs through the neighbourhood, was named after James Scott. Other prominent personalities who once resided within this neighbourhood include the first

Malaysian Prime Minister The prime minister of Malaysia ( ms, Perdana Menteri Malaysia; ms, ڤردان منتري مليسيا, label=Jawi alphabet, Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset) is the head of government of Malaysia. The prime minister directs the executive branc ...

Tunku Abdul Rahman Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah ( ms, ‏تونكو عبد الرحمن ڤوترا الحاج ابن سلطان عبد الحميد حليم شاه, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset; 8 Febru ...

, and local

DAP DAP or Dap may refer to: Science * DAP (gene), human gene that encodes death-associated proteins, which mediate programmed cell death * Diamidophosphate, phosphorylating compound * Diaminopimelic acid, amino acid derivative of lysine * Diamin ...

politician-cum-lawyer,

Karpal Singh Dato' Seri Utama Karpal Singh s/o Ram Singh Deo ( pa, ਕਰਪਾਲ ਸਿੰਘ, Karpāl Siṅgh; 28 June 1940 – 17 April 2014) was an Indian Malaysian politician and lawyer. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of Bu ...

Transportation

The major thoroughfares within the neighbourhood include Ayer Rajah Road (now ''Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman'') and Brown Road. Western Road (''Jalan Utama'') forms the southern end of the neighbourhood, which is also bounded by Burmah Road to the north.

Rapid Penang Rapid Penang (styled as ''rapidPenang'') is a public bus brand in the State of Penang, Malaysia. Formed as a subsidiary of Prasarana Malaysia in 2007, to date it is the main public transport operator within Penang; its bus network serves commut ...

bus route 10 includes a handful of stops along Gottlieb Road.

Education

Disted College Campus, George Town, Penang

The neighbourhood is served by two

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

s, three

high schools A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

and two private colleges, as well as an international school. Primary schools * St. Xavier's Primary Branch School * Penang Chinese Girls' Primary School High schools * Convent Pulau Tikus *

Penang Chinese Girls' High School Penang Chinese High School (PCGHS) (; Malay: Sekolah Menengah Jenis Kebangsaan China Pulau Pinang) is a secondary school in Penang, Malaysia. Often referred to as "Bīn huá" () among the local Chinese community in Penang. The school provides co ...

* Penang Chinese Girls' Private High School International school * St. Christopher's International Primary School Private colleges *

DISTED College DISTED College is a private college within George Town, the capital city of the Malaysian state of Penang. It was established in 1987 as the first Penang-based private tertiary institution. The college provides various pre-university, diploma ...

* PTPL College Aside from these institutions, the Adventist College of Nursing and Health Sciences, operated by the nearby

Penang Adventist Hospital The Penang Adventist Hospital ( ms, Hospital Adventist, ) is a Christian nonprofit medical institution in Penang, Malaysia. It is operated by the Adventist Hospital & Clinic Services (M) (255697-M), and is part of an international network of h ...

, is also situated at Burmah Road.

Health care

The

, a major private hospital, is located at Burmah Road. Founded in 1924, the 253-bed hospital offers specialist treatments for a variety of medical conditions and has emerged as one of the more well-known hospitals among medical tourists in

Consulates

Ayer Rajah is also home to a number of consulates. * : Ayer Rajah Road * : Burmah Road * : Ayer Rajah Road

References

{{Penang Neighbourhoods in George Town, Penang