Ayer Itam

Not to be confused with Ayer Hitam, a rest town in Johor, Malaysia.

Not to be confused with Ayer Itam, a rest town in Perak, Malaysia.

Air Itam 亚依淡
Town
Country	Malaysia
State	Penang
District	North-East Penang Island
Government
• Local government	Penang Island City Council (MBPP)
• Member of Parliament (Bukit Bendera)	Zairil Khir Johari (DAP)
• State assemblyman	Wong Hon Wai (DAP)
• Penang Island City Mayor	Dato' Patahiyah binti Ismail
Time zone	UTC+8 (Malaysian Standard Time)
• Summer (DST)	Not observed
Postal code	11400

A RapidPenang bus passing through Air Itam.

Kek Lok Si Temple complex viewed from Air Itam market

Jade Emperor's Pavilion Main Prayer Hall

The buildings in the foreground form part of Air Itam, as viewed from Penang Hill

Air Itam (Chinese: 亚依淡, Penang Hokkien: ai tam) (Malay for black water) is a suburb of George Town in Penang, Malaysia.

Geography

Located in the valley between Bukit Batu Lanchang (Batu Lanchang Hill), Bukit Penara and Bukit Bendera (Penang Hill), this suburb of George Town is connected to the city by two main roads, i.e. Jalan Air Itam and Lorong Batu Lanchang. It is also connected to Paya Terubong and the south of the island via Jalan Paya Terubong. The town covers a broad area that incorporates Farlim, Thean Teik Estate, Rifle Range, Kampung Bahru, Kampung Melayu, Hill Railway Road, Hye Keat Estate, extending as far east as the junction with York Road.

History

Captain Francis Light had established agriculture on the island which was based on growing pepper. Pepper was first cultivated in Air Itam valley. Today, flowers, fruits and vegetables are still grown on the surrounding hills. Nutmeg is a popular fruit found in this part of Penang Island.

A wealthy monk by the name of Fa Kong, which means "Empty Dharma", had built a zoo here . He was said to be a practitioner of Zen Buddhism. The Penang Zoological Gardens, which was open in the 1920s, houses different kinds of animals and was the earliest zoo in the country. It was closed down in the 1940s due to excessive high maintenance. It was located in a plot of land which today is known as Jalan Zoo (Zoo Road).

On February 3, 1935, a big fire which was due to gust of wind which blew burning incense papers destroyed more than 100 wooden house and attap houses, with only two buildings remained. This incident was known as the Great Air Itam Fire.

Eastern Garden Amusement Park which has a large public swimming pool was established in the 1950s used to be located there. It was forced to closed down when it became unpopular after several incidents of drowning.

External links

• Air Itam travel guide from Wikivoyage