Culture

Langkawi

Pulau Langkawi has many exciting cultural landmarks and opportunities for visitors and tourists to discover. On your holiday to this vibrant destination, enjoy trying your hands at painting Batik fabrics, ploughing grain the traditional way, visiting strange and prominent landmarks and much more. Much of the culture is centered on traditional Malay lifestyles on this island.

Laman Padi

Laman Padi, which means 'Rice Garden', is located near the airport in Padang Matsirat. This tourist destination is a good place to learn about Southeast Asia's most eaten food; children will also enjoy learning about growing and cultivating rice grains. In this spacious park, there is a small paddy field where you can watch workers planting or harvesting paddy using traditional methods, with buffalo and bullock cart.

A bridge spans across the paddy field, so you can admire the peaceful scenery and mosaic patterns of the paddy plots. A museum at the back houses some interesting artifacts, photographs and equipment used for paddy cultivation throughout history. There's also a landscaped garden with a pond that has stepping stones for visitors to walk across. An aviary with colourful birds in the courtyard complete the picture. If you enjoy dining, then do check out the restaurant in the vicinity which has a tasty menu that is of course, cooked mostly with rice.

Cultural Craft Complex

The Cultural Craft Complex, or Komplex Budaya Kraf, is a sprawling building that houses a wide range of traditional Malaysian arts and crafts, ranging from wooden carvings to Batik silk and fine ceramics to intricate souvenirs. Located in Teluk Yu, the Cultural Craft Complex is also a shopping zone for these traditional products. The gallery is free to enter and open daily from morning till evening.

Atma Alam Batik Village

The Atma Alam Batik Village in Padang Matsirat, near the Langkawi airport, is a compound that houses a factory, shop and stage dedicated to this beautiful fabric. Batik is a traditional Malay style of fabric woven with intricate flower motifs, originating from Indonesia. A factory at the back produces this garment through traditional methods, allowing visitors a glimpse of the hand weaving and painting process. Tourists can also check out the wide range of local arts and handicrafts sold in the shop, which make for interesting souvenirs and mementos. Finally, there's a stage where local art and dance performances are held along with book readings.

Dataran Lang

Dataran Lang, which means Eagle Square, is a monument that sits at the side of the Kuah Jetty. Visitors to Langkawi travelling by ferry will not miss the huge eagle statue as they come to port. Standing at 12 meters high, the statue is modelled after a Brahimy kite, which is a majestic bird of prey that is common around Langkawi Island. The bird also symbolises the island as Langkawi is believed to be an abbreviation of the word 'eagle'. Around the square are gardens with ponds, terraces and bridges, which makes for a relaxing stroll or simply a place to look out at the sea and surrounding scenery. The monument is a popular place for tourist photography.

Ibrahim Hussein Museum

Ibrahim Hussein was a famous artist in Malaysia, but his works are best known on an international level. His works and paintings on display in this museum were inspired by his life, humanity, events and personalities. Collected from a legacy that has endure for half a century, some of his pieces evoke thought provoking themes and question the hypocrisy of figures of authority, especially in Malaysia. Other works of arts from Southeast Asian artists are also on display here, including Thawan Ducahnee from Thailand, Made Wianta of Indonesia, and Malaysian compatriots Hasnul Jamal and Juhairi Siad. Themed exhibitions are held from time to time in the gallery.

Langkawi International Book Village

The Langkawi International Book Village is located in a remote spot among lush rainforest, within the vicinity of a stream. The sprawling grounds of the book village is planted with verdant trees, colourful shrubs and small ferns. Modelled after the Hay-on Wye Book Village in England, the park has several buildings built with traditional Malay architecture that houses rare, antique books from around the world. Visitors and tourists coming from the airport should check out this place, as it is located nearby.

Al-Hana Mosque

The Al-Hana Mosque is Langkawi Island's largest mosque. Located in Kuah, the mosque is visited by Muslim locals and visitors. The architecture of this mosque carries motifs and carvings from Uzbekistan while mingling with design elements from traditional Malay culture. The mosque is also historically significant as it was opened by the very first Prime Minister of Tunku Abdul Rahman in 1959.