Best Landmarks of Kaula Lampur-Part 1

Kuala Lumpur in the Malay language means Muddy Estuary and was founded in 1857 by the tin miners. As the mining and trading of tin prospered, the town began to develop and since then Kuala Lumpur landmarks have constantly being changed to cater for the growing needs of the city folks. The city was declared a Federal Capital on February 1 1974 and since then the first day of February has always been a holidays for the city dwellers.

Despite the fast pace development of the city, Kuala Lumpur has been able to balance the demands of land for developement. The historical site such as the Sultan Abdul Samad building has being kept and preserved as a national heritage. Greeneries are also planned in the city with potted plants, flowers and green trees co exist together with the modern skyscrapers.

With a population of over 1.3 million and still thriving in full swing, Kuala Lumpur is by far the largest of all cities in Malaysia. Malays, Chinese and Indians comprise the major races among many others in this microcosm of cultures. The multicultural influence of Malaysia is manifested in the customs, religious beliefs and languages of the country. Plan a trip to this amazing hub of unanimity and versatile tradition with AsiaRooms.com offering you all the information regarding Kuala Lumpur Tourist Attractions in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Dataran Merdeka

Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square) is appropriately named because it was at this place on August 30, 1957 at midnight, the Malayan flag was hoisted for the first time in the country’s history upon gaining independence from the British rule. The flag raising ceremony was held at the very spot where the 100-metre high flagpole now stands. Underneath the flagpole area is Plaza Putra, an underground food, leisure and entertainment complex, as well as an underground parking bay. On the other end of the immaculately-turfed 8.2ha field lies a fountain area with elegant colonnades and colourful rows of zinnias and marigolds, a nice place to rest after a day’s trip.

The Square is well maintained with beautiful gardens, terraces, fountains and a big screen
for screening of main events and live telecasts. Photography session for first timer to this place is a must whether one is a local or a foreign tourist.

This Square continues to be a venue where many events are held. The National Day celebrations and New Year countdown are among the events that are held here. Beneath the square is Plaza Putra where you will be able to find food and entertainment. It also has a car park facility.

Kuala Lumpur Tower

Beside the Petronas Twin Towers lies the awesome sight of KL Tower, the tallest tower in Southeast Asia. It stands majestically atop Bukit Nanas (Pineapple Hill) at 421 meters and 94 meters above sea level, is one of the first and perhaps most enduring images a visitor to KL will encounter. KL Tower was built to endure
against wind pressure of 190 miles per hour.

The tallest tower in the world is the 553 m CN Tower in Canada followed by the 537 m Ostankino Tower in Russia. Third is the 468 m Oriental Pearl Tower in China and fourth is the just completed 435 m Borj-e Milad tower in Iran. It was erected as a telecommunication tower to improve the quality of telecommunications and broadcasting transmissions. It doubles as an exciting destination with much to offer visitors in terms of cultural activities, shopping bargains, and even the ambience of a forest reserve!

Description

Completed in 1996 after taking 4 years to build, the tower’s beautiful architectural design and motive reflects rich Islamic Heritage. This was the brain child of local architects, Kumpulan Serineka Sdn Bhd, who successfully blended Eastern architecture with Western technology to build such an elegant tower.

Dome shaped arches at every doorway on the upper ground floor are decorated with glass that illuminates like giant diamonds whose surfaces are arranged according to the form of traditional Islamic “Muqarnas”. This Iranian forms larger brusque patterns at the bottom to symbolize the seven layers of the sky. The receding shape of the apex symbolizes the sun ray whereby it is also a symbol of man’s journey towards perfection.

The soffit of the tower head is decorated with vertical rib structure on the outer layer on which the aluminum Islamic design is drawn. This, however, can only be seen from the pedestrian mall and the buildings around the tower.

Located in the heart of the Golden Triangle, KL’s business and entertainment district, KL Tower is just a stroll away from major hotels and shopping establishments. The tower is also easily accessible as there are regular public transportation.

While you are here, remember to take a walk at the Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve and enjoy the oldest forest reserve in the city. There are jogging tracks, open-air gymnasium, birds and a fantastic view of the city from this park. Guided tour at regular interval is provided but remember to bring along your towel as it can be quite humid and hot in the afternoon.

Jamek mosque

Jamek Mosque or Masjid Jamek (in Malay language) is the oldest mosque in the city of Kuala Lumpur which is still in use until today. Designed by British engineer, Arthur Benison Hubback or popularly known as A.B. Hubback, this building has a Moghul architecture quite similar in design to the north Indian Islamic architecture. This structure has the resemblance in design with the Sultan Abdul Samad Building which was also designed by the same architect. The word “Jamek” is derived from the Arabic language which means a place where the people congregate for religious purposes.

The mosque was built in the year 1907 on what used to be the Malay burial ground. The remains of the buried was exhumed and transferred to the Gombak Muslim cemetery after the prayer session. It is also located at the confluence where the Gombak river flows into Klang river. After its completion, it was officially declared opened by the Sultan of Selangor on 23 December 1909. This 100 year old mosque used to be the main mosque for the muslim residents of Kuala Lumpur before the National Mosque was opened in 1965.

Description

The Masjid Jamek is designed to have Moorish architecture. Another building in close proximity shares the same architectural design of the Masjid Jamek. This of course can be attributed to the fact that this building was also designed by the architect who also designed the Masjid Jamek. The building is named sultan Abdul Samad Building and is on the other side of the Klang River. The building has the same style of the Masjid Jamek. In close proximity also lie the Dataran Merdeka, and the Masjid Jamek LRT station. The Masjid Jamek LRT station has two lines the Sri Petaling Line and the Kelana Jaya Line.

The mosque has 2 main towers, other smaller towers and 3 domes. The central dome is located where the prayer hall is and is 21.3m or 70 feet high. At the corners are two red and white striped minarets with a height of 26.8m or 88 feet. The structure stands up in the midsts of modern and tall skyline of Kuala Lumpur.

Petronas Twin Tower

It’s not often that a single building becomes a status symbol for an entire nation. The Eiffel Tower in France; The Empire State Building in the United States; and now the Petronas Towers in Malaysia. The twin tower rose on the Pacific rim at a time when Asia’s economy was booming. The Malaysian national oil company (Peroliam Nasional) needed new quarters to house its expanding operation. What they ended up doing is creating an icon. The towers have been featured in films, television, books, and even video games and are recognized for their distinctive style. A pair of slender shafts rise above the city.

They are slick in appearance because of the glass curtain walls, but still have a pleasant tactile appearance because of the scalloping of the shafts to create high-rent views. Joining the two towers is a sky bridge at the 41st and 42nd floors. It stretches 192 feet across the gap to link the two buildings from 558 feet above ground. It is, unfortunately, supported by a truss structure, rather than something more evocative of the rest of the building. The Petronas Towers footprint is an eight-sided star with rounded nodules – a common symbol in Asian and Islamic religions. And it’s a fitting redemption for a piece of land that was once a racetrack. In a building of this scale, moving people around is a major challenge. The designers came up with an interesting way of addressing the problem. At the main entrances, people who are going to even-numbered floors can simply board an elevator. People going to odd-numbered floors must ride an escalator one floor up to board the second level of the very same elevators. This way a single elevator car can serve two floors simultaneously.

* At the time of its completion, this was considered by some to be the tallest building in the world. The debate over that status was made moot in 2003 when it was surpassed by Taipei 101.
* The Petronas Towers have 32,000 windows.

* 12 September, 2001: The Petronas Towers are evacuated because of a bomb threat a day after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York.

Sultan Abdul Samad Moorish Architecture

Prior to the building of the Petronas Twin Towers, the Sultan Abdul Samad building has long been a famous landmark for Malaysia and Kuala Lumpur. It is situated at centre of Jalan Raja.

Unique moorish-style design, this building, which designed by British architect A.C Norman was completed in 1897. Its architect added an Islamic touch that suitably reflects the cultural background of Malaysia to the mostly Renaissance design. The Sultan Abdul Samad Building was also the forerunner in establishing the nation’s Moghal design style.

The building once served as the administrative offices for the government during the British administration, but now it is home to the Supreme and High Courts. It also houses the Textile Museum.

This is the most photographed building in the city, with a 40 metre clock tower affectionately dubbed “Big Ben”, topped with a golden dome and flanked on both sides by two domed towers. The clock tower is significant to many major events; from the lowering of the Union Jack at the strock of midnite when Malaysia (then Malaya) gained independance to the numorous new year eve celebrations.

During state occasions, coloured lights twinkle in the arches, making it look like a scene from an Arabian Nights’ tale. The section of Jalan Raja is closed in order for the people to enjoy the night scenery of the area.

Kuala Lumpur Railway Station

The Kuala Lumpur Railway Station is a beautiful Mughal-style railway station located at Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin, Kuala Lumpur. The National Mosque, Station Hotel and Dayabumi Complex are among the nearby landmarks.

Kuala Lumpur Railway Station is one of the historical building in the city of Kuala Lumpur which still attract historians and tourists to this place. The building with Moorish architecture design was completed in the year 1910 as a hub for Malaya’s rail transportation system. It has tall minarets and arches that are still in good condition today.

Located at Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin, the building was refurbished in the year 1986 with additional facilities such as air conditioned waiting halls, stalls and information counters. With the completion of the new transportation hub of KL Sentral, the central hub for the railway system has now been relocated to the newer facility. This railway station is currently used as one of the station of KTM Komuter and as a bus station for NICE Executive Coach and Plusliner Economy Express that services the main cities of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore.

The Kuala Lumpur Railway Station building is a unique blend of various architectures, and has elements from the 13th and 14th century Ottoman and Mughal empires as well as Gothic and ancient Greek designs. Its high and wide verandahs is well adapted to the tropical climate.

The rhythmic arched colonades wrapping the verandahs give the building on its facade an interesting shadow interplay. There are five domes sit majestically atop the building, each surrounded by four spiral columns of orthodox Greek design.The Kuala Lumpur Railway Station is definitely a delight for all photography buffs! Its domes and minarets’ unique features make it one of the most photograph railway station in the world. The station housed a linear set of halls with the platforms were out behind.

Royal Selangor Club

If you are visiting Merdeka Square or the National History Museum at Jalan Raja, remember to drop by Royal Selangor Club and see the mock-Tudor structure that was founded in 1884. It is located opposite Sultan Abdul Samad building, another landmark attraction in the city of Kuala Lumpur. At its inception, the club was a small plank building with thatched roof. It serves as a social and cricket club to the expatriate community during the rule of the British in Malaysia.

Royal Selangor Club is one of the premier sport club in Malaysi. Royal Selangor Club was establish in 1884 by the British who once ruled Malaya. Commonly known as The Dog. The Royal Selangor Club is located next to the Dataran Merdeka, or Independence Square, padang (field) near Jalan Raja (Raja Road).

The club is exclusively used for members and has many sporting facilities such as swimming, billiard, chess, darts, reading room etc. Food and beverages outlets that serve Japanese, Chinese and local cuisines are among the other facilities here.

Other nearby attractions are Pertubuhan Arkitek Architecture,Dataran Merdeka,St Marys Cathedral…

Sources

www.marimari.com
www.globosapiens.net
www.marimari.com
www.asiarooms.com
www.articlesbase.com
www.kualalumpurcityguide.com
www.cuti.com.my
www.asiaexplorers.com
my.pagenation.com
www.glasssteelandstone.com
www.malaysiavacationguide.com

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