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Kuala Lumpur is the epitome of the rapid development that Southeast Asian economies have undergone since the end of World War II. More than 2 million inhabitants live here, and the city is a great blend of colonial-style architecture, traditional Malaysian buildings and modern skyscrapers.
Modern and with plenty of options is one of the first things to notice when arriving in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur. From far away you can see the iconic Petronas Towers, which were the tallest in the world when they were built. There are also many good museums, vibrant business districts, shopping malls and beautiful parks where you can really enjoy the city’s mild tropical climate.
While Kuala Lumpur itself is a beautiful blend of colonial building style and modern architecture, you can go to the newly constructed government city of Putrajaya, which is close to the capital. Here, the country has built a number of fantastic buildings that are beautifully based on the country’s culture and traditions.
Petronas Towers is the name of two modern twin towers that stand as Kuala Lumpur’s landmarks and have helped put the Malaysian capital on the tourist world map. The 88-story skyscrapers have a height of 451.9 meters, and from 1998 until the opening of Taipei 101, the Petronas Towers were the world’s tallest buildings.
In Kuala Lumpur, the height of the Petronas Towers was surpassed by The Exchange 106 at 453.6 meters, which was completed in 2019. When the Merdeka 118 high-rise was completed in 2023, at 678.9 meters it surpassed both previous skyscrapers by distance. However, the Petronas Towers still stand as an architectural icon in Kuala Lumpur.
The twin towers were designed by the architect César Pelli in a postmodernist Islamic style, where the facade reproduces motifs and patterns in Islamic art in a new way. A design element that is also a practical link can be seen on the 41st floor and 42nd floor, where there is a connecting corridor between the two high-rise buildings.
The impressive towers were inaugurated by the Prime Minister of Malaysia in 1999, and the towers’ names come from Malaysia’s national oil and gas company, Petronas. The Petronas Towers stand out beautifully in the street scene both day and night, and there is an excellent view of Kuala Lumpur on the observation deck at a height of 370 meters on the 86th floor of Tower 2.
Royal Selangor Club is one of the former British clubs which existed in several places in the country’s colonies. Founded in 1884, the Royal Selangor Club was an association which was the meeting place and center of much of the life of the well-educated and high-ranking British in Kuala Lumpur of the time.
The association originally had its home in a smaller wooden building at the Padang, but this became too small, and the architect Arthur Benison Hubback was asked to design a larger extension. The current building was then erected by the association in a mixture of Tudor architecture and British colonial style in 1910.
The clubhouse, also known as The Spotted Dog, was located by the Padang, and here you could watch cricket or other sports. In the club you could play billiards, among other things, and parties, dinners and various events were and are held in the club, which is still a social and sporting meeting place.
Sultan Abdul Samad Building is a beautiful building located at Merdeka Square. It has stood as one of Kuala Lumpur’s best-known buildings since the architecturally intriguing structure was built 1894-1897 as a government administration for the then British colonial rule.
The government building was called the Government Offices before it was given its current name in 1974, which was named after Abdul Samad, who was the Sultan of Selangor when construction began. After the colonial period, the Sultan Abdul Samad Building was set up as a court building, before the one that today houses ministerial offices.
The British administration was originally located on a hill overlooking the Padang, but with increased space requirements and complaints about having to walk up and down the hill, it was chosen to build the current building in the city’s street plan. The original design was in renaissance, but state engineer Edwin Spooner wanted it changed.
The result was created by one of the architects behind the proposal changing the design together with Spooner to the current appearance. However, several architects ultimately ended up being behind the beautiful and impressively realized project in the mixed style, which is known among other things as Indo-Saracenic architecture.
It was Governor Sir Charles Mitchell who laid the foundation stone in 1894 and the building was formally opened in 1897 by Resident General Sir Frank Swettenham. The 41 meter high tower rang for the first time at a jubilee parade for Queen Victoria in June 1897. In 1903 a further wing was built and in 1907 a post office was extended.
The National Museum in Kuala Lumpur is the national museum of Malaysia and it was built in the traditional Malaysian style in 1963. Through its many special exhibitions, the museum depicts the country’s history through finds and objects from the traditional Malaysian art and cultural history over the centuries, and there are also exhibits on the nature of Malaysia .
In 1887, the Selangor Museum was established by some colonial officials. In 1896, the museum was taken over by the colonial government and the Selangor Museum evolved into the region’s national museum. Architect Arthur Benison Hubback designed a museum building that opened in 1907, and thereafter the collections grew rapidly.
The current museum building was designed by architect Ho Kok Hoe, who was inspired by the architecture of both Malaysia’s royal palaces and vernacular Malay architecture. On the building you can see large mosaic murals depicting the country’s history and culture.
KL Railway Station is the name of Kuala Lumpur’s former main railway station, which was built in the years 1910-1917 in an enchanting architecture as taken from an Arabian fairy tale mixed with many styles. The architect behind the many towers, domes, spires and vaults was the Briton Arthur Benison Hubbock.
The large railway station was not the city’s first. Resident Station had opened in 1886 on roughly the same site as KL Railway Station, and Sultan Street Station opened in 1892. However, KL Railway Station soon became the city’s main station, and The Station Hotel offered hotel rooms to travelers at the station.
Kuala Lumpur Tower is one of the tallest silhouettes in the Kuala Lumpur skyline. It is a transmission and observation tower with a height of 421 metres, making it one of the world’s tallest tower structures. Construction began in 1991 and Kuala Lumpur Tower was opened on 1 October 1996.
Of course, you get to the top with elevators, and there is an observation deck at a height of 276 meters, from which there is of course an excellent view of the Malaysian capital. There is also a revolving restaurant at the top of the tower, and from here you are served both food and a panoramic view.
St. Mary’s Cathedral is the Anglican cathedral of Kuala Lumpur and the Diocese of West Malaysia. The original Anglican church was built in 1887, but a growing congregation made it necessary to build a larger church, and in 1893 an area along the Padang was selected for the purpose.
The foundation stone for the new and current St. Mary’s Cathedral was laid in 1894 by Sir William Hood Treacher, who was the British Resident of Selangor. The following year, Bishop George Frederick Hose was able to dedicate the new church.
Cathedral stands as one of the early British colonial buildings in Kuala Lumpur. It was designed in English Neo-Gothic style by the government architect Arthur Charles Alfred Norman, who stepped in because a suitable design was not found among submitted proposals. The church is worth seeing with a cozy church interior.
Independence Square is a centrally located square in Kuala Lumpur, also known as Merdeka Square. It is a historic place in the country’s history as it was the scene of the declaration of independent Malaysia in 1957. Here the Malaysian flag was raised for the first time, which happened at 12.01 on 31 August 1957.
The square was laid out as a large lawn in 1884. The area was previously a marshy and uneven terrain, which lay west of the site’s river. The land was drained and leveled for a training ground for the police, and later the lawn became a cricket ground for the Selangor Club, and it was called the Selangor Club Padang or simply Padang.
Today, you can experience the atmosphere of colonial Kuala Lumpur by taking a stroll in Independence Square. The history of the lawns is interesting, and there are several beautiful and historically interesting buildings around the square, such as the Royal Selangor Club, St. Mary’s Cathedral and Sultan Abdul Samad Building.
Central Market is the name of Kuala Lumpur’s food market, which originated in 1888 as a selling point for, among other things, fresh fish, meat and agricultural products. The market was popular, and it was expanded several times, which happened in 1889, 1895 and 1920, among others.
Over time, there was a need for a new market building, and the current Central Market was therefore built in 1936-1937 in the art deco style of the time. Today, there are a number of different shops and restaurants in the old market, where there is a nice atmosphere.
Perdana Botanical Gardens is a large and lovely recreational oasis in Kuala Lumpur. The garden’s history goes back to 1888, when it was laid out in the city center to have a suitably large area with quiet surroundings close to the hustle and bustle of the growing city.
It was the Briton Alfred Venning who came up with the idea for the park, and the British Resident at the time, Sir Frank Swettenham, approved the plan. After this, Alfred Venning started with the layout of the area, which was transformed into a lovely botanical garden.
Today, you can enjoy various garden plants in the beautiful plants with orchids, hibiscus, birds, butterflies and much more. In the Perdana Botanical Garden is also the house Carcosa Seri Negara, which was the official residence of the representative of the British government, and at the garden’s lake, Alfred Venning established The Lake Club as a social meeting place.
Jamek Mosque, formally called Sultan Abdul Samad Jamek Mosque, is a beautiful mosque that is also the oldest in Kuala Lumpur. The building is located exactly where the Klang and Gombak rivers meet, and the site historically functioned as a burial ground.
It was the architect Arthur Benison Hubback who designed the mosque with Moorish inspiration in the Indo-Saracenic style. The foundation stone was laid in 1908 by Alaeddin Sulaiman Shah, who was the Sultan of Selangor, and the mosque was inaugurated the following year.
Merdeka 118 is a so-called super-tall skyscraper that stands as one of Kuala Lumpur’s modern skyscrapers. The building opened in 2024 with a height of 678.9 meters, making it the tallest skyscraper in both Malaysia and Southeast Asia. In fact, only the Burj Khalifa in Dubai was taller in the world when it opened.
Merdeka 118 was designed with diamond shapes to symbolize the diversity of Malaysia’s population. The building was built to house a mix of offices, hotels, shops and an observation deck at over 500 meters high with stunning views of the Malaysian capital.
Putrajaya is a city located south of Kuala Lumpur. In the 1990s, it became famous for the decision to make Putrajaya the administrative and legal center of Malaysia. It happened with a decision to move a number of institutions here from Kuala Lumpur, which was increasingly characterized by traffic and metropolitan density.
In the year 2000, the country’s prime minister moved his offices here, and there are now quite a few large facilities and public institutions in the planned city, which has the status of a federal territory. Putrajaya has not become the capital of Malaysia; that status has continued in Kuala Lumpur, as the head of state and the country’s parliament continue to be located here.
The area started as the Prang Besar rubber plantation in 1921, and with the preparations for the relocation of part of the country’s administration, 45.8 km2 of Prang Besar was purchased by the Federal Government of Malaysia for the purpose. It was also at this time that the name Putrajaya was chosen.
In the city you can see Perdana Putra, the seat of the country’s prime minister. Perdana Putra is a palace-like building with a central dome, which was constructed in 1997-1999. The Prime Minister also has his official residence in Putrajaya, which is in the Seri Perdana complex.
In front of Perdana Putra is Dataran Putra, which is one of the city’s major squares. At it you can see the Masjid Putra mosque and continue south along Putrajaya’s central street, Persiaran Perdana. Along the street you can see, among other things, the Istana Kehakiman, where several courts such as the Federal Court have their seat.
Templer Park is a 1,214 hectare area in the area north of Kuala Lumpur. The park is a forest reserve that was laid out as a recreational nature area in 1954 and named after Sir Gerald Templer, who was the British High Commissioner and who was very fascinated by Malaysia’s nature.
Templer’s wish was to recreate part of the rainforest so that people would be able to experience it as a tourist, and to be able to create a refuge and sanctuary for wildlife. There are good hiking trails, streams, waterfalls and a rich wildlife, including monkeys in the park.
Batu Caves is the name of some large limestone caves located on the northern outskirts of Kuala Lumpur as a natural wonder. Already upon arrival at the caves, one is impressed with the wide staircase, which with 272 steps almost disappears into the mountain.
The area offers exciting caves and one of the most popular Hindu temples outside of India. It is dedicated to Murugan, who is the Hindu god of war. It was the Hindu Tamil, K. Thamboosamy Pillai, who made the place a well-known religious excursion destination.
Today, it is easy to get to the temple area, which begins a short distance from the actual caves and mountains in which they are located. It is a beautiful and impressive road to the Batu Caves themselves, and here you can go up the stairs to the atmospheric cave temples and at the same time enjoy nature.
Shah Alam is a modern city located immediately west of Kuala Lumpur. The city has been the capital of the state of Selangor since 1978. It happened after Kuala Lumpur became a federal territory in 1974, whereby Selangor needed a new capital. The result was Shah Alam, which emerged as the country’s first planned city since Malaysia’s independence.
As the capital, a number of representative buildings were planned and built in Shah Alam. This applies, among other things, to a sultan’s palace and the large Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz mosque from 1988, which is the country’s largest. One can also walk to the Dataran Kemerdekaan Shah Alam Square, where the Shah Alam Royale Theater and the Sultan Alam Shah Museum are both located.
Port Dickson is a seaside and harbor town located on the Straits of Malacca. The city is a popular excursion destination not least from the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, and it offers kilometers of long fine-grained sandy beaches in the country’s warm climate. You will find the beaches south of the city between Port Dickson and Tanjung Tuan.
Port Dickson has not always been a resort town. It was previously known for its charcoal production, and during the British era during The Straits Settlements, a port was established here. The city became a busy trading center, despite the rapid development, the surroundings with the lovely beaches remained relatively untouched.
Malacca is a Malaysian metropolis located on the Straits of Malacca, one of the most important shipping routes in the world. The strategically good location has over time meant a lot to Malacca’s development, and the city even has a natural harbor protected from storms by several small islands. The Malacca River flows through the city, dividing Malacca in two.
Malacca has a rich history. The city was the capital of the sultanate that Paramesvara founded in the 15th century. It was a time when Malacca had also become an important part of the international spice trade, and that status continued through the centuries. Around 100,000 inhabitants already lived here at the beginning of the 16th century.
Jalan Alamanda, Putrajaya
alamanda.com.my
Jalan Imbi 1
timessquarekl.com
Jalan Hang Tuah Kasturi
centralmarket.com.my
Lingkaran Syed Putra
midvalley.com.my
Jalan Sultan Ismail
sungeiwang.com
KLCC
suriaklcc.com.my
Bintang Walk, Golden Triangle, Chinatown, Little India
National Science Center, Bukit Kiara
psn.gov.my
Mines Wonderland
mines.com.my/wonderland/wonderland.asp
National Zoo & Aquarium
zoonegara.org.my
Butterfly Park, Lake Gardens
klbutterflypark.com
Sunway Lagoon
sunway.com.my/lagoon
Despite its size and status as Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur is a very young city. Prior to 1857, there were no settlements on the site where the Klang and Gombak rivers run together, but precisely in 1857 was the time when 87 Chinese miners were searching for tin deposits in the area.
During the implementation of the strong industrialization in the mid-1800s, tin was in great demand, including in the United States and the United Kingdom. There was pewter in the vicinity of Kuala Lumpur, and the site of the rivers was the ideal gathering place for the vast jungle area. The place was called “the muddy confluence” – Kuala Lumpur in Malay.
Migrants flocked to the site as the finds of tin, and after a few years, there were settlements in several places – chiefly at the confluence of the rivers and at Ampang, which today is a suburb of the capital. In 1868, administrative structures were introduced into settlements, including local clans elected Yap ah Loy to head the Chinese community. Yap ah Loy was thus the first mayor of the city, and with him the founding of Kuala Lumpur was marked as an actual city.
The rapid development of the city from mining communities to an actual city created chaotic conditions along the way. The site was ravaged by malaria and many of the miners died of the disease. The rapid wealth and the still fragile administrative structures created widespread lawlessness, which was increased by the many travelers who saw opportunities to obtain part of the wealth.
On top of Kuala Lumpur’s own problems, the Malaysian civil war broke out. Local Sultans fought each other. It was a battle for the throne in Perak north of Kuala Lumpur, which belonged to the state of Selangor. Selangor was involved and the entire Kuala Lumpur area was burned.
The merchants of the Malaya state formation Straits Settlements were concerned about the impact of the civil war on the area’s and thus their own positive economic development. They asked Britain to intervene and secure a peace in the area. Britain had great financial interests in tin production and they sent Governor Andrew Clarke to negotiate a peaceful solution to the conflict.
Clarke completed the Pangkor peace agreement in 1874. The civil war was over, and a new sultan joined the throne in Perak. In addition to this, a British presence was introduced to consult and approve all actions that were not specific to the religion and traditions of the Malay.
In 1880, Kuala Lumpur became the capital instead of Klang, and then the city’s development progressed rapidly. Britain’s Frank Swettenham also chose the city as its administrative center. Swettenham initiated the construction of a number of brick buildings – after another fire in 1881. The city was better protected from fire, and at the same time the health of its inhabitants improved.
In 1896 Swettenham united four of the area sultanates to the United Malaysian States. Kuala Lumpur was centrally located and the city was chosen as the capital. Kuala Lumpur was administered by the British in the colonial style. The Sultan Abdul Samad building was the political center. The leisure was used to play cricket at Padang or for relaxation in the Selangor Club. In the Selangor Club there was access for whites only, and the place became the symbol of British imperialism.
During World War II, the English were overcome and Kuala Lumpur was conquered by Japan. After the war, Kuala Lumpur grew through a very extensive development program, in which a number of new suburbs were built from 1948.
The desire for emancipation from the English grew steadily, and a communist-led resistance movement gained ever greater power. In front of tens of thousands of people, the English flag, Union Jack, was taken down for the last time in front of the Selangor Club at midnight on August 30, 1957. Kuala Lumpur was then the capital of the independent Federation of Malaya – from 1963 in present-day Malaysia.
After independence, civil unrest increased between Kuala Lumpur’s various population groups. It culminated in 1969 with the introduction of a state of emergency that lasted two years. Economic development and the desire for cooperation from the population groups brought calm, and in 1974 Kuala Lumpur was declared a federal area.
New buildings shot up, including the world’s tallest buildings Petronas Towers, and the city’s population almost exploded to the current 2 million. The expansion has continued in recent years. In 1998, Kuala Lumpur hosted the Commonwealth Games. In 1999, the federal administration was relocated to the newly created area of Putrajaya south of Kuala Lumpur.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia[/caption]
Overview of Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the epitome of the rapid development that Southeast Asian economies have undergone since the end of World War II. More than 2 million inhabitants live here, and the city is a great blend of colonial-style architecture, traditional Malaysian buildings and modern skyscrapers.
Modern and with plenty of options is one of the first things to notice when arriving in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur. From far away you can see the iconic Petronas Towers, which were the tallest in the world when they were built. There are also many good museums, vibrant business districts, shopping malls and beautiful parks where you can really enjoy the city’s mild tropical climate.
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Kuala Lumpur Tower is one of the tallest silhouettes in the Kuala Lumpur skyline. It is a transmission and observation tower with a height of 421 metres, making it one of the world’s tallest tower structures. Construction began in 1991 and Kuala Lumpur Tower was opened on 1 October 1996.
Of course, you get to the top with elevators, and there is an observation deck at a height of 276 meters, from which there is of course an excellent view of the Malaysian capital. There is also a revolving restaurant at the top of the tower, and from here you are served both food and a panoramic view.
St. Mary’s Cathedral is the Anglican cathedral of Kuala Lumpur and the Diocese of West Malaysia. The original Anglican church was built in 1887, but a growing congregation made it necessary to build a larger church, and in 1893 an area along the Padang was selected for the purpose.
The foundation stone for the new and current St. Mary’s Cathedral was laid in 1894 by Sir William Hood Treacher, who was the British Resident of Selangor. The following year, Bishop George Frederick Hose was able to dedicate the new church.
Cathedral stands as one of the early British colonial buildings in Kuala Lumpur. It was designed in English Neo-Gothic style by the government architect Arthur Charles Alfred Norman, who stepped in because a suitable design was not found among submitted proposals. The church is worth seeing with a cozy church interior.
Independence Square is a centrally located square in Kuala Lumpur, also known as Merdeka Square. It is a historic place in the country’s history as it was the scene of the declaration of independent Malaysia in 1957. Here the Malaysian flag was raised for the first time, which happened at 12.01 on 31 August 1957.
The square was laid out as a large lawn in 1884. The area was previously a marshy and uneven terrain, which lay west of the site’s river. The land was drained and leveled for a training ground for the police, and later the lawn became a cricket ground for the Selangor Club, and it was called the Selangor Club Padang or simply Padang.
Today, you can experience the atmosphere of colonial Kuala Lumpur by taking a stroll in Independence Square. The history of the lawns is interesting, and there are several beautiful and historically interesting buildings around the square, such as the Royal Selangor Club, St. Mary’s Cathedral and Sultan Abdul Samad Building.
Central Market is the name of Kuala Lumpur’s food market, which originated in 1888 as a selling point for, among other things, fresh fish, meat and agricultural products. The market was popular, and it was expanded several times, which happened in 1889, 1895 and 1920, among others.
Over time, there was a need for a new market building, and the current Central Market was therefore built in 1936-1937 in the art deco style of the time. Today, there are a number of different shops and restaurants in the old market, where there is a nice atmosphere.
Perdana Botanical Gardens is a large and lovely recreational oasis in Kuala Lumpur. The garden’s history goes back to 1888, when it was laid out in the city center to have a suitably large area with quiet surroundings close to the hustle and bustle of the growing city.
It was the Briton Alfred Venning who came up with the idea for the park, and the British Resident at the time, Sir Frank Swettenham, approved the plan. After this, Alfred Venning started with the layout of the area, which was transformed into a lovely botanical garden.
Today, you can enjoy various garden plants in the beautiful plants with orchids, hibiscus, birds, butterflies and much more. In the Perdana Botanical Garden is also the house Carcosa Seri Negara, which was the official residence of the representative of the British government, and at the garden’s lake, Alfred Venning established The Lake Club as a social meeting place.
Jamek Mosque, formally called Sultan Abdul Samad Jamek Mosque, is a beautiful mosque that is also the oldest in Kuala Lumpur. The building is located exactly where the Klang and Gombak rivers meet, and the site historically functioned as a burial ground.
It was the architect Arthur Benison Hubback who designed the mosque with Moorish inspiration in the Indo-Saracenic style. The foundation stone was laid in 1908 by Alaeddin Sulaiman Shah, who was the Sultan of Selangor, and the mosque was inaugurated the following year.
Merdeka 118 is a so-called super-tall skyscraper that stands as one of Kuala Lumpur’s modern skyscrapers. The building opened in 2024 with a height of 678.9 meters, making it the tallest skyscraper in both Malaysia and Southeast Asia. In fact, only the Burj Khalifa in Dubai was taller in the world when it opened.
Merdeka 118 was designed with diamond shapes to symbolize the diversity of Malaysia’s population. The building was built to house a mix of offices, hotels, shops and an observation deck at over 500 meters high with stunning views of the Malaysian capital.
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