5,000 – 6,000 years ago

Ancient human remains found at Guar Kepah in Seberang Prai, south of the Muda River, indicate that the area had once been inhabited by nomadic Melanesians in the Neolithic era.

4th - 7th century:

The Kingdom of Bujang Valley (Hindustan/Buddhist) rules the Northwest part of Peninsular Malaysia.

5th & 6th Century

The “Cherok To’Kun Megalith indicated that Seberang Prai was part of the ancient Kingdom of Kadaram (which subsequently became the Sultanate of Kedah in 1136, according to the “Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa”).

 Srivijaya was a Buddhist thalassocratic empire based and with evidence in Pelembang was the first polity to dominate lands around the strait of Malacca.  Its expansion was reliant on the booming trade in the region to again prestige as a goods based economy. Its base closest to Penang was the town of Langkasuka.

This was a Buddhist-Hindu Kingdom that existed from the foot of Kedah Peak to modern days Pattani. Much of the existence of this Kingdom was in the writings of Chinese traders and monks who had ventured into this area.

Kedah most probably got its name from the words "Kheddah" meaning elephant trap

1136

Sultanate of Kedah started  with King Phra Ong Mahawangsa. He was also the first to embrace Islam

Kedah supplied its own tin and jungle products such as rotan resin honey, beeswax, elephants, ivory, areca nuts sepang woods and black woods. It was also collecting taxes

1350

The Majapahit Empire, another Hindu-Buddhist thalassocratic group started in 1293 in Trowulan, Surubaya had the whole South East Asia under its control. Majapahit's control Kedah in 1350.

After that Kedah came under the control of the Pattani Kingdom until 1474. Trading was done at the river mouth in Kuala Muda

15th Century

1409

Penang Island documented by Zheng He's sailors mapped as “槟榔屿” in the “Nautical Charts of Zheng He”.. This could be during the second expedition 1407-09. The route was from Paembang - Malacca - Chittagong - Calicut in India. Very llikely they made a very brief stop over in Penang At the rocky coast line of what is now Batu Muang. There were nonatives there and what impressed them most was the Areca  Nut Tree, which widely used in Hunan from the 2nd century onwards. Areca Nut tree was found extensively in south Pacific Islands

1509

In 1498 Vasco da Gama was the first Portuguese Sailor to passing Cape of Good Hope and Reaching India & Ceylon .Only in 1609 another expedition under Diogo Lopez de Sequeira passed the Bay of Bengal to reach Malacca. This could be stopped by Batu Ferringhi to collect their water and also the first European to set foot on Penang Island

Portuguese spice traders visited “Batu Ferringhi” to replenish their water supply and trade. English privateer James Lancaster, commander of the ship “James Bonadventure” landed at Batu Ferringhi in 1592, pillaging every vessel he encountered.

17th Century

Penang Island referred to as “Pulo Pinaom” in Portuguese historian Emanuel Godinho de Eredia’s 1613 map of the Malay Peninsula.

Kwan Yin Teng was built making it the oldest taoist temple in Penang

Sir Francis Light took possession of Penang Island 11th August 1786, for the British India Company after the Sultan of Kedah, Sultan Abdullah Mukarram Shah, agreed to cede it to the company. The East India Company didn't agree with the condition to provide protection to Kedah to ward off attacks from Siamese or the Burmese.

The island was renamed as the “Prince of Wales Island” after the title bestowed on the heir to the British throne, and a settlement of “George Town” was established in honour of King George III, the reigning monarch of Great Britain.

His priority was to divide development into 2 fold - 1] development of a smll jetty for small boats and a fort to defend the settlement. 2] a commercial area bordered by Chulia street, Pitt street, Light Street and Beach Street. By now 11 streets together with churches Hospital and Battery were installed

Thetown expanded south westwards into the marshland and to the Prangin Creek and Bound Ditch [ Transfer Road]. Beach Road in the meantime had reached the Sungei Pinang River. Additional Wharfs were made along Beach Roiad

1st engineered water supply system for 10,000 settlers in George Town: a simple aqueduct (open pipeline) system that delivered raw water from the waterfalls in the foothills of Penang Hill.

Penang Frees School started

John Alexander Bannerman was appointed Governor and he started the construction of the Round Island Road

 The English and the Dutch reached agreements. The Dutch to take over Indonesia, the English had Malaysia to themselves.

 Penang, along with Malacca and Singapore, became part of the Straits Settlements under the British administration in India.

The administrative center for the Straits Settlement was shifted from Penang to Singapore. penang continued to prosper with the growing volume of rubber and tin trade. Both Leith and Farquahr continued to expended the size of Georgetown with Leith and Armenia Roads

Under the care of three Governors Penang recored having there were 21 markets, 28 mosques and 59 native schools in Penang

Georgetown expanded the south part urban area by reclaiming the mud bank, this reclaimed land covered the original settlements and wharves done in in 1832 which was to cater for the development of entrepot trade, some labor settlements already established along the coastline for the convenience of shipment/ transhipment.

 Discovery of huge supplies of tin in the state of Perak. As a result Penang evolves into an important trade centre.

The Municipal Council of George Town was established in 1857, and the town grew denser bounded by Larut Road, Anson Road, Seang Tek Road and Magazine Road. The urban area extended to Prangin Ditch and along the Western Arterial Road and Chulia Street to the west.

Land reclaimation started - The first section of Weld Quay was reserved for government offices and its administrative center, lots of public buildings were built in this stage, and the second section of Weld Quay was reserved for western merchant, they built themselves offices and godown facing Beach Street and the water front.

The House of Yeap Chor Ee. The wealthy bankers, merchants and property owners in Beach Street expanded their land through reclamation, to some extent, it provided a temporary space for urban expansion, the commercial area along Beach Street obtained new development opportunity.

These landowners gained further authorization from the government, and the reclamation areas were transacted at a nominal price.  At the same time, a majority of labor settlements and wharves distributed along the coastline. The new developments continued to expand the edges of cities into new territory. The birth of the Clan Jetties

More urban area had reached - to the north part of Sungai Pinang and the east part of Pulau Tikus. Then the urban edges were Cantonment Road, Scotland Road, areas along Sungai Pinang.

More reclaimation between 1883 and 1889, the old Weld Quay area,  more land was granted to the adjoining landholders at a nominal price. A further reclamation in 1907 extended Weld Quay by 70-90 feet from opposite the Boustead buildings to China Street Ghaut. Schemes for further massive reclamation along Weld Quay were put forward in 1907, 1917 and 1929, including a 650 feet-long pier north of Fort Cornwallis.

1st dam: The Bukit Panchor Dam was commissioned by the British colonial government in Seberang Prai Selatan.

st reservoir: Waterfall Reservoir was commissioned in the Penang Botanic Gardens. It was built to store clean water. This reservoir was required because there was insufficient pressure from the 1805 system – heavy rains would cause water supplied to George Town to be charged with silt and sand.

This cross-strait Penang Ferry Services has been operational since 1894, making it the oldest ferry service in Malaysia. Operated by the 4 brothers under Quah Seng Kee, it was taken over by the PPC in 1924

 'Federated Malay States' Perak, Selangor, Pahang and Negri Sembilan was described by the British as agriculture and tin Mining in objectives, Kuala Lumpur is the main capital.

The Sam Poh Kung Temple in Batu Muang was built

The Chendroh Power Station Perak was completed and Penang for the first time got its electricity. As a result Electric Tramway was introduced, 

 Rubber becomes the most important export product; Penang again is the main commercial trade centre.

 Penang is heavily bombed by the Japanese invaders. Soon after this the English gave up Penang.

 Japan surrenders and is chased away from Malaysia. Soon after the 2nd World War is ended; as a result the English came back to Penang; however; their position would never be that strong again.

 Tunku Abdul Rahman becomes the first Prime Minister of independent Malaya.

 1963 July, 16th

, it was agreed that Malaysia would come into existence on 31 August 1963, consisting of Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore.

 Penang Bridge is opened for public; it is the fifth longest bridge of the World (13,5km).

Work on 1st Phase of Komtar Tower had started

The 1st “universal water metering system” was introduced in Penang.

The Komtar Tower measures  247.9 m - 816 ft tall when all completed