Komtar

Komtar Penang is a 65-storey high rise tower in central Georgetown that is one of the most prominent landmarks in Penang. Its lower floors are retail spaces occupied by local boutiques and lots of stalls specialising in cell phone, camera and laptop repairs, while upstairs are office lots. Penang’s tallest structure is cylindrical in shape and the sixth-tallest building in Malaysia. It is home to the state govenrment’s office and can be found at the confluence of the Jalan Penang and Jalan Magazine. An indispensable part of Penang’s tourism scene, a great reason to visit is for its 58th floor viewing deck which offers views of the island and across the straits to Penang’s mainland. Short for Kompleks Tunku Abdul Rahman, the 761ft-high tower’s viewing gallery has a souvenir store and coin operated telescopes much like New York’s Empire State Building. The building itself is surrounded by several shuttered two-storey shop-houses and 18th-century kongsis (clan houses), which has led to many people calling the area Penang’s unofficial Chinatown. The lower ground floor of Komtar Penang mall is home to a bus terminal with Rapid Penang bus operators that serve the entire Georgetown area. The mall has an outdoor strip, called Komtar Walk, connected to the adjacent Prangin Mall, where shoppers can find a branch of CIMB bank, and food and beverage venues such as Coob Coffeee and Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul. #summervacation#hotelstay#urbanexplorer