Halal Travel Guide: Perak, Malaysia - Royal Town, Sultan Palace and Night Market
Reposted from the web
Summary: This Perak travel account visits the royal town of the Sultan of Perak and a busy Malay night market. It preserves the original details on palace streets, market food, local movement, and cultural scenes in plain English.
Kuala Kangsar is located north of Ipoh, the capital of Perak state in Malaysia, and has been the royal city of the Sultan of Perak since the 18th century. Unlike Ipoh, which is mainly Chinese, Kuala Kangsar is an authentic Malay town where you can experience pure Malay village (kampung) life.
We took a bus from Ipoh to Kuala Kangsar in the afternoon and arrived just in time for the Friday night market (Pasar Minggu Setiap Jumaat) in front of the Kuala Kangsar main market. The variety of vegetables, fruits, and local snacks was overwhelming, offering a refreshing change after visiting several Chinese-majority cities.
We bought some Malay-style spring rolls (popia) at the first stall. Malay spring rolls originated from immigrants from southern Fujian and Chaoshan. They are filled with bean sprouts and sweet sauce, then rolled up and can be eaten either fried or fresh.
At the second stall, we bought satay skewers, which included both beef and chicken. Satay originated on the island of Java, developed by Javanese people based on the South Asian kebabs brought by Indian merchants. The word satay comes from the South Indian Tamil word 'catai,' which literally means 'meat'. After the 19th century, Javanese people brought satay to the Malay Peninsula, and it became a classic Malay snack.
We bought some boiled sweet corn at the third stall.
We had a cup of iced soy milk (air soya) and a serving of steamed rice noodles (putu mayam). Putu mayam originated in South India and Sri Lanka and was brought to Malaysia by Tamil immigrants. It is made by mixing rice flour with coconut milk and pressing it through a machine similar to a noodle press. It is served with brown sugar and shredded coconut.
We also saw two types of traditional rice dumplings, ketupat and lontong. Ketupat is a type of rice dumpling from the Java region, wrapped in palm or coconut leaves into a diamond or triangular shape, while lontong is wrapped in banana leaves into a cylindrical shape. Legend has it that Sunan Kalijaga, one of the nine saints (Wali Sanga) of Javanese Islam, introduced ketupat in the 15th century, and it became a special food for Ramadan in many parts of Java and Indonesia. The crisscrossed palm leaves symbolize the sins people have committed, while the white rice inside symbolizes seeking forgiveness through fasting.
Stuffed tofu (tauhu sumbat) is a Malay dish learned from Hakka stuffed tofu. It is fried tofu filled with shredded carrots and bean sprouts, served with sambal or sweet chili sauce. It is a classic snack for breaking the fast during Ramadan.
The classic Malay street snack steamed rice cake (putu piring) was first brought to Malaysia by Fujian immigrants. It is made by pressing rice flour with crushed peanuts, shredded coconut, and palm sugar inside a special stainless steel mold.
We took the snacks we bought at the Kuala Kangsar night market back to Hotel Casuarina by the Perak River.
From top to bottom, there are satay meat skewers and rice cakes (ketupat) from the Javanese, steamed rice flour noodles (putu mayam) from the South Indian Tamils, and stuffed tofu from the Hakka Chinese. This shows the diversity and inclusion of Malay cuisine.
The hotel where we stayed is likely the largest in Kuala Kangsar. We could eat breakfast on the terrace by the Perak River. They had traditional Malay coconut milk rice (nasi lemak) and chicken curry. White porridge with fried peanuts and anchovies is also a classic Malay food pairing.
After breakfast, we followed the Perak River east into the heart of the Perak Sultan's royal city, a small hill called Bukit Chandan. Compared to the Kuala Kangsar town center, the environment in Bukit Chandan is especially nice, with clean, tidy streets and lots of greenery.
The first royal building we saw was the Ulu Palace (Istana Ulu), built between 1898 and 1903 by the 28th Sultan of Perak, Idris I, who reigned from 1887 to 1916. The palace blends neoclassical, Renaissance, and Moorish styles. The roof tiles came from France, the walls and floor tiles from Italy, and the wood was sourced locally. People say all the imported materials were shipped via the Perak River, while the wood was hauled by elephants. The Ulu Palace was converted into an exhibition hall in 2003 by the 34th Sultan, Azlan Shah, but it has been closed since 2018.
Sultan Idris I ascended the throne in 1887 and visited the United Kingdom in 1888 at the invitation of Queen Victoria. Under his rule, towns in Perak developed rapidly, the population exceeded 200,000, rubber plantations expanded, and tin production increased significantly. In 1896, Sultan Idris I signed the Federation Treaty with the Sultans of Pahang and Selangor and the Yamtuan Besar (the title for the supreme ruler of Negeri Sembilan). They merged Perak, Pahang, Selangor, and Negeri Sembilan into the Federated Malay States, handing real power to the British and keeping authority only over matters involving Malay customs and religion.
East of the Ulu Palace is the Ubudiah Mosque (Masjid Ubudiah), commissioned by Sultan Idris I and built between 1913 and 1917. It is the royal mosque of the Sultan of Perak. Sultan Idris I fell seriously ill in 1911 and made a dua that he would build a mosque if he recovered. He recovered as expected, so he hired British architect Arthur Benison Hubback to design and build the Ubudiah Mosque. Arthur designed many Indo-Saracenic style buildings for British Malaya, including the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station, Jamek Mosque, and the National Textile Museum.
The Ubudiah Mosque also features the classic Indo-Saracenic style, with tall golden Mughal onion domes and a main structure built from marble imported from Italy and Britain. Construction began in 1913, but the marble shipped from Italy was crushed during a fight between two of the Sultan's elephants, forcing them to order more from Italy. World War I broke out soon after, so the marble had to travel through South Africa before finally arriving. Sultan Idris I passed away in 1916 without seeing the mosque finished, and it was not officially opened until 1918 by his successor, Sultan Abdul Jalil.
Next to the Ubudiah Mosque is the Al-Ghufran Royal Mausoleum, built in 1915. It holds the graves of eight Sultans of Perak—the 26th, 28th, 29th, 30th, 31st, 32nd, 33rd, and 34th—along with many royal family members, all housed in a Mughal-style building.
The 26th Sultan of Perak, Abdullah II (reigned 1874–1877), signed the Pangkor Treaty with the British in 1874. This legalized British control over Malay rulers and remains a major event in modern Malaysian history.
In 1875, Sultan Abdullah II chaired a meeting where he agreed to let local Malay nationalists start an anti-British struggle, which led to the assassination of James W. W. Birch, the British colonial official who actually controlled Perak. After Birch was assassinated, British troops arrived from Hong Kong and Burma to reinforce their position. The Malay people resisted bravely and killed several British officers, but they were defeated and captured after more than a year of fighting.
In 1877, Sultan Abdullah was deposed and exiled to the Seychelles. He later lived in Singapore and Penang for many years before being allowed to return to the royal town of Kuala Kangsar in 1922. He died there shortly after and was buried in the royal mausoleum.
Next to the Ubudiah Mosque is a traditional Malay village (kampung), where you can see traditional Malay stilt houses everywhere. The most famous one is called Baitul An-Nur, which was built in 1912 by master Malay craftsman Tukang Sofian for the wife of the Perak prince, Raja Harun Al Rashid. This place was once open as an exhibition hall, but it has been abandoned for a long time.
Continuing east from the Ubudiah Mosque into the valley, you reach the Istana Kenangan, the only palace in Malaysia with bamboo walls. The Istana Kenangan was commissioned by the 30th Sultan of Perak, Iskandar, after a great flood in 1926. It was built by Malay carpenter Enci Sepian and his two sons, and because it sits in the valley, it is also known as the Valley Palace. It served as the Sultan's personal residence from 1931 to 1933. After the new Istana Iskandariah was completed in 1933, it became a place for the Sultan to hold ceremonies and host guests during festivals.
Kenangan Palace is a rare example of a traditional Malay palace from that era built entirely without using any nails. The floor plan is shaped like a sword sheath, with the Sultan's bedroom at the hilt and the Sultan's throne (Singgahsana) further ahead. The palace walls are woven with diamond-shaped lattice (Kelarai), a very distinctive traditional Malay craft.
Up the hill from Kenangan Palace stands the more majestic Iskandariah Palace (Istana Iskandariah). It was commissioned by Sultan Iskandar of Perak in 1933 and has been the residence of the Sultan of Perak ever since. In 2007, it hosted the grand wedding of Prince Raja Nazrin Shah. Because it is the current Sultan's residence, the palace is not open to the public, so you can only look up at it from the foot of the hill.
Iskandariah Palace uses the Indo-Saracenic architectural style that was popular at the time, featuring Mughal onion domes and Moorish arches, similar to the style of the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station and the Sultan Abdul Samad Building. The palace faces the Perak River and has one large dome and four smaller ones. Inside are the Sultan's suite and the princess's bedroom, as well as a banquet hall, living room, billiard room, music room, and council chamber.
Perak River
After touring the Perak Sultan's royal city, we returned to the town of Kuala Kangsar and ate at a South Indian nasi kandar restaurant. The owner is from Chennai on the east coast of South India, which is also the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu. South Indian nasi kandar is known for its wide variety of curries to choose from. We picked curry mutton, curry squid, and curry fish, which were both delicious and convenient.
We met a retired Malay teacher in the restaurant. When she found out we were tourists from China, she insisted on paying our bill and invited us to her home. It was a pity we couldn't go because we had to catch a train, but we truly felt the warmth of the Malay people.
Summary: This Perak travel account visits the royal town of the Sultan of Perak and a busy Malay night market. It preserves the original details on palace streets, market food, local movement, and cultural scenes in plain English.
Kuala Kangsar is located north of Ipoh, the capital of Perak state in Malaysia, and has been the royal city of the Sultan of Perak since the 18th century. Unlike Ipoh, which is mainly Chinese, Kuala Kangsar is an authentic Malay town where you can experience pure Malay village (kampung) life.
We took a bus from Ipoh to Kuala Kangsar in the afternoon and arrived just in time for the Friday night market (Pasar Minggu Setiap Jumaat) in front of the Kuala Kangsar main market. The variety of vegetables, fruits, and local snacks was overwhelming, offering a refreshing change after visiting several Chinese-majority cities.
We bought some Malay-style spring rolls (popia) at the first stall. Malay spring rolls originated from immigrants from southern Fujian and Chaoshan. They are filled with bean sprouts and sweet sauce, then rolled up and can be eaten either fried or fresh.
At the second stall, we bought satay skewers, which included both beef and chicken. Satay originated on the island of Java, developed by Javanese people based on the South Asian kebabs brought by Indian merchants. The word satay comes from the South Indian Tamil word 'catai,' which literally means 'meat'. After the 19th century, Javanese people brought satay to the Malay Peninsula, and it became a classic Malay snack.
We bought some boiled sweet corn at the third stall.
We had a cup of iced soy milk (air soya) and a serving of steamed rice noodles (putu mayam). Putu mayam originated in South India and Sri Lanka and was brought to Malaysia by Tamil immigrants. It is made by mixing rice flour with coconut milk and pressing it through a machine similar to a noodle press. It is served with brown sugar and shredded coconut.
We also saw two types of traditional rice dumplings, ketupat and lontong. Ketupat is a type of rice dumpling from the Java region, wrapped in palm or coconut leaves into a diamond or triangular shape, while lontong is wrapped in banana leaves into a cylindrical shape. Legend has it that Sunan Kalijaga, one of the nine saints (Wali Sanga) of Javanese Islam, introduced ketupat in the 15th century, and it became a special food for Ramadan in many parts of Java and Indonesia. The crisscrossed palm leaves symbolize the sins people have committed, while the white rice inside symbolizes seeking forgiveness through fasting.
Stuffed tofu (tauhu sumbat) is a Malay dish learned from Hakka stuffed tofu. It is fried tofu filled with shredded carrots and bean sprouts, served with sambal or sweet chili sauce. It is a classic snack for breaking the fast during Ramadan.
The classic Malay street snack steamed rice cake (putu piring) was first brought to Malaysia by Fujian immigrants. It is made by pressing rice flour with crushed peanuts, shredded coconut, and palm sugar inside a special stainless steel mold.
We took the snacks we bought at the Kuala Kangsar night market back to Hotel Casuarina by the Perak River.
From top to bottom, there are satay meat skewers and rice cakes (ketupat) from the Javanese, steamed rice flour noodles (putu mayam) from the South Indian Tamils, and stuffed tofu from the Hakka Chinese. This shows the diversity and inclusion of Malay cuisine.
The hotel where we stayed is likely the largest in Kuala Kangsar. We could eat breakfast on the terrace by the Perak River. They had traditional Malay coconut milk rice (nasi lemak) and chicken curry. White porridge with fried peanuts and anchovies is also a classic Malay food pairing.
After breakfast, we followed the Perak River east into the heart of the Perak Sultan's royal city, a small hill called Bukit Chandan. Compared to the Kuala Kangsar town center, the environment in Bukit Chandan is especially nice, with clean, tidy streets and lots of greenery.
The first royal building we saw was the Ulu Palace (Istana Ulu), built between 1898 and 1903 by the 28th Sultan of Perak, Idris I, who reigned from 1887 to 1916. The palace blends neoclassical, Renaissance, and Moorish styles. The roof tiles came from France, the walls and floor tiles from Italy, and the wood was sourced locally. People say all the imported materials were shipped via the Perak River, while the wood was hauled by elephants. The Ulu Palace was converted into an exhibition hall in 2003 by the 34th Sultan, Azlan Shah, but it has been closed since 2018.
Sultan Idris I ascended the throne in 1887 and visited the United Kingdom in 1888 at the invitation of Queen Victoria. Under his rule, towns in Perak developed rapidly, the population exceeded 200,000, rubber plantations expanded, and tin production increased significantly. In 1896, Sultan Idris I signed the Federation Treaty with the Sultans of Pahang and Selangor and the Yamtuan Besar (the title for the supreme ruler of Negeri Sembilan). They merged Perak, Pahang, Selangor, and Negeri Sembilan into the Federated Malay States, handing real power to the British and keeping authority only over matters involving Malay customs and religion.
East of the Ulu Palace is the Ubudiah Mosque (Masjid Ubudiah), commissioned by Sultan Idris I and built between 1913 and 1917. It is the royal mosque of the Sultan of Perak. Sultan Idris I fell seriously ill in 1911 and made a dua that he would build a mosque if he recovered. He recovered as expected, so he hired British architect Arthur Benison Hubback to design and build the Ubudiah Mosque. Arthur designed many Indo-Saracenic style buildings for British Malaya, including the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station, Jamek Mosque, and the National Textile Museum.
The Ubudiah Mosque also features the classic Indo-Saracenic style, with tall golden Mughal onion domes and a main structure built from marble imported from Italy and Britain. Construction began in 1913, but the marble shipped from Italy was crushed during a fight between two of the Sultan's elephants, forcing them to order more from Italy. World War I broke out soon after, so the marble had to travel through South Africa before finally arriving. Sultan Idris I passed away in 1916 without seeing the mosque finished, and it was not officially opened until 1918 by his successor, Sultan Abdul Jalil.
Next to the Ubudiah Mosque is the Al-Ghufran Royal Mausoleum, built in 1915. It holds the graves of eight Sultans of Perak—the 26th, 28th, 29th, 30th, 31st, 32nd, 33rd, and 34th—along with many royal family members, all housed in a Mughal-style building.
The 26th Sultan of Perak, Abdullah II (reigned 1874–1877), signed the Pangkor Treaty with the British in 1874. This legalized British control over Malay rulers and remains a major event in modern Malaysian history.
In 1875, Sultan Abdullah II chaired a meeting where he agreed to let local Malay nationalists start an anti-British struggle, which led to the assassination of James W. W. Birch, the British colonial official who actually controlled Perak. After Birch was assassinated, British troops arrived from Hong Kong and Burma to reinforce their position. The Malay people resisted bravely and killed several British officers, but they were defeated and captured after more than a year of fighting.
In 1877, Sultan Abdullah was deposed and exiled to the Seychelles. He later lived in Singapore and Penang for many years before being allowed to return to the royal town of Kuala Kangsar in 1922. He died there shortly after and was buried in the royal mausoleum.
Next to the Ubudiah Mosque is a traditional Malay village (kampung), where you can see traditional Malay stilt houses everywhere. The most famous one is called Baitul An-Nur, which was built in 1912 by master Malay craftsman Tukang Sofian for the wife of the Perak prince, Raja Harun Al Rashid. This place was once open as an exhibition hall, but it has been abandoned for a long time.
Continuing east from the Ubudiah Mosque into the valley, you reach the Istana Kenangan, the only palace in Malaysia with bamboo walls. The Istana Kenangan was commissioned by the 30th Sultan of Perak, Iskandar, after a great flood in 1926. It was built by Malay carpenter Enci Sepian and his two sons, and because it sits in the valley, it is also known as the Valley Palace. It served as the Sultan's personal residence from 1931 to 1933. After the new Istana Iskandariah was completed in 1933, it became a place for the Sultan to hold ceremonies and host guests during festivals.
Kenangan Palace is a rare example of a traditional Malay palace from that era built entirely without using any nails. The floor plan is shaped like a sword sheath, with the Sultan's bedroom at the hilt and the Sultan's throne (Singgahsana) further ahead. The palace walls are woven with diamond-shaped lattice (Kelarai), a very distinctive traditional Malay craft.
Up the hill from Kenangan Palace stands the more majestic Iskandariah Palace (Istana Iskandariah). It was commissioned by Sultan Iskandar of Perak in 1933 and has been the residence of the Sultan of Perak ever since. In 2007, it hosted the grand wedding of Prince Raja Nazrin Shah. Because it is the current Sultan's residence, the palace is not open to the public, so you can only look up at it from the foot of the hill.
Iskandariah Palace uses the Indo-Saracenic architectural style that was popular at the time, featuring Mughal onion domes and Moorish arches, similar to the style of the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station and the Sultan Abdul Samad Building. The palace faces the Perak River and has one large dome and four smaller ones. Inside are the Sultan's suite and the princess's bedroom, as well as a banquet hall, living room, billiard room, music room, and council chamber.
Perak River
After touring the Perak Sultan's royal city, we returned to the town of Kuala Kangsar and ate at a South Indian nasi kandar restaurant. The owner is from Chennai on the east coast of South India, which is also the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu. South Indian nasi kandar is known for its wide variety of curries to choose from. We picked curry mutton, curry squid, and curry fish, which were both delicious and convenient.
We met a retired Malay teacher in the restaurant. When she found out we were tourists from China, she insisted on paying our bill and invited us to her home. It was a pity we couldn't go because we had to catch a train, but we truly felt the warmth of the Malay people.
