History of Kuala Lumpur

Establishment of Kuala Lumpur

As the capital of and largest city in Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur is the hub of all commercial and tourism in the country. Kuala Lumpur’s name, however, doesn’t do the city’s importance much justice. The name was derived from the position of the city, at the spot where the Gombak and the Klang Rivers converged.  The Gombak’s earlier name was Sungai Lumpur meaning “muddy river.”  The new city that was established therefore came to be known as “Kuala Lumpur” or “muddy confluence.”  

The city was established in the 1850s by a group of Chinese tin miners who were hired by Raja Abdullah of the Selangor Royal family.  These tin mines quickly evolved into trading posts.  The valley soon fell into decline with constant famines, floods, and even a civil war taking place. Things changed for the better with the arrival of a Chinese kapitan named, Yap Ah Loy.  Under his leadership, Kuala Lumpur witnessed fast economic growth.  In 1880, KL was declared the capital of the state of Selangor.  In 1886, the city was declared the capital of the newly established Federated Malay States.  

Second World War

By this time, a mix of different ethnic groups, including Indian Moslems, Chettiars, Malays, and Chinese had settled down in Kuala Lumpur.  In 1942, the city was pulled into the Second World War when Japanese troops invaded Kuala Lumpur.  The Japanese occupation ended in 1945 after the surrender of Japan to the British administration.   

During the war, Kuala Lumpur continued to grow, its development unaffected by the crash of the rubber and tin commodities market.  The city continued to remain the capital of the country, even after the formation of Malaysia as a separate country in 1963.   

In recent years, KL has continued to grow as a major player on the world stage, with the Asian boom of the 1980s bringing tremendous prosperity to the region.  This much is evident by the tremendous construction and medical investments throughout the city (Petronas Towers for example).  As medical tourism continues to blossom in this SE Asian outpost, it is likely that KL’s popularity as a vacation hotspot will continue to skyrocket in the coming years.