My Visual Travel Experience: Kuala Lumpur

In 2007, I went and spent four days in Kuala Lumpur. One of those days was spent in nearby Sepang, where I went with a group of friends to see the Malaysian Formula One race. I had my Nokia N93 communicator stolen during the race, but that was the only black mark on an otherwise great trip. I was very impressed by Kuala Lumpur's overall standards of development, its museums, its modern day landmarks like Petronas Towers and Kuala Lumpur Tower, its lively markets, and the overall buzz and vibrancy of the city.

Kuala Lumpur is the capital and largest city of Malaysia, and has a population of over 1.7 million (as of 2016). It is one of the world’s leading locations for tourism and shopping and has been ranked as one of the most livable cities of Asia. It has a high per capita income and impressive development levels, evident through structures like Petronas Towers and Kuala Lumpur Tower, plus through the city’s advanced infrastructure levels. It is a city with multiple ethnicities – Malays are 45% of the population, Chinese 43%, and Indians 10%, as per the 2010 census. Principle languages are Bahsa Malaysia, English, Cantonese, Mandarin and Tamil.

In the 1840s, Chinese miners were involved in tin mining close to present day Kuala Lumpur. Kuala Lumpur was established as a town in 1857. In 1880, the state capital of Selangor was moved from Klang to Kuala Lumpur by the colonial administration. Merdeka Square, then called the Pedang, was the centre of the British administrative offices. In 1896, Kuala Lumpur became the capital of the newly formed Federated Malay States. The town saw a lot of growth with the development of the rubber industry in the early 20th century. In 1942, during World War II, Kuala Lumpur was captured by the Imperial Japanese Army. More than 5,000 Chinese were killed in Kuala Lumpur during the occupation, and Indians were sent as forced labours to work on the Burma Railway - many died in the inhuman conditions there. In 1945, the Japanese surrendered to the British after the bombings at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

In 1957, Malaysia gained independence from the British. On 31st August 1957, the Declaration of Independence was held at Merdeka Stadium by the first Prime Minister of Malaya, Tunku Abdul Rahman. Kuala Lumpur remained the capital after the formation of Malaysia on 16th September 1963. From the 1990s, major urban developments took place in the Klang Valley. The Greater Kuala Lumpur region, with Kuala Lumpur and neighbouring towns like Klang, Shah Alam and Putrajaya, has a population of 7.2 million. Mahathir Mohammad has been the country’s longest serving Prime Minister, and was in office from 1981 to 2003, and again from 2018 to 2020.

Petronas Towers stand at a height of 454 meters (1,483 feet). They are a symbol of Malaysia’s progress. The towers were completed in 1998 and are made of stainless steel and laminated glass. The towers have 88 floors and there is a sky-bridge on the 41st floor connecting the two towers.

Petronas Towers

Kuala Lumpur Tower is a communications tower that opened in 1995. It stands at a height of 421 meters (1,381 ft). The tower has a revolving restaurant that provides a panoramic view of the city.

Kuala Lumpur Tower

Glass ceiling at Kuala Lumpur Tower

Sultan Abdul Samad Building was built in 1897 as the headquarters of the colonial administration. The building lies to one side of Merdeka Square. It was built by a British architect and is a combination of Mughal and Islamic styles. It has a 41 meter tall clock tower. Flanked by two smaller towers, crowned by copper domes. It now has a section of Malaysia’s High Court.

Sultan Abdul Samad Building

Merdeka Square lies in the heart of the city, and is surrounded by the Sultan Abdul Samad Building, St Mary’s Cathedral and Royal Serangor Club. .In the middle of the square lies a 100 meter (328 ft) flagpole, where the Malaysian flag is raised on National Day.

Merdeka Square

St Mary’s Cathedral was built in the English Gothic style. It has a whitewashed exterior and an impressive English pipe organ.

St Mary's Cathedral

Jamek Mosque is the city’s oldest mosque and lies at the confluence of the Klang and Gombak rivers. It dates back to 1909 and is open only to Muslims. The mosque has three large onion shaped domes and two minarets.

Jamek Mosque

National History Museum was completed in 1891 and lies in a grand Moorish building. It was originally built to house the city’s first bank. In 1991, it was converted into a museum. The museum chalks out the country’s history from the Stone Age to independence.  Exhibits include Stone Age tools and pottery, Buddha statues, ceramics, coins, weapons, and World War II army uniforms.

National History Museum

National Museum opened in 1963. It has been constructed like a traditional Malay palace. Its has various galleries, and the exhibits include murals from the country’s history, costumes, handicrafts, natural history, weapons, musical instruments and ceramics.

National Museum

The Islamic Arts Museum opened in 1998 and has over 7,000 artifacts from the Islamic world. The building is covered by turquoise coloured domes. Inside, there are five domes created by Uzbek craftsmen. The exhibits include Koran manuscripts, Turkish tiles, Islamic jewellery, Islamic woodwork, and models of Islamic architectural wonders like Taj Mahal and Dome of the Rock.

Islamic Arts Museum

National Mosque was built in 1965. The vast structure can hold up to 15,000 worshipers and is housed within sprawling gardens. The hall is covered with a dome in the shape of an 18 point star. There is a 73 meter (240 ft) minaret next to it.

National Mosque

National Monument is a bronze sculpture that commemorates those who perished during Malaysia’s freedom movement against the Japanese occupation during WWII and the Malayan Emergency from 1948 to 1960.

National Monument

Maha Mariamman Temple was set up in 1873 for a Tamil family from southern India. It moved to its present site in 1885. The temple has a five-tiered gopuram (entrance gate).  It is Kuala Lumpur’s main Hindu temple.

Maha Mariamman Temple

Jalan Petaling is a lively street market that specializes in fake designer goods like watches, clothes and bags. There is a huge amount of bargaining that takes place. It is a regular market till the evening, and then the area gets closed to traffic and stalls are set up. There are also many food stalls that come up.

Jalan Petaling

Suria KLCC is spread over 6 floors inside Petronas Towers, and is among the city’s busiests hopping areas, with apparel stores, restaurants, cafes and banks. It even has a rotating art gallery and an interactive petroleum museum.

Suria KLCC

KLCC Gardens are a large green space in front of Surya KLCC. They have a jogging track, a children’s playground, numerous species of native trees, an artificial lake, and a dancing fountain.

KLCC Gardens

KL Bird Park is an aviary spread over 20.9 acres. It has more than 200 species of birds, largely native birds. It was set up in 1991.

KL Bird Park

KL Butterfly Park is located near KL Bird Park. It is spread over 80,000 sq ft and houses over 5,000 butterflies.

KL Butterfly Park

Batu Caves lie 13 km north of Kuala Lumpur. The caves were discovered by William Hornaday in 1878. In the 1890s, the caves were dedicated to the Hindu deity Lord Murugan.  At the entrance, there is a 43 meter (141 ft) golden statue of Lord Murugan. 272 steps lead up to the first cave. Inside, there are statues and paintings from Hindu mythology.

Batu Caves

KL Monorail is one of the most efficient ways of getting around the city, along with the light metro. Public transport in Kuala Lumpur makes getting around convenient and hassle free.

KL Monorail

I enjoyed my time in Kuala Lumpur, and it is a city I would happily re-visit. It has the magnetic buzz and energy of some of the other bigger Asian cities like Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangkok. Certainly a traveler's delight!