When the British Empire was consolidating their hold on the Malay state of Selangor, her leaders decided to build the centerpiece of their presence in Malaya around the Padang in the sleepy mining town of Kuala Lumpur (now known as Dataran Merdeka, or Freedom Square).  

A near-contemporary account from British journalist Arnold Wright explains that the Straits Governor Sir William Maxwell "was of opinion...

that a  few effective-looking buildings would give an air of prosperity to Selangor that was lacking in the neighboring States," with the result that the average rebellious Chinese tin miner "throw in his lot with that of Selangor." (source)

British engineer Arthur Charles Norman obliged with a number of Mughal-style government buildings around the square – none more impressive than the Sultan Abdul Samad Building on the square’s eastern side.

• Malaysia 101: First-time visitor to Malaysia and its capital? Read our Guide to Kuala Lumpur, peruse our Malaysia Travel Guide, or check out our list of Top Ten Reasons to Visit Malaysia. For an overview of other top places to visit nearby, look at this list of nine must-see spots around Dataran Merdeka.

History of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building

The two-storey brick building designed by Norman now dominates Dataran Merdeka: a wide brick complex topped with copper-covered chatri, or Mughal-style onion-shaped domes, and a single towering clock tower at its center.

The British intended the building to house their administration in the state of Selangor, though did the reigning Malay royalty a courtesy by naming the structure after Selangor’s monarch at the time, Sultan Abdul Samad. Upon the Sultan Abdul Samad Building’s completion in 1897, the British Resident in Selangor held office on the second floor; the rest of the building housed the rest of the British administrative apparatus, from the Treasury to the Public Works department to the State Secretariat.

After Malaysia was granted independence from the British, a succession of Malaysian offices occupied the space. First, the State of Selangor housed its government treasury and marriage registry in the old building, before handing over the reins to the Supreme Court of Malaysia. Today, the building is home to the Malaysian Ministry of Information, Communication and Culture.

Architecture of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building

Access to the building’s interior is restricted – it is a working government office, after all – but beholding the striking façade is reward enough for the visitor.

The building’s façade is of a piece with the Mughal style favored by the resident British engineers of the day. The arabesque arches along the front of the building mark a 12-foot-deep veranda that, in Arnold Wright's words, serve a dual purpose: its "pointed arches giving good light, and at the same time protection from the sun".

The exterior consists of plaster-covered brick, the British being masters of the bricklayers’ art. The bricks were sourced from a clay pit that is now the Brickfields district of Kuala Lumpur. Four million bricks were ordered from Brickfields; the finished product was delivered painstakingly to the construction site by way of a massive human conveyor belt.

The brickwork ascends to the building’s highest point, a square clock-tower 135 feet in height that rises from the building’s exact center, topped with a copper-covered dome. The clock tower’s bell chimes every Merdeka Day’s eve at midnight, an annual occurrence that first took place when Malaysia declared independence in 1957.

How to get to the Sultan Abdul Samad Building

The Sultan Abdul Samad Building is located across the Dataran Merdeka, on its eastern side (Address: Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad, Jalan Raja Laut, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; location on Google Maps).

To get here by LRT, disembark at the Masjid Jamek station and walk 20 minutes south. Alternatively, you can take the free Go KL City Bus from the Golden Triangle, disembark at the Pasar Seni LRT station, then cross the river over at Masjid Jamek; walk south till you reach the Dataran Merdeka.

The Kuala Lumpur city government sponsors tours of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building as part of its free Dataran Merdeka Heritage Walk. Tours take place  every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday, beginning at 9am at the Kuala Lumpur City Gallery.

To join the tours, visit the official KL Tourism site visitkl.gov.my or email pelacongan@dbkl.gov.my.

• Ride the Rails: Read our guide to Kuala Lumpur's Train System for more information about getting around by rail, or this overview of transportation in Kuala Lumpur for information about the city’s public transport system.