It is situated at the mouth of Kedah River. The fort was built with assistance from the Portugese to ward off Kedah's enemies who came from the sea.The fort’s plans was drawn by Sheikh Abd Jalil Mufti and includes a moat surrounding the fort and a double brick wall standing 1.8m apart, with the middle space fortified with packed earth. Within the fort, there is a number of buildings including a royal audience hall. The entire fort area was built on an area of about five acres.
It was reported that the stonemasons were specially brought in from India to rebuild the fort and durable British cannons were installed, notably named the Badak Berendam (the Wallowing Rhinocerous) and the Katak Puru (the Toad) cannons. But in 1821, the fort was attacked and conquered by the Thais nevertheless.
Today, Kota Kuala Kedah is popular for the variety of seafood served by the numerous restaurants in the fishing village. While enjoying the food, one will be able to see six cannons still resting on the crumbling walls, facing the river estuary.
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