Asian urbanperformer. dining outthestellardelicious arrayofcuisinesthatmake experienceinthisstarSoutheast ina markets. Eachethniccommunitybringssomethingtothetable–mostimportantly designandfashionthatcanbefoundin KL’s abundantmallsand art, and cutting-edge fascinating whole. grasp aplacewhere Chinese,Indian,Malayandcontemporary structures coalesceintoa Fritz Lang’s ofthecitymore greenerypark andtothenorth . surroundsLake back in1957.The iconicPetronas Towerswere developed alongsideabeautifullylandscaped Square)rests onwhichindependencewasdeclared field(nowMerdeka andtheoldcricket Gardens. This lushlungremains asdoesthehillockofrainforest intact, onwhichMenaraKL Asia andisallthebetter forit. clear thatnature thisremains continuestofightback: oneof thegreenest citiesinSoutheast heightofMenaraKLandit’s peer downonKL(asit’scommonlyknown)fromthebird’s-eye atriumphofmanovercentury cityofhigh-risesandhighwaysseemslike nature. However, Kuala Lumpur’s metamorphosisfromthejunglehovel toagleaming21st- oftinprospectors Lumpur Kuala 90  The cream ofMalaysiancreativity canbeexperiencedhere alsointhetraditionalcrafts In itsbuiltenvironment,few citiescancompare toKLfordiversity anddaring. Imagine The blueprintwasset early bytheBritishwho,intheircolonialwisdom,crafted theLake

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TELEPHONE CODE: 03 Paying respects totheheavenly mother at atthe Admiringthe beautyofIslamicart Revivingin thegreenery ofthe Breakfasting at atthesteel-clad Marvelling Discovering vibrant the MuseumIslamic Arts Park dens ers enjoying supperat tour walking ( p95 ) andtheswankSuriaKLCC mall Thean HouTemple ( p101) ( p102 ), withitsshowpiece Metropolis Imbi Market Jln Alor crossedwithanArabianNightsMoorishfantasyandyoubegin to Chinatown (p102) (p104) (p114) Petronas Tow- 15) and (p115)  POPULATION: 1.38 MILLION ( p105 ) ona Lake Gar- KL Bird ὈὈ Lake Gardens&

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Petronas Elevated Towers Market Imbi

Hwy KUALA LUMPUR 91 10am- (Map h (Map p96 ; p96 (Map 2284 4837; www % 2164 8133; Level 4, Suria2164 8133; Level Golden Triangle % 2141 0288; Level 2, Berjaya Times 2, Berjaya Times 2141 0288; Level 10am-10pm) Excellent range of % (www.mph.com.my) (Map p118 ; p118 (Map h 10am-10pm) (Map p96 ; h 2287 3600; 2nd fl Bangsar Village II, 2 Jln Telawi 2287 3600; 2nd fl Bangsar Village II, 2 Jln Telawi (Map p96 ; p96 (Map 10.30am-10.30pm); % 2142 8231; Ground fl, BB Plaza, Jln ; 2142 8231; Ground fl, BB Plaza, Jln Bukit 10.30am-9.30pm) Another major arrival and departure point is arrival and departure Another major The city’s colonial heart is Merdeka Sq. Sq. heart is Merdeka The city’s colonial h INFORMATION INFORMATION 8pm Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm Sat) Publisher of contemporary 8pm Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm Sat) Publisher literature. Malaysian .silverfishbooks.com; 58-1 Jln Telawi, Bangsar; .silverfishbooks.com; 58-1 Jln Telawi, Silverfish Books of is the old Malay area of Kampung Kampung of area Chow Kit is the old Malay of Baru. Jln Raja Laut runs almost parallel to Jln traffic the northbound towards and takes TAR Jln Tun Razak northern marking the outer you’ll around here the city centre; boundary of and the National Art find Lake Titiwangsa and Theatre. Gallery, Library Bookshops Borders Kinokuniya MPH Bookstores the tracks further south is Bangsarthe tracks further south Baru, a nu- and bars. shops, restaurants trendy cleus of the Puduraya long-distance bus station. East of Jln Sultan Ismail of Puduraya, the intersection the and Jln Bukit Bintang marks the heart of business, shop- Golden Triangle, KL’s premier with district. Stacked ping and entertainment encompasses the Golden Triangle hotels, an north to the Kuala Lumpur that stretches area City Centre (KLCC) development anchored Sq, Back Towers. at Merdeka by the Petronas if you head against the one-way traffic north- east along Jln Tuanku A Rahman (commonly you’ll soon hit Little India, called Jln TAR) area and further north, Chow Kit, a red-light west Immediately market. famed for its lively ORIENTATION ORIENTATION Central even compact, though quite KL is its highways multilane paucity and hilly terrain, walkers. against conspire footpaths of is bustling Chinatown, here Southeast from high- south, across a band of while immediately Negara the Masjid tracks, are ways and train Station historic KL Train (National Mosque), the and the peaceful Lake of Gardens. South Lake Gardens is KL Sentral, and a regional con- with direct train terminus international Sentralnections to the airport. KL the is part of known as . On the other side of area p118 ; 1; Sq, Jln Imbi; KLCC, Jln Ampang; Jln KLCC, English-language titles. English-language h % •• History LUMPUR KUALA

KL’s darkest hour came on 13 May 1969 hour came on 13 May KL’s darkest As in other parts of the Malay Peninsula, Peninsula, the Malay of in other parts As After occupation by Japanese forces dur- occupation by Japanese After Loy had barely established control, however, Loy had barely HISTORY HISTORY wettest wettest months. there’s rain throughout the year, March to rain throughout the year, March there’s the are April and September to November Temperature ranges from 21°C to 33°C and ranges Temperature humidity exceeds 82%. Although the average commercial capital. CLIMATE Territory of Kuala Lumpur. The city has pros- Kuala Lumpur. of Territory political and ever since as ’s pered perhaps thousands, of lives. A year later local A year later lives. perhaps thousands, of suspended – ever elections were government since KL’s mayor has been by the appointed In 1974 the sul- Minister. Territories Federal Selangortan of ceded the city’s land to the state become the Federal so it could officially and Chinese communities claimed hundreds, and Chinese claimed hundreds, communities ily returned, only to be ousted when Malaysia when Malaysia only to be ousted ily returned, in 1957. its independence here declared race riots mainly between the when and killed, and many Indians sent to work on Burma’s ‘Death Railway’), the British temporar- ing WWII (when many Chinese were tortured tortured ing WWII (when many Chinese were in 1896 the city became the capital of the newly in 1896 the city became the capital of States. Malay formed Federated new town plan that transferred the central new town plan that transferred . By 1886 a rail- from here, government KL to Klang; by 1887 several way line linked thousand brick buildings had been built; and allowed the British government representative representative allowed the British government through to push a radical Frank Swettenham when fighting broke out betweenwhen fighting local sultans broke KL was swept up in the Perak. for the throne of ground in 1881. This conflict and burnt to the credited as the founder of KL. of as the founder credited (Kapitan China from 1868 to 1885) took on China from 1868 (Kapitan that he’s now ruthless relish the task with such fortune-seekers and their secret societies into and their secret fortune-seekers Ah Loy Yap The successful candidate line. the local sultan appointed a proxy (known as the local sultan a proxy appointed ) to bring the unruly Chinese China Kapitan had died of malaria and other tropical diseases, malaria and had died of Ampang at- in they discovered but the tin and KL quickly became miners more tracted violent boomtown. a brawling, noisy, Kuala Lumpur, meaning ‘muddy confluence’. meaning ‘muddy confluence’. Kuala Lumpur, the prospectors all but 17 of Within a month landed at the apex of the Klang and Gombak the Klang and Gombak apex of landed at the place named the and imaginatively Rivers In 1857, 87 Chinese prospectors in search of tin 87 ChineseIn 1857, in search of prospectors lonelyplanet.com