Recorded history of Kedah often starts at the Bujang Valley (Lembab Bujang, located in central Kedah. This maritime kingdom at Bujang was visited by Indian, Persian, Arabs and Chinese traders as far back as the 4th century CE/ AD(CE: Common Era)

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     For many centuries, the Empires of Sri Vijaya and later the Cholas all exerted their influence and domination over this Kingdom. Kedah Peak (Gunung Jerai), at 1217 metres, provided the navigational landmark for ships in the Malacca Strait. The Bujang Valley was a collecting centre for products of the Malay Peninsular and a transit trading post for ships awaiting the change of currents and monsoon winds of the Indian Ocean. Traders soon propagated Hinduism and Buddhism and their culture, building shrines and temples along the coastal area, evident from artefacts found at the valley.

     The Kedah Annals weaves an interesting tale of the first Kedah ruler, a Hindu known as Merong Mahawangsa. He is the first Maharaja of Kedah. Eight Hindu Maharajas is believed to have ruled Kedah before the ninth maharaja, Phra Ong Mahawangsa, who converted to Islam in 1136. On conversion, he subsequently ruled as Sultan Mudzafar Shah ( 1136 - 1179) . The Kedah Sultanate , the oldest monarchy in Malaysia, starts with this first sultan and has been intact for more than eight centuries. The sultanate is one of the world's oldest continuous line of monarchy. The present Sultan, Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah, installed in 1959, is the 27th Sultan of Kedah.

     Between the 18th to mid-20th century AD, Siam, the British and Japanese exercised political and economic control over Kedah. In 13th century saw Kedah dominated by Siam and the Kedah became a vassal of Siam.  Occupied by protracted wars with Burma, Siam however left Kedah much on its own. The succeeding centuries saw the scramble for power and control of the spices trade by other foreign powers such as the Portuguese, Achehnese and Bugis, that devastate the state, slowly destroying Kedah’s prosperity. The British exerted their influence from the 18th century and took possession of part of Kedah including Penang island. Siam continued their influence and attacked Kedah in 1821. Kedah soon lost more of her territories  - Satun (now part of Thailand) and Perlis (state in Malaysia) was taken away from Kedah by Siam. 

     During the Japanese occupation of the Malay Peninsular, Kedah was technically under Japanese rule for 19 months. In October 1943, the Japanese relegated the governance of Kedah to Siam. However, in practice, Japan still held the ultimate power (all military, policing and communication services were held by the Japanese).

     The British regained control of Malaya in 1945 and continued their influence until 1957, when Malaya gained her independence and Kedah become part of the Federation of Malaya.

    Today, the economy of Kedah is agricultural-based with largely small-scaled industries. Kedah is the largest rice producer in Malaysia and supports other agricultural products and agro-based industries. The state also has a sizable manufacturing and high technology-based industries, mainly in Kulim and Sungai Petani. Kedah enjoys a diverse economy – agricultural, manufacturing and tourism.

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Also read

The Kedah Annals - HIKAYAT MERONG MAHAWANGSA