Legend has it that the islands of Langkawi used to be the home of spirits and is steeped in legends and shrouded in mysteries. Its past is filled with legendary tales of wronged maidens and lovelorn princes, all of whom have left their mark for posterity.
The best known of the stories, and one that most visitors to the island will hear is that of Mahsuri, a beautiful maiden who lived here some 200 years ago. Wrongly accused of committing adultery and sentenced to death by those who were envious of her, legend has it that white blood oozed out as soon as she was stabbed proclaiming her innocence. With her dying breath, Mahsuri cursed the island, saying that it would remain barren for seven generations. To this day, visitors still flock to the Mahsuri's Mausoleum on Langkawi to see the history.
In 1821, Langkawi was savagely attacked from the north by the Siamese navy, and as a last revenge for his defeated people, Datuk Kerma Jaya, the leader of Kampung Raja, ancient capital of Langkawi, ordered that the village granary, be burned to the ground and all the wells poisoned in order to starve the invaders.
As coincidence, the curse was lifted seven generations later. When on 1st January 1987, the Malaysian Government declared Langkawi to be a duty-free port and in 1990, the Langkawi Development Authority (LADA) was set up to develop the island as a tourist destination.
Today, Langkawi has blossomed from a once sleepy hollow inhabited by farmers and fishermen into a prime holiday spot for domestic and international travellers, while its main town, Kuah is now a thriving and bustling commercial district.
To cater for the ever growing number of travellers who come to the island, Langkawi International Airport, has expanded three times within the last decade and undergone major renovations costing RM90 million that have culminated in direct flights beginning from London Heathrow, making the island easier to get to than ever before.
