Asia Travel Guide

Founded in the mid-nineteenth century, KUALA LUMPUR , or KL as it’s popularly known, is the youngest Southeast Asian capital and the most economically successful after Singapore - and it’s still growing: building sites abound and the city is awash with stunning examples of modern architecture, not least the famous Petronas Towers and the recently opened Museum of Islamic Arts.

It’s not one of Malaysia’s most charming cities perhaps: it doesn’t have, for example, the narrow alleys, bicycles and mahjong games of Melaka or Kota Bharu or the atmospheric waterfront of Kuching. But it’s safe and sociable, and with a population of nearly two million, it’s usually exciting in the day and always buzzing with energy at night. From a cultural standpoint, it certainly has enough interesting monuments, galleries, markets and museums to keep visitors busy for at least a week.

KL began life as a swampy staging post for Chinese tin miners in 1857 - Kuala Lumpur means “muddy estuary” in Malay - and blossomed under the competitive rule of pioneering merchants. But as fights over tin concessions erupted across the country, the British used gunboat diplomacy to settle the Selangor Civil War and the British Resident, Frank Swettenham, took command of KL, making it the capital of the state and, in 1896, the capital of the Federated Malay States. Swettenham imported British architects from India to design suitably grand buildings, and thousands of Tamil labourers poured in to build them; development continued steadily through the first quarter of the twentieth century.

The Japanese invaded in December 1941, but although they bombed the city, they missed their main targets. Following the Japanese surrender in September 1945, the British were once more in charge in the capital, but Nationalist demands had replaced the Malays’ former acceptance of the colonizers, and Malaysian independence - Merdeka - finally came in 1957.

Despite much modernization, much of Kuala Lumpur’s appeal - markets, temples and historic mosques - remains untouched. The city centre is quite compact, with the Colonial District centred on Merdeka Square; close by, across the river and to the south, Chinatown and Little India are the two main traditional commercial districts. One of the most prominent (and busiest) of KL’s central streets, Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, or Jalan TAR , as it’s often known, runs due north from Merdeka Square for 2km to Chow Kit Market; closer in, west of the square, are the Lake Gardens , while to the south lie the Masjid Negara (National Mosque), the new Islamic Arts Museum , the landmark Railway Station and the Muzium Negara (National Museum).

From Merdeka Square, the congested Jalan Tun Perak leads southeast to the Pudu Raya bus station, a kilometre further east of which is the Golden Triangle . This fashionable consumer sector is delineated by three main roads - Jalan Bukit Bintang, Jalan Imbi and Jalan Sultan Ismail - and contains most of the city’s expensive hotels, nightlife locations, modern malls, and the lofty Menara and Petronas Towers which, at just over 490m high, is currently the tallest building in the world.