Selangor Darul Ehsan

SELANGOR

Selangor also known as Selangor Darul Ehsan is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east, Negeri Sembilan to the south and the Strait of Malacca to the west. It surrounds the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, both of which were once under Selangor's territorial sovereignty.

The state capital is Shah Alam, however the first city in Selangor, and the royal capital is Klang. Another major urban centre is Petaling Jaya which was awarded city status on June 20, 2006. Other than Sarawak,  Selangor is one of only two Malaysian states with more than one city. Selangor has the largest city in Malaysia and it is growing rapidly due to modernisation in the Klang Valley. 

   1. i- City Shah Alam

This is a technology park located on the outskirts of Shah Alam. At night the place comes alive with an amazing forest of man-made trees brightly illuminated with millions of colourful LED lights. They call this the City of Digital Lights. For children it is a fairytale wonderland and even for middle aged guys like me the effect is very impressive. There are many activities and attractions can be experienced at there.

City of Light Digitals

As night falls, i-City’s mesmerising nightscape with over 1 million LED lights will lit the sky daily in a thematic manner. The place comes alive with an amazing forest of man-made maple and pine trees brightly illuminated with seasonal LED lightscape themes.

Trick Art Museum

           

The key attraction here is the Trick Art Museum, which has earned the reputation of being the only showcase of its kind in Malaysia where exhibits come to live in 3D when seen through camera lenses.

Trick art renders two dimensional paintings in three dimensions by creating illusion. Each exhibit looks different when seen from different angles. Its magic magnifies when seen at a perfect angle from camera lenses.

The 8,000 sq ft Trick Art Museum boasts 5 themes, namely Masterpieces, Egyptian, Sea Life, Animal Kingdom and Modern Classic.

Snowalk

                     

                  

A below 5 degrees Celcius Artic environment with ice sculptures and rides – the biggest in Malaysia. Inside Snowalk you will find igloos, ice houses, slides, a mini-bobsled run, snowmen, ice penguins, a bar made of ice (no beverage served), various ice sculptures and plenty more LED lights.

      2.  Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque

The Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque is the state mosque of Selangor. It is the country′s biggest mosque and also the second biggest mosque in Southeast Asia after Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia. The Blue Mosque is the largest mosque in Malaysia and was built from 1982 - 1988. When it was finished the minarets were the tallest in the world at 142m, now they have been surpassed by the Hanssan Il Mosque in Casablanca, Marocco. The height of the dome is 107m.

The mosque is open for visitors. When we were there a volunteer show us around and explained things inside the mosque. Women are given a robe and a scarf during the mosque visit. The tour itself was free. At the end of the tour, we were given a introduction to Islam and its view of how the world was created along with some information material.

   3.   Putrajaya

Putrajaya is an "Intelligent Garden City" and the federal administrative capital of Malaysia, is a showcase city under construction some 30 km south of the capital Kuala Lumpur. Her adjacent sister city, Cyberjaya, is built along the same lines, but is aimed at attracting the IT industry. The area was formerly known as Prang Besar. Putrajaya covers a vast sprawl of 4,931 hectares, which were mostly palm plantations before the federal government purchased the lot from the surrounding state of Selangor.

Pink Mosque

The pink-domed Putra Mosque is constructed with rose-tinted granite and can accommodate 15,000 worshippers at any one time. The basement wall of the mosque resembles that of the King Hassan Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco.

The mosque consists of three main functional areas - the prayer hall, the Sahn, or courtyard, and various learning facilities and function rooms. The prayer hall is simple and elegant, supported by 12 columns. The highest point below the dome is 250 feet above ground level.

The Sahn, landscaped with several decorative water features and bordered by colonnades, provides a huge yet welcoming and beautiful prayer space.

Its impressive minaret is influenced by the design of the Sheikh Omar Mosque in Baghdad. At 116m, it is one of the tallest minarets in the region and has five tiers, representing the Five Pillars of Islam.

Palace of Justice

The Istana Kehakiman or Palace of Justice is a majestic looking building, and houses the judicial department and courts. The complex comprises five- storey building for the judiciary and a two-storey building to house the courts and offices.

Since the area has a large courtyard, it is often used as a venue for national level events such as Colours of Malaysia fest, and many more. A great place for outdoor photography, with the impressive domed minarets as a focal viewpoint.

Putrajaya Cruise

Putrajaya lake is in the heart of the administration city, and visitors can take a leisure cruise on the lake. One can view stunning vistas of the surrounding area from the cruise, including the Putrajaya Mosque, Putrajaya Bridge as well as several government administrative buildings. There are also open air boats (perahu) that can be used for small groups of people.

Perdana Putra

Putra Perdana is the Prime Minister's Department Complex housing several government buildings and agencies. It is located on the main hill in Putrajaya, and was built in 1997. The buildings in the complex are incluenced by Malay, Islamic and European architecture, hence its unique look.

This building has also become the icon for Putrajaya, with its distinctive green dome and clay like coloured buildings. Besides the government complexes, are also the Putra Mosque, the Dataran Putra, and Perdana Walk.