Yan, Kedah

Yan is a small town and a district in Kedah, Malaysia. It is bordered by Kota Setar District to the north, Pendang District to the northeast, and Kuala Muda District to the south. Yan District is along the coast of the Straits of Malacca.

"Yan Besar" is the administrative town of Yan district, complete with administrative facilities such like Police Stations, magistrate court, district and land office. Its lifestyle is laid-back and slow-paced, with weekend attractions of natural waterfalls nearby. It also attract most pensioners to build their dream house for pleasant retirement or nurture some local fruit orchards. The waterfalls derived from the Jerai Mountain are known as Seri Perigi, Tangga Kenari/Titi Hayun, Batu Hampar and Puteri Mandi.

It is also famous for Mount Jerai, which is the tallest peak in Kedah at 1242 metres (3,235 ft) and is easily accessible from the town.Visitors can climb by stairs to the peak of Mount Jerai via Titi Hayun.

Pulau Bunting Bridge is a new bridge that connects Pulau Bunting to Yan district. It is the only bridge connecting an island in Kedah.

Kedah

Kedah (Malay pronunciation: [kʰəˈdɑh]; also known by its honorific, Darul Aman, or "Abode of Peace") is a state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area of over 9,000 km², and it consists of the mainland and Langkawi. The mainland has a relatively flat terrain, which is used to grow rice. Langkawi is an archipelago of islands, most of which are uninhabited. Kedah was called Kadaram (Tamil:காடாரம்) by ancient and medieval Tamil people and Syburi (Thai: ไทรบุรี; rtgs: Sai Buri) by the Siamese when it was under their influence.

To the north, Kedah borders the state of Perlis and shares an international boundary with the Songkhla and Yala provinces of Thailand. It borders the states of Perak to the south and Penang to the southwest.

The state's capital is Alor Setar and the royal seat is in Anak Bukit. Other major towns include Sungai Petani, and Kulim on the mainland, and Kuah on Langkawi.

History

Archaeological evidence found in Bujang Valley reveals that a Hindu–Buddhist kingdom ruled ancient Kedah possibly as early as 110 A.D. The discovery of temples, jetty remains, iron smelting sites, and clay brick monuments dating back to 110 A.D shows that a maritime trading route with south Indian Tamil kingdoms was already established since that time. The discoveries in Bujang Valley also made the ancient Kedah as the oldest civilisation of Southeast Asia.