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- Shah Alam
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Introduction
Shah Alam ( /ʃɑː ˈɑːləm/) is the state capital of Selangor, Malaysia situated within the Petaling District and a small portion of the neighbouring Klang District. It is located about 25 kilometres (16 mi) west of the country's capital, Kuala Lumpur. Shah Alam replaced Kuala Lumpur as the capital city of the state of Selangor in 1978 due to Kuala Lumpur's incorporation into a Federal Territory in 1974. Shah Alam was the first planned city in Malaysia after independence from Britain in 1957.
History
Malaysia grew rapidly after its independence in 1957 under the "Father of Modernisation", the second Prime Minister of Malaysia, Allahyarham Tun Abdul Razak Hussein. Shah Alam was once known as Sungai Renggam and was noted for its rubber and oil palm estates. Later, the same area was identified as Batu Tiga prior to Malaysian independence, and has been a centre of rubber and palm oil trade for centuries. The Sungai Renggam Plantation was earmarked for the development of a township by the Selangor government in 1963, and under the recommendations of V. Antolic, a town planning advisor from the United Nations, chose the present site strategically located between Kuala Lumpur and Port Klang.
Its current name was chosen by the then state Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, after his late father Sultan Alam Shah. Many other monuments, buildings and even a street are named after the late Sultan. Shah Alam was opened in 1963 with the purpose of making it the administrative centre of Selangor once Kuala Lumpur was made a Federal District on 1 February 1974. With the consent of 8th Duli Yang Maha Mulia Sultan of Selangor, Almarhum Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Al-Haj, Shah Alam was proclaimed the capital of Selangor on 7 December 1978 with an area of 41.68 square km, and administrated by a municipal council. Shah Alam had encountered several processes of extending its areas and the last was on 1 January 1997. Through the Gazette Plan 1190, Shah Alam was extended to 293 square km.
Shah Alam was granted city status on 10 October 2000 with Dato' Haji Abu Sujak Haji Mahmud as the first mayor. He recently served as deputy Menteri Besar, or Chief Minister of Selangor. Abu Sujak declared the vision of making Shah Alam a modern city with a unique identity of "Bandaraya Melayu" or Malay City, showcasing the achievements of the Malay race in all sectors. In line with this identity, Shah Alam was declared the first city in the world with no entertainment outlets to avoid any vice activities.
Culture
Religion
Shah Alam is most famous for its mosque, the Masjid Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah. It is also known as the Blue Mosque and has been claimed to be the largest mosque in Malaysia, and one of the largest in Southeast Asia. The mosque has the capacity to accommodate 24,000 worshipers at any one time. Its most distinguishing feature is its large blue and silver dome, which measures 51.2 m (167 ft) in diameter and reaches 106.7 m (350 ft) above ground level. The mosque has four minarets erected at the corners, each minaret is 142.3 m (460 ft) tall. The mosque was commissioned by the late Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz, when he declared Shah Alam as the new capital of Selangor on 14 February 1974. Construction of the mosque was completed on 11 March 1988.
Tourism
Garden of Islamic Arts
The Blue Mosque overlooks the Garden of Islamic Arts, a landscaped park inspired by the Quranic Garden of Paradise. This 14 hectares of spiritual sanctuary houses nine galleries exhibiting a rich array of Islamic arts such as calligraphy, sculptures, paintings and architecture. The site is occasionally used for traditional Islamic performances.
Muzium Sultan Alam Shah Selangor State Museum
The Selangor State Museum (Muzium Alam Shah) displays many treasures and artifacts related to the history of Selangor. Adjacent to the museum is the Selangor State Library (Perpustakaan Raja Tun Uda). The Selangor Islamic Arts Complex (Kompleks Kesenian Islam Selangor or Riyadh Fannil Islam) is situated nearby, housing many Islamic masterpieces and creativities such as a variety of Islamic calligraphy, known as khat, and a number of precious treasures. An Islamic Art College is located within the Complex. At the banks of the Lake Gardens, an art gallery and performance centre called Laman Budaya is located, where exhibitions and shows regularly take place.
The city is surrounded by many beautiful parks and gardens, such as the Shah Alam Lake Gardens (developed around seven artificial lakes), the Bukit Cahaya Sri Alam Agricultural Park (soon to be National Botanical Gardens) and the Alam Megah Recreational Park, situated in Section 28.
Sports
Shah Alam has a fully equipped sports complex known as Kompleks Sukan Shah Alam or Shah Alam Sports Complex.
Among the facilities located within the Complex is the gigantic Stadium Shah Alam or Shah Alam Stadium. Shah Alam Stadium is the home of Selangor FC. Shah Alam Stadium was the biggest stadium in Malaysia with 80 000 seats prior to the construction of the National Stadium, Bukit Jalil which could accommodate up to 100 000 spectators. Shah Alam Stadium featured a challenge in first leg of the The Amazing Race Asia Season 1 where teams had to ride go-karts around the circuit.
Apart from Stadium Shah Alam, there is Stadium Melawati or the Melawati Stadium, an indoor stadium that could accommodate 40 000 people in a time. Besides sports, this stadium had been used for several occasions such as the final concert of Akademi Fantasia and the Perhimpunan Pekerja 2008 held by the Dewan Pemuda PAS. The biggest occasion held in this stadium was the boxing finals of the 1998 Commonwealth Games which saw Malaysian's Sapok Biki won a gold medal.
The Shah Alam Sports Complex also include the Pusat Akuatik Darul Ehsan or the Darul Ehsan Aquatic Center, a Go-Kart track located within the Stadium Shah Alam parking compound, as well as the Shah Alam Extreme Park located in Section 13.
Shah Alam hosted 2 events for 1998 Commonwealth Games, road cycling and boxing.
Recreation
Uptown Shah Alam
Uptown Shah Alam is located in Section 24 near the LKSA highway. It is a very popular place for locals where it is more than just a flea market. There are food stalls and events such as concert and games every now and then.
Bon Odori
Bon Odori (meaning simply Bon dance) is an yearly event held during Obon. It is celebrated as Japanese Buddhist custom to honour the departed (deceased) spirits of one's ancestors. In Malaysia, Bon Odori Festivals are also celebrated in a smaller scale every year in Penang and at the Panasonic Sports Complex in Section 21, Shah Alam, Selangor. Held mainly to expose locals to a part of Japanese culture, the festival provides the experience of a variety of Japanese food & drinks, art and dance. Celebration in Malaysia is more towards culture compared to of religion. Admission is free and this event is organised by The Japan Club of Kuala Lumpur, The Japanese School of Kuala Lumpur and The Embassy of Japan.
Wet World
Wet World is known as Malaysia's largest water theme park chain. It has three venues in Malaysia, strategically located at Wet World Shah Alam, Selangor; Wet World Batu Pahat, Johor; and Wet World Air Panas, Pedas, Negeri Sembilan.
Geography
Shah Alam is located within the district of Petaling and a portion of the district of Klang in the state of Selangor. Due to its recent expansion, it is bordered by the cities of Subang Jaya and Petaling Jaya in the east, the district of Klang in the west, the district of Kuala Selangor and Selayang in the north, and the district of Kuala Langat in the south. Shah Alam is also one of the major cities within the Klang Valley, an area in Malaysia comprising Kuala Lumpur and its suburbs, and adjoining cities and towns in the state of Selangor, due to the Klang River flowing through it on its way westward to the Strait of Malacca.
Cityscape
Shah Alam has a similar urban layout to Petaling Jaya or Subang Jaya with housing areas occupying most of the city (55.2 km) and commercial centres scattered around the different 'Seksyen' (sections). There are 56 sections in total. Generally Shah Alam can be divided into north, central and south part. North Shah Alam consist of 18 Sections including Sections U1 and U2 and Kampung Melayu Subang. The Central Shah Alam is the 'main' part of Shah Alam. It is where all the state administrative building and agencies are situated. It consist of Section 1 until Section 24 seen in the map as beige coloured area. South Shah Alam consists of 12 sections including Section 25(Sri Muda), Section 30 (Jalan Kebun), Section 31 (Kota Kemuning) and Section 32 (Bukit Rimau). In the map, the south Shah Alam is seen as the light purple coloured area.
The city has a number of shopping malls (Plaza Alam Sentral, (also known as PAS), SACC Mall, Plaza Shah Alam (formerly known as Shah Alam Mall, also known as Plaza Masalam), Ole-Ole Seksyen 18, Anggerik Mall and Kompleks PKNS). Vibrant commercial areas are situated mostly at the city centre (Seksyen 14), Seksyen 13 and Seksyen 9. There are no cinemas in the city.
All of the main roads and streets in Shah Alam including the new townships such as Setia Alam and Kota Kemuning have signs with their names shown in both Roman and Jawi scripts.
Climate
As with other cities across Peninsular Malaysia, Shah Alam experiences a tropical rainforest climate according to the Köppen climate classification. Temperatures are consistent throughout the year with an average high temperature of 31.9°Celsius and an average low temperature of 27.8°Celsius. The city is warmest in the month of March, and experiences heavy rains and showers during the month of November as the northeast monsoon moves in from October to March.
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