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| Source: Photo's: Lui-Boon Chong |
Gunung Jerai (Gunung means Mount in Malay) is a 1217 m high mountain on the mainland of Peninsular Malaysia, just to the north of Penang Island, and can be clearly seen from most parts of Penang and the surrounding region in Kedah. It was formerly called Kedah Peak due to it being the tallest peak in Kedah, and a prominent landmark in that part of Malaysia and it is a popular tourist attraction.
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| Source: Gunung Jerai |
A road leads to the top from the foot, with its starting point easily accessible from the nearest town, Gurun (just follow the signboards). There are nice, panoramic views of the flat coastal plain of Kedah from the top of the mountain, where you can glimpse the “rice bowl” of Malaysia.
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| Rice Bowl of Malaysian view from Gunung Jerai Source: naza.carraro |
From the historical viewpoint, Gunung Jerai plays an important part in the history of Kedah. Traders think that Gunung Jerai was a strategic mountain so they traded and even settled down at the foothills. Considering this place to be sacred, traders built a complex of temples that have now been excavated and preserved at the Lembah Bujang Archeological Museum site.The mountain and its surroundings such as the Bujang Valley have a long history of human settlement, evident by many archeological remains.
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| Source: Malaysia Traveller |
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PLACES AT GUNUNG JERAI
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| Source: Timothy Tye |
There are several attractions on Gunung Jerai, such as a forestry museum sited at a recreational spot (Sungai Teroi Recreational Forest) halfway up the mountain, an old well called Telaga Tok Sheikh (Tok Sheikh Well), and an open, lightly wooded area called Padang Tok Sheikh (Tok Sheikh Field) – both named after a prominent Muslim missionary during the Middle Ages.
Hutan Lipur Sungai Teroi is a protected forest located within the Gunung Jerai Forest. The recreational forest has facilities such as camp site, parking lot, and cabin.
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| Source: timothytye |
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| Source: Hutan Lipur |
Telaga Tok Sheikh.
This lake is said to have never dried up its water
even when it comes to dry seasons.
even when it comes to dry seasons.
Source: percutianbajet
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| Padang Tok Sheikh Gunung Jerai. Source: percutianbajet
A famous rock formation near the resort area is the Batu Kapal (Ship Rock), which resembles the outline of a ship, and is said to be formerly a ship that was cursed to be turned into stone by a Sang Kelembai. This huge rock formation has water flowing out from its base as well, and trees growing on its flat top.
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| Batu kapal di gunung jerai Source: percutianbajet |
A good way to appreciate the natural environment of Gunung Jerai (if you are fit), is to use the Tangga Kenari (Kenari Stairway), which starts at the foot, and leads all the way up to the resort. This is a series of concrete steps that consist of of 1334 steps that leads you to the summit of Mount Jerai or Gunung Jerai.
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| Source: blogsantai |
At the peak of the mountain is The Regency Jerai Hill Resort, and on a clear day, one can take in the breathtaking view of the outskirts of town, paddy fields, and kampung houses.
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Source: The Regency Jerai Hill Resort
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Source: A Breath of Fresh Air
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| Flower line the roads leading to The Regency Jerai Hill Resort.
Source: The Star Online
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