Old Penang door
Old Penang door

This is a very humble home. You can tell from the narrow facade and low ceilings and simple and basic shapes. The homes of the wealthier traders had wider facades, but generally the houses are narrow but long with one or two courtyards inside for ventilation and to allow light in. The narrow facade is due to a tax which was calculated on the width of the home. In general, the higher the ceiling, the richer the owners. I find the architecture in Georgetown Penang really fascinating. I often play ‘guess the people who live there’ game in my mind.

 

As I was writing this post, I was listening to my mum’s itunes on her computer and this tune came on.