Acheen Street Mosque (Malay lebuh acheh Mosque)

The Acheen Street Mosque or Masjid Lebuh Acheh is an old mosque located at the heritage enclave of George Town. It was also called the Mesjid Jamek as well as Masjid Melayu Lebuh Acheh. The mosque was founded in 1801, making it one of the oldest mosques in Penang. The founder was Tengku Sheriff Syed Hussain Al-Aidid, an Acehnese clan leader who moved to Penang at the invitation of Captain Francis Light, and settled at what became Acheen Street. In the 18th century, with Malacca in decline, trades along the Straits of Malacca moved northwards to Acheh. When Francis Light established the trading post in Penang, he wanted to create a Britsh trading post that rivals Acheh. To do this, he attracted merchants and traders from all over to settle in George Town. As a result, Penang had substantial communities of immigrants from Phuket, China, South India, Acheh, Arabia, and Jews from as far away as Armenia. One of these who settled here was Tengku Syed, a wealthy Achehnese merchant of Arab descent.