This island was used to be the home of eagles and it also rich with marbles. Since that eagle in the Malay word is "Helang" while marble in Sanskrit is "Kawi", so by putting these words together it reads as "Helangkawi". Hence it became Langkawi.

The origin name of Langkawi also found in Tun Mohamad Zahir's book, entitled "The Legends of Langkawi". In the book, it stated that the word "Langka" in Sanskrit means beauty and "Wi" means many. After putting these words together, it becomes Langkawi that means many beautiful islands.

The recorded history of the island is scarce, but a few facts from the past have survived.   A few records from Chinese history dating back to 500A.D. claim that the island was originally inhabited in the first century.   The records actually refer to the Kingdom of Langgasu , which is not the same name as Langkawi, but the root word “Heland” is the same.   Historians suspect that it refers to the same place.   The statue of a giant eagle in the present day capital of Kuah supports this evidence.

During the 18 th and early 19 th centuries, Langkawi was controlled by the Sultanate of Kedah.   Then, in 1821 Kedah was overtaken by Siam, which took control of Langkawi as well.

Power over Langkawi was given to the British in 1909 with the Anglo-Siamese Treaty. Until Malaysia gained independence, Langkawi was controlled by the British, except for a brief period during which Thailand controlled it. Even thought the Thai controlled period was very short, their influence is still felt in the present day culture.

Legend of Mahsuri

Mahsuri is the main legend of Langkawi. It is a story of a beautiful young woman who was falsely accused of adultery and was sentenced to death. As she was dying, she cursed the island. The curse was that the island was not to prosper for seven generations to come. It is also believed that her blood is white in color and that have made people believed that she was innocent.

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