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Syed Alatas Mansion

The house of Syed Alatas, an Achehnese merchant.

 
Syed Mohamed Alatas was a wealthy merchant from Aceh on the island of Summatra who traded between Aceh and Penang. He was a key figure in helping the Acehnese resist the Dutch seige of 1870 by smuggling arms to the resistance.

He lived in this house on Lebuh Armenian, near the junction with Lebuh Acheh, with his first wife, a Malay of royal descent. His second wife was the daughter of the head of the Khoo clan.

The mansion was one of the first of Penang's old buildings to be restored in 1993, with French assistance. It was open to the public but as of mid-2003 it appeared to have been closed for some time.