Kedah

Kedah Darul Aman (Kedah's official name) lies between Perlis in the north and Perak to the south and forms one of the northern states of Peninsula Malaysia. It's a small state but you would never know by the surprising variety of attractions on offer here.

Primarily agricultural, Kedah offers a pleasant rural landscape which can take on different hues depending on the seasons of the paddy (rice).

The countryside is greenest when the newly planted paddy is sprouting, turns a golden yellow at harvest time and turns into a brown, earthy hue after the harvest.

It appears that much may lie hidden under the rolling plains of rice, for Kedah was once the cradle of an ancient civilization, the threads of which are just beginning to emerge from slow excavations of various historical sites found in the state.

Alor Star is the capital of Kedah and the seat of government and royalty. It is also the main commercial centre of the state. Langkawi, the most well-known cluster of islands on the peninsula, and a huge tourist draw, falls under Kedah's jurisdiction.