Arau, Royal town in Perlis, Malaysia.

Arau is the royal capital and a mukim of Perlis, 14 km southeast of Kangar. Istana Arau, with its blue roof, stands next to the Perlis State Mosque, and the town also holds the Makam Diraja (royal mausoleum). The Arau railway station is the closest station to Kangar, and the town is home to the Universiti Teknologi MARA campus.

Arau is the royal capital and a mukim of Perlis, located 14 km southeast of Kangar. The town is home to Istana Arau, the palace of the Perlis Raja of the House of Jamalullail, which stands near the Perlis State Mosque. Arau has a federal constituency created in the 1974 redistribution and represented in the Dewan Rakyat since then.

Arau's name is linked to the House of Jamalullail, the royal house whose palace, Istana Arau, stands beside the Perlis State Mosque. The town's population is mixed: Malays make up 54%, Chinese 27%, Indians 16% and others 3%. Places of worship reflect this, from the state mosque to the Arau Muniswaran and Sri Maha Mariamman temples and Wat Kampung Guar Nangka.

Arau railway station is the closest stop to Kangar and the disembarkation point for travellers heading from Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi by train. ETS services pass through the royal town at speeds of 140–180 km/h, reaching Penang in under two hours. The town also sits close to the North–South Expressway.

Arau is the seat of the House of Jamalullail, the ruling dynasty of Perlis, and the town's Istana Arau stands beside the Perlis State Mosque. The town also returns one member to the Dewan Rakyat; the Arau federal constituency was created in the 1974 redistribution. Azlan Man, Menteri Besar of Perlis from 2013 to 2022, is a native of Arau.