Sultan Abdul Samad Building
The Sultan Abdul Samad Building was named after the reigning Sultan of Selangor at the time, Sultan Abdul Samad.
The first thing that will catch your eye is the ‘Mohammedan’ style of construction, also known as ‘Neo-Saracenic’. This style comes from India where he modeled some Muslim mosques from there. The construction of the building began in 1894 and was completed after three years. The Sultan Abdul Samad Building was originally known as the New Government Offices and housed the Public Works Department, Inspectorate Office, Treasury, Post and Telegraph Offices and some of the Federated Malay States departments.
The largest building of its time, it is built entirely of brick. The parts that look like cream-colored stones are actually bricks covered in plaster. The front façade stretches 137 meters long. It has a large porch in the center. If you look closely at the portico, you’ll see three horseshoe arches, with vertical structures supporting them. If you step back a bit, you can marvel at the 41.2-meter clock tower. This watch was first heard during Queen Victoria’s birthday parade in 1897 at an event attended by the crème de la crème of British officers in Malaya. There is another dome, but this time it is a shiny copper dome. And on top of the dome, there’s a shiny copper chatri, what looks like a needle sticking out of it. There are two other circular towers at either end of the building, and each also has a shiny copper dome.
This heritage building used to house the Federal Court and the Court of Appeals. However, both courts have since been relocated to the Putrajaya Courthouse. The Sultan Abdul Samad Building now houses the Commercial Division of the High Court of Malaya.
The clock tower is sometimes known as Kuala Lumpur’s Big Ben. On January 1, 1982, the clock tower became the site of a historic event when time was standardized between Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore. On December 31, 1981, at 11:30 p.m. local time, the citizens of Peninsular Malaysia set their watches forward 30 minutes to East Malaysia Time, which was 00:00 on January 1, 1982. And in a blink of an eye; Malaysia Standard Time is now +8 GMT!
Beneath the tower is the word ‘Merdeka’. Merdeka means Independence. Every year during Hari Merdeka or Independence Day, thousands of spectators gather here to watch the colorful parade through the streets and the performances that take place in the field facing the road.
And on official occasions, the entire building is illuminated, making it look like a scene from the Arabian Nights.
Pause the audio guide and take as much time as you need.