Things to do in Penang Island, Penang: The Best History Museums

Visit what was once a Hajj Agent's Office and learn more about one of busiest port in Southeast Asia during the Muslim holy month of Hajj.

Historical records reveal that Ming Dynasty’s Admiral Cheng Ho visited Melaka (Malacca), Malaysia at least five times during his famous seven voyages to the Western Ocean. Cheng Ho Art and Culture Centre reviews the historical background of Admiral Cheng Ho and present the collections of valuable Agar wood Carvings, Blue and White Porcelain antique and the precious Admiral Cheng Ho official attire. We do have the professional Guide person to tell you the story behind the voyage.

The Art Gallery offers a rich insight into the culture and history of Malaysian Art. Exhibiting works completed by contemporary artist (such as Alex Leong, Calvin Chua, Ch'ng Kiah Kiean, Khoo Cheang Jin) as well as Pioneer Artists (such as Abdullah Ariff, Chuah Thean Teng, Khaw Sia, Kuo Ju Ping and Yong Mun Sen). The Art Gallery aptly showcases the renaissance of Malaysian art for the past 30 years.

Penang State Museum and Art Gallery Officially open in 1962, the Museum houses a fine collection of old photographs, maps, charts and other historical relics. There are also Malay daggers (keris), Chinese furniture, embroidery and paintings of old Penang. At the Penang State Museum there are also interesting sections which recounts the bloody nine days of rioting between Chinese secret societies in 1867, attributed by bewildered British authorities to a rambutan-throwing incident. Georgetown suffered a near civil war before the administrators took a firm hand. The societies were heavily fined and the proceeds used to build police stations which subsequently kept the peace. The Penang State Art Gallery on the other hand is situated at a different premise which is at Dewan Sri Pinang, Light Street, a stone thrown away from the Museum premise . There are two Art Galleries which is situated in Dewan Sri Pinang. The Art Gallery on the Ground floor displays the works of local artists and is the venue for special exhibitions meanwhile the exhibition hall at the 3rd Floor housed the Permanent Collection which comprises of paintings donated or bought from the artists.

The House of Yeap Chor Ee is a social history gallery tells the story of Yeap Chor Ee, a young immigrant who arrived in Penang in the 1880s. Through the journey of Yeap Chor Ee, the Gallery gives an insight into his life and the lives of immigrants who arrived on the island from China more than 100 years ago.

A historic gem in the heart of the George Town world heritage site. The Sun Yat Sen Museum is a beautifully-preserved house museum in the multicultural George Town world heritage site. This historical house has a permanent exhibition on Sun Yat Sen's early revolutionary period in Penang when he planned a historic uprising on the cusp of the Chinese Revolution of 1911.