- Dataran Merdeka
The Dataran Merdeka (or Merdeka Square) is located in
Kuala Lumpur ,Malaysia . It is situated in front of theSultan Abdul Samad Building . It was here theUnion Flag was lowered and the Malayan flag hoisted for the first time at midnight onAugust 31 1957 . Since then, Dataran Merdeka has been the usual venue for the annualHari Merdeka Parade (National Day Parade).History
Literally "Independence Square", it was formerly known as the Selangor Club Padang, and was originally the cricket green of the Selangor Club (now
Royal Selangor Club ).The
Sultan Abdul Samad Building , which grandly overlooks the Dataran Merdeka, is among the most significant landmarks built by the British. ThisMoorish architecture beauty, completed in 1897, housed several important departments during the British administration.The Dataran Merdeka was officially opened on
1 January 1990 in conjunction of Visit Malaysia Year 1990.Dataran Merdeka was the starting line of "
The Amazing Race Asia 1 ".On
August 31 ,2007 ,Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi shouted 'Merdeka !' on midnight celebrations, where thousands of Malaysians celebrated 50 years of nationhood. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6970348.stm BBC NEWS, Malaysia marks 50 years as nation] ]In the vicinity
Surrounding the square are many buildings of historical interest including the Royal Selangor Club Complex which is situated on one corner of the square, the
Sultan Abdul Samad Building , the National History Museum and the Memorial Library, a building dating back to 1909, St. Mary's Anglican cathedral, a Gothic style building which is more than a hundred years old and the impressive modern Dayabumi Complex.A 95-meter flagpole, one of the tallest in the world, marks that spot with a flat, round black marble plaque. It is located at the southern end of the square. [SkyscaperPage [http://www.skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=2342 http://www.skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=2342] . Extracted March 30, 2006] The quasi-Tudor style timber structure was built in
1890 and remains a place to watch a game of cricket on a Sunday afternoon.The Royal Selangor Club's Tudor-style building, built in
1890 is in stark contrast to the Moorish Sultan Abdul Samad government building across the square.References
ee also
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Putrajaya Independence Square
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