Jalan Sultan Yusuf, Ipoh
Jalan Sultan Yusuf, looking north towards the HSBC building. (3 May, 2016)
Jalan Sultan Yusuf (GPS: 4.59338, 101.07633), (British: Belfield Street; Chinese: 微路菲街, Cantonese (Jyutping romanisation): Mei4 Lou6 Fei1 Gaai1; Pinyin: Wēi Lù Fēi Jiē;/ Chinese: 墨露菲街; Cantonese (Jyutping romanisation): Mak6 lau6 Fei1 Gaai1; Pinyin: Mò Lù Fēi Jiē/ Chinese: 錫米街; Cantonese (Jyutping romanisation): Sek3 Mai5 Gaai1; Pinyin: Xī Mǐ Jiē) is one of the main commercial streets in Ipoh.
Jalan Sultan Yusuf runs roughly north south between Jalan S.P. Seenivasagam in the north and Jalan Leong Boon Swee in the south. Traffic flow is one way, heading in opposite directions from the junctions of Jalan Lahat and Persiaran Bijih Timah, from which the traffic forks to move north or south. Jalan Sultan Yusuf can possibly be divided into two parts. The northern end is where most of the European commercial establishments were concentrated.
Jalan Sultan Yusuf was originally called Belfield Street, after Sir Henry Conway Belfield, who was the 9th Resident of Perak. Being one of the main streets in downtown Ipoh, it forms junctions and intersections with many other streets including Jalan Silang, Jalan Koo Chong Kong, Jalan Sultan Iskandar, Jalan Shala, Jalan Dato Sagor, Jalan Market, Jalan Maharaja Lela, Jalan Panglima, Lorong Hale, Jalan Tun Sambanthan and Jalan Sultan Idris Shah.
Also found here were European emporiums (or should I write, emporia) such as Whiteways & Laidlaws and Pritchards. These are the stores that cater to the British upper crust, to the officers, as well as to the wealthy tin mining tycoons trying to keep up with the Joneses.
One of the most interesting aspects of Jalan Sultan Yusuff are the frontage of the shophouses here, particularly the pediments. On 128-136 Jalan Sultan Yusuff is a row of handsome shophouses with elaborate classical pediments. No 128 belongs to Jan Sahib, the prominent Indian Muslim, son of Sheikh Adam, who founded the Indian Muslim Mosque.
Sadly however, many of these lovely buildings are in a rather run-down state. As I write this, I hope a great awareness of conservation will be generated, and these heritage structures can be rejuvenated.
Map of Jalan Sultan Yusuf, Ipoh
Sights along Belfield Street
- Chartered Bank (today Standard Chartered)
- Chartered Merchantile Bank
- Chung Thye Phin Building
- Hongkong & Shanghai Bank (today HSBC)
- SPH De Silva Building
Jalan Sultan Yusuf, as seen from the junction of Jalan Market. (3 May, 2016)
Jalan Sultan Yusuf road sign (19 August, 2006)
Jalan Sultan Yusuf road sign (3 May, 2016)
360° View of Belfield Street on Google Street View
Page Details
This page was created on 28 October 2025. Hi, my name is Timothy and created it from my research, for my own entertainment, knowledge and to satisfy my curiosity. I am providing the information to you in good faith and hope it is useful. I try to get the details as accurate as possible. I also try to update the page whenever I stumble on new details. So this and all my other pages are perpetual work in progress. If you discover any error, please politely inform me, pointing out where the error lies, and I will correct it as soon as possible. Your helpfulness will keep this page accurate, relevant and helpful to those who need the information.Want to share your Perak travel experiences or get tips from fellow travellers?
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