He went on pilgrimage to Jambi and Palembang, where he met the Arab religious teacher Shaikh Abdul Jalil, then journeyed with him to Java and India.
[citation needed] After founding the city, Sultan Muhammad Jiwa went on to build his palace, the Istana Kota Setar.
The current concrete building was completed during the reign of Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin Mukarram Shah in the mid-19th century.
The 18 metre-tall and 5 metre-wide three-tiered octagonal tower's purpose was to keep all the royal musical instruments including the serunai (wooden flute), nafiri, gendang (drum) and gong (also known as a nobat).
Kedah achieved its greatest extent during his reign, its borders stretched from Terang in the north to Krian in the south.