Street of Harmony in George Town holds six worship houses

George Town‘s Street of Harmony holds six houses of worship for four faiths along one road in Penang. As a result, church, temple and mosque stand within a short walk of each other.

Now, Penang agencies are promoting the street to boost tourism and conserve heritage, The Star reported on 7 October. The push follows George Town’s UNESCO World Heritage inscription in 2008.

This guide covers what stands on the street, how it got its name and how to walk it. However, sources differ on some founding dates, so we avoid exact years where they disagree.

Six houses of worship on one road

Sources list five or six houses of worship, but six names come up most often. Four are on or beside Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling. They are St George’s Church, the Goddess of Mercy Temple, the Kapitan Keling Mosque and the Sri Mahamariamman Temple. The Acheen Street Malay Mosque and the Church of the Assumption complete the set. The church moved to Farquhar Street in 1861 and joined the street in 2025.

The Star says St George’s was built in 1817 as the first Anglican church in South-East Asia. Also, it became the Pro-Cathedral of St George the Martyr in 2023.

The Kapitan Keling Mosque dates from 1801, according to both Wikipedia and The Star. It first served Indian Muslim traders and labourers. Meanwhile, the Acheen Street Malay Mosque went up in 1808, near a Malay village that dates from 1792.

The Hindu and Taoist sites have long histories too. The Sri Mahamariamman Temple became an official temple in 1833. The Goddess of Mercy Temple dates from 1800, The Star said. Early Chinese settlers built it on land they received from the East India Company.

How the Street of Harmony earned its name

Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling was once Pitt Street, the main street of colonial George Town. Locals still use the old name. Also, the houses of worship sit within metres of one another, which gave the road its nickname.

A 2017 Malaysian Insight article credited Dr Anwar Fazal with suggesting the harmony branding. He is a Penang Heritage Trust trustee. He told the paper that “Penang had a place for everyone”.

The late Indian president Dr APJ Abdul Kalam toured the street in August 2008. The same article says he wrote a poem called “The Great City of Harmony”. That visit came just after George Town earned its UNESCO listing in July 2008.

The Star says state agencies later partnered with local groups to brand the area. The state gazetted the George Town Special Area Plan in 2016. In addition, it gazetted the Acheen Street Malay Mosque as a heritage building in November 2025.

A stamp trail through the six sites

Penang Harmonico Corporation runs a stamp trail along the street. For example, visitors collect six stamp prints, one from each house of worship. Brochures are available at all six sites.

General manager Paul Au said the trail drew inspiration from similar projects in Japan, Taiwan and China. A November 2025 Asia News Network report said it launched during the George Town Festival in July. Au told that report that “the best part is that there’s no time limit”.

Moreover, the stamped page detaches and works as a postcard. Au told the November 2025 report that the project has been a hit. The corporation refills the brochures every two weeks. Four Street of Harmony routes now exist, covering George Town, Seberang Jaya, Bukit Mertajam and Bayan Baru.

To try it, pick up a brochure at any of the six houses of worship. You can finish the trail over several visits because the stamps have no deadline. However, check each site’s visiting hours and worship schedule before you go.