Since the 19th century, the Western Road Cemetery is the largest and one of the old Christian cemeteries on the Penang island. The cemetery borders the Penang Municipal Park and can be accessed through a small opening at the park or via its main entrance at Western Road.
Tag: graveyard
Mount Erskine’s Chinese Hokkien Cemetery
The old entrance to the huge Hokkien Cemetery in Mount Erskine, Penang. This cemetery, managed by the United Hokkien Cemeteries (UHC), is one of the several main and old Chinese cemeteries in Penang, covering almost the entire hilly area in Mount Erskine. The area where the cemetery is located was once considered to be auspicious for the Chinese due to its strategic location that faces the city of George Town and the sea.
During the Qing Ming festival (usually around this time), this cemetery will be crowded with Chinese folks visiting, cleaning and praying at the graves of their ancestors and departed family members.
Penang Jewish Cemetery
The Penang Jewish Cemetery was established in 1805 and is the oldest Jewish cemetery (and likely the only one) in the country. It is located on a plot of land situated alongside Jalan Zainal Abidin (formerly Jahudi Road), a small link road located between Burmah and MacAlister Roads in George Town.
The oldest Jewish tombstone at the cemetery is dated 9 July 1835 which is believed to have belonged to the English Jewess that was the benefactor who donated the land where the current cemetery stands. Most of the graves within the cemetery are built resembling a triangular vaulted-lid casket (like the ossuaries commonly found in Israel). There are approximately 107 graves located in the cemetery, with the most recent tombstone dated 2011 which belonged to the final member of the Jewish community in Penang.
