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Mahsuri binti Pandak Mayah was a young woman who lived in Pulau Langkawi, an island in Kedah, Malaysia, during the late 18th century. According to folklore, she was accused of adultery and was executed by stabbing. Her tomb; Makam Mahsuri, has become a tourist attraction on the island. 

Mahsuri and her family who originated from Phuket (an island in Siam - now known as Thailand) moved to the island of Langkawi in search of a better life. Her father was a farmer. It was said at that time that she was the most beautiful woman in all of Langkawi. On the island, she found love and was married to a well-known warrior named Wan Darus. 

As was required of him, Wan Darus had to go to war with the Siamese, leaving Mahsuri behind to fend for herself. It was during this time that Mahsuri befriended a young traveller named Deraman. Their friendship blossomed and they became really good friends. And of course, in every good story there is always a villain involved. 

The village chief's wife; Wan Mahora, was jealous of Mahsuri's beauty so she decided to stir some shit to create trouble for Mahsuri. She spread a rumour claiming that Mahsuri was unfaithful and was having an affair with Deraman in the absence of her husband, Wan Darus. Because she was the village chief's wife, folks in the village believed her. Pretty soon the rumours swirled like dirt in a vacuum bag that the villagers openly accused Mahsuri of adultery. Mahsuri pleaded her innocence, but no one believed her. 

Back then the law was decided by the villagers and they felt she should be severely punished for her crime. It was decided that Mahsuri was to be tied to a tree and stabbed to death. The villagers came together to lend their hand in her stabbing but it didn't work. Mahsuri stayed alive. After every execution attempt failed, Mahsuri told them to kill her with her family's Keris (an asymmetrical dagger with distinctive wavy blade-patterning achieved through alternating laminations of iron and nickelous iron). When she was stabbed with her family's Keris, white blood flowed from the wound, signifying her innocence, while a flock of birds flew above her to cover her body. With her dying breath, Mahsuri cursed Langkawi to have seven generations of bad luck. 

Not long after her death, the kingdom of Langkawi was taken over by Siam. The villagers at Padang Mat Sirat burned their own paddy fields rather than let them fall into the hands of the Siamese. 

Many Langkawi locals believe the legend to be true, citing the decades of failed crops that followed Mahsuri's death. Langkawi was also attacked by Siam numerous times with the last invasion taking place in 1821. The field which was torched by the farmers is still known as Beras Terbakar or "burnt rice". It is only at the end of the 20th century, after the seven generations have supposedly come to pass, that Langkawi began to prosper as a tourist destination. Mahsuri's descendants continue to live in Phuket, Thailand, and have on occasion returned to Langkawi to visit her tomb.