As a major town in Central Seberang Perai, Bukit Mertajam serves as one of the many economic hubs in the northern region. Hundred years ago, Bukit Mertajam is merely a barren wasteland filled with wild animals and swampy marshlands infested with crocodiles.
Although so far there is no complete written record on the early settlement of Bukit Mertajam, archeologists had recently discovered much evidence on the antiquity of the town.
According to archeological findings, there had been early settlement of Bukit Mertajam some 1500 years ago in the 5th century based on the discovery of the Cherok Tokun Relics, which is a stone tablet carved with ancient Sanskrit writings, which is now displayed in the church grounds of the St. Anne’s Church along Kulim Road. During the Kedah kingdom in the 3rd century with heavy influence of Hinduism, paddy was largely cultivated in Bukit Mertajam.
The town’s history can be traced back to 1822 when the immigrants from Huizhou, Guangdong, China began to settle in Penang, involving in farming. Agriculture was once a major industry in Penang. When Penang had become a centre for spice trade in the East Indies to supply the European market, the Huizhou people started cultivation of spice in British colonial settlements in Province Wellesley. Before East India Company gained control of Province Wellesley, the Chinese had already begun their sugarcane plantation in Batu Kawan. In 1800, seeing the high demand of herbs and spices in Europe, the British had encouraged the residents of Bukit Mertajam to grow various spices such as pepper, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. Besides agriculture, the residents of Bukit Mertajam begin to engage in alternative income such as quarrying. Bukit Mertajam was the largest producer of granite in the Northern region of Peninsula Malaysia. Granite was used as a construction material for the Penang Prison in Penang island.
The region surrounding Bukit Mertajam during the spice trade era
