Armenian Street, George Town (must see)

Today there are very few, if any, Armenians on Armenian Street. The Armenian Saint Gregory's Church, established in 1822, was demolished in 1937. All that was left of Armenia on Armenian Street was the name. Originally called Malay Lane, narrow Armenian Street is within the city's UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Malay neighborhood was gradually replaced by Armenian and Chinese settlers. By 1808 the street was renamed Armenian Street for the community of Armenian traders who lived along the road. The Armenian presence was historically brief. The Chinese had supplanted Armenian settlements with clan houses by the mid 19th century.

The Chinese triads often fought with Malay secret societies. There were fierce clashes on Armenian Street during the 1867 Penang Riots. The turf battles were suppressed by sepoys (Indian infantry) led by the British East India Company.

In 1910 the Chinese revolutionary, Sun Yat-sen, planned his campaign against the Qing dynasty in an Armenian Street townhouse. The house was later converted to the present Sun Yat-Sen Museum.

Armenian Street has some fine shops and street art. Most notable street art is the mural "Kids on Bikes" by Ernest Zacharevic. The style is a la Norman Rockwell. The joy in the mural is infectious. The street once served as a locale for the film Anna and the King with Jodie Foster and Chow Yun-fat.