Merdeka Square

Hi friends, it's me Syafika again. This time my friends and I have written an articl on Merdeka Square....Hope you will enjoy reading it.

The Merdeka Square

The Merdeka Square called Independence Square or “Dataran Merdeka” is situated in the centre of the city of  Kulala Lumpur. It's close to the Gombak river, the Masjid Jamek, Central Market and China Town. It's the core of Kuala Lumpur's history. Here you find buildings like the Sultan Abdul Samad Building, the Royal Selangor Club, and the National History museum. The Sultan Abdul Samad Building  is located in front of the Dataran Merdeka and the Royal Selangor Club, by Jalan Raja in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The structure takes its name from Sultan Abdul Samad, the reigning sultan of Selangor at the time when construction began.

Furthermore, the Sultan Ahmad Building is the most beautiful construction had been build at Dataran Merdeka . It was constructed in 1897 and designed by a British architect, A.C. Norman, who worked for the Public Works Department at that time. He took into consideration some of the features of buildings in several Islamic countries. The predominantly Moorish appearance of the building suitably reflects the cultural background of Malaysia.The unique Moorish-style building has a 41m clock tower, dubbed 'Big Ben'.The Sultan Abdul Samad Building was originally known as "The New Government Offices". It was to be the largest building of its day, constructed entirely of brick and what appears to be cream stone is actually plaster covered brick.

The building became the centre of British administration in Selangor. The ground floor initially housed the Public Works Department, District Offices, Mines Department, Lands, Audit, and Treasury, with each office having its own vault. The Post Office and the Sanitary Board were also located here. On the first floor were the offices of the Secretariat, a State Council Room, a Sanitary Board Hall, rooms for the Resident and other officials and Chinese Secretariat.When Selangor transferred its administrative offices to Shah Alam in 1974, the building was extensively renovated to house the nation's judiciary. This grand building has been left vacant recently when the "courts" move to Putrajaya, the new administrative centre of Malaysia.

                    In front of the building is the Dataran Merdeka . It was here, the Union Jack flag was lowered and the Malayan flag hoisted for the first time at midnight on 31 August 1957. When the British flag was finally lowered in Kuala Lumpur's Merdeka Square, Tunku Abdul Rahman became the first prime minister of Malaya. This is where Malaysians celebrate Independence Day every year.