Shah Alam History Facts and Timeline

(Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia)

Located just inland in the Klang Valley, on the Malaysian Peninsula and under an hour's drive from Kuala Lumpur, Shah Alam is the capital city of Selangor, famous for its oil palm and rubber trade.

Its present-day appearance is also very much a result of its status as Malaysia's first planned city, being inaugurated as recently as 1963, six years after the country's independence in 1957. In its relatively short history, Shah Alam's population has soared quite dramatically.

Design and Definition

A knowledgeable United Nations town planning expert provided advice on the location for the city, and building construction here began soon after. The blueprint for the city was developed, keeping the local environment at the forefront of planning. As a result, numerous parks and gardens surround the city.


Shah Alam was named after the Sultan of Selangor's late father, Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah. It was designed to be the future administrative hub of the state, after Kuala Lumpur's elevation to a Federal District in 1974. The Sultan Alam Shah Museum was included in the plans as a link to the previous history of Selangor state.

Development of Shah Alam

By 1978, the city of Shah Alam was already extending its suburbs outwards with separate divisions containing modern housing developments, as well as commercial and shopping hubs. At this stage its status was elevated to state capital. In order to preserve the history of its identity as a unique Malay city, all types of entertainment venues are banned by law, since they are considered to encourage crime and prostitution.

Leisure and recreation activities are instead geared towards the outdoors. The Bukit Cahaya Seri Alam Agricultural Park - the region's only agro-forestry park and one of the largest in the world, was designed for the dual purpose of recreation and education. It serves as a kind of 'open-air university' where one can learn about Malaysia's stunning tropical vegetation, walk along nature trails and visit a succulent tropical rainforest.

Urban Layout and Cityscape

Shah Alam comes with no less than 56 sections, set in the northern, central and southern areas. The central area, also named after Sultan Alam Shah, contains the administrative hub of the state, arranged into a series of 18 adjoining districts. The central shopping area holds a number of western-style malls and other commercial developments, although the city does not contain any cinemas.

Its biggest tourist attraction is the Blue Mosque, completed in 1988 to serve as Shah Alam's principal landmark. Also known as the Masjid Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, the Blue Mosque is Malaysia's largest mosque and one of the largest Islamic places of worship in South-East Asia. Nearby is the Garden of Islamic Arts, a 35-acre / 14-hectare park housing nine art galleries and landscaped along the lines of the Quaranic Garden of Paradise.

The Present Day

During the city's brief history, the population of Shah Alam has grown from an initial 40,000 or so to its present 600,000+, encouraged by the development of industrial parks along its outskirts and the opening of several technological and vocational universities.

Transportation between the city, Kuala Lumpur and other conurbations in the Klang Valley, as well as the region's two airports, includes several modern expressways and a commuter rail system.