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Ayer Itam

Coordinates:5°24′5.6916″N100°16′41.343″E/ 5.401581000°N 100.27815083°E/5.401581000; 100.27815083
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, seeAyer Itam (disambiguation).
Ayer Itam
Suburb ofGeorge Town
Other transcription(s)
•MandarinÁ y đạm(Simplified)
Á y đạm(Traditional)
Yà yī dàn(Pinyin)
•HokkienA-i-tām(Tâi-lô)
•Tamilஆயர் ஈத்தாம்
Map
Ayer Itam is located in Central George Town, Penang
Ayer Itam
Ayer Itam
Location withinGeorge TowninPenang
Coordinates:5°24′5.6916″N100°16′41.343″E/ 5.401581000°N 100.27815083°E/5.401581000; 100.27815083
CountryMalaysia
StatePenang
CityGeorge Town
Government
•Local governmentPenang Island City Council
•Mayor of Penang IslandRajendran P. Anthony
•Air Itam State AssemblymanJoseph Ng Soon Seong (PH-DAP)
•Bukit Gelugor Member of ParliamentRamkarpal Singh(PH-DAP)
Area
• Total1.8 km2(0.7 sq mi)
Population
(2020)[1]
• Total16,974
• Density9,400/km2(24,000/sq mi)
Demographics
[1]
• Ethnic groups
Time zoneUTC+8(MST)
• Summer (DST)Not observed
Postal code
11500
Websitewww.mbpp.gov.my/en/

Ayer Itam[2](formerly spelt asAir Itam) is a suburb ofGeorge Townin theMalaysian stateofPenang.Nested within the central valleys ofPenang Island,it is located approximately 6 km (3.7 mi) southwest of thecity centre.The suburb is home toKek Lok Si,touted as the largest Buddhist temple in the country.

Etymology

[edit]

Ayer Itam got its name from the murky waters of the Air Itam River (Malay:Sungai Air Itam). The phrase 'Air Hitam' means black water inMalay.

Suffolk Housein 1811
The Chinese Anti-War Memorial at Ayer Itam is where some 800 victims of theSook Chingmassacres duringWorld War IIwere laid to rest.
Lanterns adorning Jalan Ayer Itam duringChinese New Year

History

[edit]

Soon after the founding ofPenang Islandin 1786,British East India Companyofficials, led by CaptainFrancis Light,began exploring and clearing the interior of the island for agricultural purposes. Pepper andnutmegfarms were then established at the hills of Ayer Itam, whileLightalso commissioned the planting ofstrawberriesatPenang Hill.The Anglo-IndianSuffolk House,one ofLight's residences, was also built within a pepper estate by the Air Itam River.

The agricultural village of Ayer Itam grew throughout the 19th century, populated by farmers who owned the fruit and vegetable farms at the surrounding hills. To this day, fresh produce are produced at the foothills of Ayer Itam and distributed daily to the wet markets all over the city.[3]

In 1890, construction of theKek Lok Si Temple,now one of the largest Buddhist temples inSoutheast Asia,commenced. Its main pagoda combinesChinese,Siameseand Burmese styles. The temple was finally opened to the public in 1905.

Ayer Itam was once home to the Penang Zoological Gardens, the first zoo in Malaysia. Supposedly opened in the 1920s by a monk named Fa Kong, the zoo was shut down for good prior toWorld War IIdue to the excessive maintenance costs.

The Great Ayer Itam Fire of 1935 destroyed more than 100 homes in the area. At the time, the residences at Ayer Itam were mostly wooden; this incident led to the construction of brick buildings within the suburb.

The area was also a hinterland which hid refugees fleeing from the episodes of violence that had occasionally erupted in the city. For instance, the Penang Riots of 1867 forced some residents within thecity centreto evacuate to Ayer Itam.World War II,however, brought even greater numbers of refugees to the suburb. During the war, when theImperial Japanese Armyimplemented theSook Chingpurges, Ayer Itam became one of the sites where Chinese civilians were massacred.

The urbanisation of Ayer Itam since the 1950s has brought about a concurrent increase in living standards and transformed the landscape with more high rises, making the suburb one of the more densely populated areas in George Town.

Geography

[edit]
Ayer Itam Dam

Located in the valley between Batu Lanchang Hill, Bukit Penara andPenang Hill,this suburb of George Town is connected to thecity centreby two main roads, Ayer Itam Road and Batu Lanchang Lane. It is also connected toPaya Terubongand the south of the island via Paya Terubong Road. The suburb covers an area of 1.8 km2(0.69 sq mi) and includes neighbourhoods developed later in the post-independence era such asRifle Range.

Map
About OpenStreetMaps
Maps: terms of use
1km
0.6miles
7
Kek Lok Si Charitable Hospital
Reservoir
Garden
6
Hye Keat
Estate
5
4
Rifle Range
War Memorial
Park
3
2
Penang Hill Railway station
Market
1
Map of Ayer Itam.
Click link at the top right corner to zoom in.
1
Ayer Itam Market
2
Penang Hill Railway station
3
War Memorial Park
4
Rifle Range
5
Hye Keat Estate
6
Reservoir Garden
7
Kek Lok Si Charitable Hospital

Demographics

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Ethnicities within Ayer Itam in 2020[1]
Ethnicities / Nationality Percentage
Chinese
 
 72.6%
Malays
 
 12.2%
Other Bumiputeras
 
 0.3%
Indians
 
 11.2%
Others
 
 0.3%
Non-Malaysians
 
 3.4%

As of 2020,Ayer Itam was home to a population of 16,974, resulting in a population density of 9,430/km2(24,400/sq mi).[1]Ethnic Chineseconstituted over 72% of the area's population, whileMalaysformed another 12%.Indianscomprised more than 11% of the suburb's population.

Transportation

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ARapid Penangbus at the Ayer Itam Market

Ayer Itam Road, which stretches from thecity centretoPaya Terubong,remains the major thoroughfare at Ayer Itam, with a total length of about 4.5 km (2.8 mi). Other major roads, such as Batu Lanchang Lane, Thean Teik Road and Thean Teik Highway, have been widened to cope with the increasing traffic.[4][5][6]

Rapid Penangbuses 13, 200, 201, 202, 203, 204, 306 and 502 serve the residents of the suburb, by connecting Ayer Itam with various destinations within the city, including the city centre,Paya Terubong,thePenang International Airport,Queensbay MallandBalik Pulau.[7][8][9][10][11][12][13]

Education

[edit]
Chung Ling High School

A total of 10primary schools,threehigh schoolsand atechnical schoolare located within Ayer Itam. Notably, the suburb is home toChung Ling High School,one of the premier Chinese schools in Penang. Founded in 1917, it has retained the consistent academic performance of its students.[14][15]

The schools at Ayer Itam are as listed below.

Primary schools

  • SRK Ayer Itam[16]
  • SRK Padang Tembak[17]
  • SRK Seri Indah[18]
  • St. Xavier's Primary School[19]
  • SRJK (C) Chung Hwa Confucian[20]
  • SRJK (C) Kong Min Pusat[21]
  • SRJK (C) Kong Min Cawangan Satu[22]
  • SRJK (C) Kong Min Cawangan Kedua[23]
  • SRJK (C) Shang Wu[24]
  • SRJK (C) Sin Kang[25]

High schools

Technical school

  • SMT Tunku Abdul Rahman[27]

Tourist attractions

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^abcd"MyCensus 2020: Mukim/Town/Pekan".Department of Statistics Malaysia.Putrajaya:174–175. February 2024.ISBN9789672537069.
  2. ^"Dokumen Gazetir Pulau Pinang Pulau Mutiara 2022"(PDF)(in Malay). Jawatankuasa Kebangsaan Nama Geografi (JKNG) Malaysia. p.15.
  3. ^"Air Itam Market".1 May 2014. Archived fromthe originalon 11 November 2016.Retrieved2016-11-10– via PressReader.
  4. ^"Road widening will ease traffic jams – Community | The Star Online".thestar.my.Retrieved2017-05-19.
  5. ^"Road, drain upgrades to solve flash flood woes | Buletin Mutiara".buletinmutiara.26 October 2015.Retrieved2017-05-19.
  6. ^"Smoother ride for motorists using Lebuhraya Thean Teik – Malaysia Premier Property and Real Estate Portal".Malaysia Premier Property and Real Estate Portal.Archived fromthe originalon 2018-11-30.Retrieved2017-05-19.
  7. ^"Archived copy".Archived fromthe originalon 2016-07-22.Retrieved2017-05-19.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. ^"Rapid Penang".facebook.Retrieved2018-04-01.
  9. ^"Archived copy".Archived fromthe originalon 2016-07-02.Retrieved2017-05-19.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. ^"Archived copy".Archived fromthe originalon 2016-07-02.Retrieved2017-05-19.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. ^"Archived copy".Archived fromthe originalon 2016-07-02.Retrieved2017-05-19.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. ^"Archived copy".Archived fromthe originalon 2016-07-02.Retrieved2017-05-19.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. ^"Archived copy".Archived fromthe originalon 2016-07-02.Retrieved2017-05-19.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. ^"School turns 100 with flourish – Community | The Star Online".thestar.my.Retrieved2017-05-19.
  15. ^"Chung Ling High School marks centenary with stamp and first day cover".thesundaily.my.Retrieved2017-05-19.
  16. ^"SK AYER ITAM – PULAU PINANG – Carian Sekolah Malaysia".sekolahmy(in Malay).Retrieved2017-05-19.
  17. ^"SK PADANG TEMBAK – PULAU PINANG – Carian Sekolah Malaysia".sekolahmy(in Malay).Retrieved2017-05-19.
  18. ^"SK SERI INDAH – PULAU PINANG – Carian Sekolah Malaysia".sekolahmy(in Malay).Retrieved2017-05-19.
  19. ^"SK ST XAVIER – PULAU PINANG – Carian Sekolah Malaysia".sekolahmy(in Malay).Retrieved2017-05-19.
  20. ^"SJK(C) CHUNG HWA CONFUCIAN 'B' – PULAU PINANG – Carian Sekolah Malaysia".sekolahmy(in Malay).Retrieved2017-05-19.
  21. ^"SJK(C) KONG MIN PUSAT – PULAU PINANG – Carian Sekolah Malaysia".sekolahmy(in Malay).Retrieved2017-05-19.
  22. ^"SJK(C) KONG MIN CAWANGAN SATU – PULAU PINANG – Carian Sekolah Malaysia".sekolahmy(in Malay).Retrieved2017-05-19.
  23. ^"SJK(C) KONG MIN CAWANGAN KEDUA – PULAU PINANG – Carian Sekolah Malaysia".sekolahmy(in Malay).Retrieved2017-05-19.
  24. ^"SJK(C) SHANG WU – PULAU PINANG – Carian Sekolah Malaysia".sekolahmy(in Malay).Retrieved2017-05-19.
  25. ^"SJK(C) SIN KANG – PULAU PINANG – Carian Sekolah Malaysia".sekolahmy(in Malay).Retrieved2017-05-19.
  26. ^"SMK AIR ITAM – PULAU PINANG – Carian Sekolah Malaysia".sekolahmy(in Malay).Retrieved2017-05-19.
  27. ^"SMT TUNKU ABD RAHMAN – PULAU PINANG – Carian Sekolah Malaysia".sekolahmy(in Malay).Retrieved2017-05-19.
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