Another iconic location in Malaysia is the Sultan Abdul Samad Building where we always see this in the TVs especially during the Merdeka and parades. Personally, I had passed through the building many times but it is indeed rare to be a tourist and capturing the iconic building till recently. Bangunan Abdul Samad is located well infront of the Independence Square and the Royal Selangor Club, by Jalan Raja in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The building is named under the name of the reigning Sultan Of Selangor when the time the construction takes place and it is actually the offices of the Ministry of Information, Communications and Culture of Malaysia (Malay: Kementerian Penerangan, Komunikasi dan Kebudayaan Malaysia). It formerly housed the superior courts of the country: the Federal Court of Malaysia, the Court of Appeals and the High Court of Malaya. The Federal Court and the Court of Appeals had shifted to the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya during the early 2000s, while the High Court of Malaya shifted to the Kuala Lumpur Courts Complex in 2007.
The building was designed by A.C. Norman and built in 1894-1897 to house several important government departments during the British administration. A.C. Norman spent time in Africa and saw Muslim mosques in India which led him to use Mughal architecture in the building’s design.The 41-meter tower chimed for the first time to coincide with Queen Victoria’s Jubilee Parade in 1897 and has chimed since.
Topped by a shiny copper dome and a 40m high clock tower, it is a major landmark in the city. It serves as the backdrop for important events such as the National Day Parade on August 31 and the ushering in of the New Year. This heritage building used to be occupied by the then Apex Court of Malaysia, the Supreme Court which was subsequently renamed the Federal Court. The Court of Appeal was also housed in this historic building. The Federal Court and the Court of Appeals have since moved to the Palace of Justice located in Putrajaya, the new Federal administrative capital.
Behind the building flows the Klang River and Gombak River’s confluence where Kuala Lumpur got its name (Kuala means estuary and Lumpur means muddy) and in the middle of where the two rivers meet stands The Masjid Jamek (or Jamek Mosque), a mosque of similar design by the same architect. If you are visiting Kuala Lumpur, perhaps this is a place to pop down to get a glimpse and walk around the Sultan Abdul Samad Building.
You can reach the building via public transport to Masjid Jamek Station by using the RapidKL (Gombak Line) or Ampang Line LRT
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