Ipoh is the capital of the state of Perak and Malaysia's third largest city. Ipoh was a small village until the mid-19th century when tin mining generated a boom which transformed Ipoh into a major city. Ipoh is surrounded by a landscape with many limestone rock formations and caves. The city has a number of colonial era buildings, but is overall not too interesting. The main tourist attractions lie near Ipoh: several richly decorated cave temples, Kellie's castle. Ipoh is known for its culinary specialities.