Klickr (Kuala Lumpur Flickr) Heritage Themed Photograph Walk Alongside Kam Raslan

Let's guide maintain a lilliputian intermission from nutrient as well as acquire for a walk. To live on precise it is a dull walk around Kuala Lumpur sprinkled amongst a splash of history as well as a dash of stories from the past.


Recently, I joined the KLickr (KL's Flickr group) Heritage Themed Photo Walk that was led yesteryear famous majority writer as well as paper columnist Kam Raslan. You may guide maintain seen Raslan's Ceritalah's column inwards The Star or his numerous books such every bit Confessions of an Old Boy gracing our local bookstores.


Having been a long standing fan of Raslan's industrial plant (I dutifully pollex through The Edge for his column every Sabbatum fifty-fifty though I've left the corporate globe aeons ago), I was thrilled to guide maintain him rant virtually the city's notorious past. So raptured I was amongst the stories I acknowledge I took rattling few photos to justify my existence inwards that photograph grouping (hangs caput inwards shame!).





Nevertheless I care to cobble together a decent film album for the Flickr set. However, I seriously doubtfulness it is expert plenty for this Saturday's Urbanscapes (the most happening effect amongst music, food, photos from Klickr as well as etc).


Back to the walk as well as that chunk of history. Tune out straightaway if you lot autumn asleep of the unmarried advert of that H word.


But seriously, it is expert materials that had me riveted, which I volition "try" to capture below inwards slow digestible chunks. I've also done some query as well as supplemented it amongst dates as well as to a greater extent than facts.





Why Kuala Lumpur every bit a city?


Raslan points out that historically uppercase cities are unremarkably located adjacent to a port. However, inwards our representative it was a lilliputian unlike since Kuala Lumpur was nowhere close the port Klang or Swettenham every bit it was known those days. From what I read, prior to 1880s the port was originally the administrative centre. However it was later on shifted to Kuala Lumpur, which had gained a commercial importance every bit boats would dock close sand banking concern where the 2 rivers, Sungai Klang as well as Gombak met. These boats would send goods that would live on shifted onwards to the booming tin mines inwards Ampang.  Raslan tells of how goods would live on uploaded adjacent to the bridge. Guards volition stand upwardly at that spot amongst guns non to shoot people from crossing the duet but inwards representative whatsoever crocodile from the river volition assault these boat handlers.





Yap Ah Loy's town


Kuala Lumpur was ruled yesteryear the infamous Kapitan China, Yap Ah Loy. Raslan points out that the Chinese left their homeland PRC next the Taiping Rebellion where an estimated 25 1000000 people perished during those bloody civil wars. The Chinese came inwards waves to run inwards the mines. Life was tough those days so they turned to opium that was controlled yesteryear the Chinese hole-and-corner societies headed yesteryear Yap. Raslan tells of a story on how Yap 1 time issued a lucrative vantage for the caput of his enemies. People would overzealously cutting off their friend's heads but to endeavor as well as collect the reward.

Sultan Abdul Samad Building

The duet divided the 2 areas - on 1 side it was Chinatown but on the other side was where the British held court. They built the magnificent Sultan Abdul Samad edifice that was named after the acquaint Sultan of Selangor. Designed yesteryear Arthur Norman, the edifice had a Moorish influence that the British felt volition gibe inwards the area. The edifice housed the colonial British adminstrative headquarters. Just across the route was the Padang that became the cricket playing grounds. There's a quirky history reference that Raslan remembers on a immature Malay man child that 1 time won a biscuit eating contender organised at these grounds.

Masjid Jamek

Designed yesteryear the same architect, Arthur Norman, the mosque was located on the sandbank where the 2 rivers converge together. In a similiar fashion to the Sultan Abdul Samad Building,  the domes had a Moorish look. According to Raslan, the mosque was genuinely wrongly aligned every bit it was built to gibe that slice of land. It is the oldest mosque inwards KL beingness built inwards 1909. Originally Malay burial grounds, some but non all of the graves were moved to other parts of the KL when they built the mosque. It is interesting to banker's complaint that inwards the olden days, the river genuinely rose upwardly to the bottom of the steps of the mosque. Due to development, the state around KL had been leveled layer yesteryear layer causing the river banks to sink lower as well as lower inwards comparison. 

Medan Pasar - The Market Square


Just located off the landing point, this was the pump of Kuala Lumpur inwards those days. Yap Ah Loy's domicile built after 1881 was where the former HSBC edifice is located that faces the foursquare (not the acquaint building). Here he could oversee everything from his notorious dealings inwards the opium dens as well as gambling houses that he owned. During the day, stalls volition live on constitute n the foursquare but at night, people flock hither for opium as well as to opportunity for a opportunity to acquire rich. After Yap's death, these stalls were as well as then relocated to Central Market. Long earlier Central Market was a tourist place, it was a moisture market. In 1937, an Art Deco clock tower amongst geometrical designs was built to commemorate the coronation of King George IV, the acquaint Queen Elizabeth II's father.



Bukit Aman


The Colonial British used to guide maintain their law headquarters known every bit "the Fort" on a site overlooking the Padang. This was later renamed every bit Bukit Aman. This was 1 of the strategies the British employed since it was at higher the world that gave them a vantage yell for should the Chinese e'er assault them. As a alert to the Chinese, everyday at noon the British volition burn downwards a cannon that could live on heard every bit far every bit Chinatown.

Sin Sze Ya Temple

Located but behind the shophouses along Central Market, this pocket-size temple is said to live on the oldest Taoist temple inwards Kuala Lumpur. Built yesteryear Yap Ah Loy inwards accolade of the Sin Sze Ya deity, you lot tin terminate honor a film of the Kapitan PRC inside the 4 walls of the temple.

Nowadays devotees offering their prayers here. Street people also consider this identify their refuge to balance a while. The temple is a pop identify for tourists as well as of course of didactics photographers.

I reckon it is the best identify for photography since you lot acquire colourful characters as well as there's something existent magical virtually the incense, hanging lanterns as well as joss sticks. We goal our walk hither amongst a grouping photograph as well as a lilliputian Malaysian custom, a drinkable as well as a chat at the nearby mamak stall. 







The walk was organised yesteryear KLickr inwards conjunction amongst this coming Saturday's Urbanscapes. If you lot haven't checked it out yet, produce take in their site as well as run across what acts are playing, nutrient you lot acquire as well as of course of didactics amusement similar KLickr-ville. There are diverse photography contests as well as photograph screenings. Read to a greater extent than virtually it here. Foodies tin terminate also hold off forrard to The Last Polka's H2O ice cream including their especial 1 24-hour interval KL flavour, which volition live on unveiled on that 24-hour interval itself. For to a greater extent than details on KLickr, follow them on facebook or bring together their KLickr grouping on Flickr.







If you lot are interested to larn to a greater extent than virtually Kuala Lumpur, at that spot are gratis Heritage Walks conducted yesteryear volunteers. They guide maintain off from the Central Market Information Counter at 10.30am daily.

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