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The Kota Kuala Kedah Arch

 

This arch is a replica of the Pintu Malim (the Malim Gate), one of the arches of the Kuala Kedah Fort situated at the Kedah River estuary. Kota Kuala Kedah is the only Malay fort constructed of brick, which has survived to the present day. The fort was built during the reign of Sultan Abdullah Mukarram Shah, who ascended the throne in 1760. It was designed and built for the defence of Kedah against the Siamese army. Datok Majaraja Kadhi and his nephew Maulana Ibrahim Sahab, from India, drew up the plans for the fort. They brought along stonemasons from India to build the fort. Construction work began in 1771 and was completed in 1780. The fort covered an area of two acres. On the side facing the river and the sea, double walls were built and packed with earth while those at the back were single walled. Heavy cannons of British manufacture were purchased and installed facing the sea; two of them were nicknamed Badak Berendam (the Wallowing Rhinoceros) and Katak Puru (the Toad). When The British first moved into Kedah they used the fort as an administrative center. To suit the needs of the British, a new and bigger gateway was built, larger than Malim Gate and known as Pintu Inggeris (the English Gate). This replica of the Malim Gate has been set up to serve as a permanent reminder of the power and sovreignty of the ancient Malay Sultanates of Malaysia.