Alor Setar Tower (Menara Alor Setar)

Alor Setar Tower is a 165.5-metre telecommunications tower in Alor Setar, the capital of Kedah in northern Malaysia. Besides carrying radio signals, it works as a tourist attraction, with restaurants, a souvenir shop and an observation deck about 88 metres up. A skydeck sits higher, at 105 metres.

The tower is also used for a special job. Because the Islamic calendar follows the Moon, people need to spot the thin new crescent to mark the start of months such as Ramadan. The tower serves as a lookout for this. It is the third tallest tower in Malaysia, after Kuala Lumpur Tower and Kuantan 188.

How it was built

Building began on 5 May 1994 and the tower was finished on 19 June 1996. It was officially opened on 14 August 1997 by Mahathir Mohamad, who was prime minister then.

Its design draws on Kedah's nickname, 'Jelapang Padi', which means the rice bowl of the nation, because the state is full of paddy fields. Before the tower, the tallest structure in Kedah was Wisma PKNK, built in 1975.

What it is used for

The tower carries radio channels such as Fly FM and Kool 101, and an old analogue TV channel used it until about 2017 or 2018.

For visitors it is a place to see the town and the flat green plains around it. Newer high-rise buildings later appeared nearby, but the tower is still the tallest thing in both Alor Setar and Kedah.

On the globe

The model shows the tall tower with its observation decks, standing in Alor Setar in northern Malaysia.