Pitt Street or Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling in Malay is a major thoroughfare in 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 ...
. One of the oldest roads in the city centre, it was named after
William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger (28 May 175923 January 1806) was a British statesman, the youngest and last prime minister of Great Britain (before the Acts of Union 1800) and then first prime minister of the United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Ire ...
, the
Prime Minister of Great Britain
The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern pri ...
in 1786.
Four places of worship, each of a different religion -
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
,
Taoism
Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of Philosophy, philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of China, Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmo ...
,
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
and
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
- are located within metres of one another along this street, earning it its nickname, the ''Street of Harmony''.
Located within the city's
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
, the street's nickname also reflects the harmonious coexistence of various religions and cultures that have lived here for centuries.
Etymology
Pitt Street was named after
William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger (28 May 175923 January 1806) was a British statesman, the youngest and last prime minister of Great Britain (before the Acts of Union 1800) and then first prime minister of the United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Ire ...
, who was the
Prime Minister of Great Britain
The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern pri ...
between 1783 and 1801.
When Captain
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 ...
founded
Penang Island
Penang Island ( ms, Pulau Pinang; zh, 檳榔嶼; ta, பினாங்கு தீவு) is part of the state of Penang, on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It was named Prince of Wales Island when it was occupied by the British Ea ...
in 1786, he renamed the island the ''Prince of Wales Island'' in honour of the
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...
, the new settlement of
George Town after
King George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...
and the first street within the settlement after himself. Worried that
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
William Pitt may have felt offended as nothing was named after him,
Light
Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye. Visible light is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400–700 nanometres (nm), corresponding to frequencies of 750–420 tera ...
felt compelled to name Pitt Street after him.
![Penang Malaysia Masjid-Kapitan-Keling-01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/Penang_Malaysia_Masjid-Kapitan-Keling-01.jpg)
![Kong Hock Keong Penang Dec 2006 002](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/Kong_Hock_Keong_Penang_Dec_2006_002.jpg)
History
Pitt Street, created soon after the founding of
George Town in 1786, is one of the oldest streets in the city. It marked the original western boundary of the settlement of
George Town and appeared in the earliest maps of the settlement.
While British administrators and Europeans resided at the northern end of Pitt Street, and built the
St. George's Church in 1816, the Indian Muslim community moved into the southern part of Pitt Street. The Indian Muslim presence can still be seen to this day, particularly by the
Kapitan Keling Mosque
The Kapitan Keling Mosque ( ms, Masjid Kapitan Keling, ta, காப்பித்தான் கெலிங மசூதி, Kāppittāṉ Keliṅa Macūti) is a mosque built in the 19th century by Indian Muslim traders in George Town, Pen ...
which was built in 1801.
Meanwhile, the
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
built the
Kong Hock Keong Temple
The Goddess of Mercy Temple ( zh, t=觀音亭, poj=Koan-im-têng) (also known as Kuan Im Teng or Kong Hock Keong) is a Chinese temple in the city of George Town, Penang, George Town in Penang, Malaysia. Situated at Pitt Street, George Town, Pitt S ...
, also known as the
Goddess of Mercy
Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She ...
Temple, in the early 18th century. The Hindus also constructed the
Sri Mahamariamman Temple in 1833; the temple has since become a focal point of
George Town's
Little India
Little India or India Town (less commonly known as Indian Street or India Bazaar) is an Indian or Desi (South Asian) sociocultural environment outside India or the subcontinent. It especially refers to an area with Indian residences and a dive ...
.
The harmonious coexistence of the various religions and cultures along Pitt Street has earned the street its nickname, the ''Street of Harmony''.
Even though the street has been officially renamed as Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling since the 1990s, local Penangites continue to use the street's old colonial name, Pitt Street. This is partly because the new name sounds unwieldy, but also reflects a strong conservatism in the local population, who see
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 ...
's colonial history as part of their local identity.
Landmarks
*
Kapitan Keling Mosque
The Kapitan Keling Mosque ( ms, Masjid Kapitan Keling, ta, காப்பித்தான் கெலிங மசூதி, Kāppittāṉ Keliṅa Macūti) is a mosque built in the 19th century by Indian Muslim traders in George Town, Pen ...
*
St. George's Church
*
Goddess of Mercy Temple
zh, 觀音亭
, image = Kong Hock Keong Penang Dec 2006 002.jpg
, caption = Front view of Goddess of Mercy Temple
, map_type = Malaysia Penang George Town streets
, map_size = 275px
, l ...
*
Penang Chinese Town Hall
The Penang Chinese Town Hall was established in 1881.Re-examination of the “Chinese nationalism” and Categorization of the Chinese in Malaya: The Case of the Chinese in Penang, 1890s-1910s by SHINOZAKI Kaori, Ph.D. student, Graduate School of A ...
*
Sri Mahamariamman Temple
See also
*
List of roads in George Town
The street names of George Town reflect the multicultural heritage of the city, the capital of the former British settlement of Penang, now part of Malaysia.
Most streets in the city were built and named during the colonial era, and the histo ...
*
Architecture of Penang
The architecture of Penang reflects the 171 years of British presence on the island, coalescing with local, Chinese, Indian, Islamic and other elements to create a unique and distinctive brand of architecture. Along with Malacca, Penang ...
References
{{GTRoad
Roads in Penang
George Town, Penang