When planning a trip to Malaysia, the country’s capital city Kuala Lumpur is often the first port of call.
With a population of 1.8 million, the bustling metropolis is home to the famous Petronas Twin Towers, which soar 451 metres upwards towards the sky.
The glass and steel-cladded skyscrapers are testimony to the bold ambitions of one of the country’s greatest- if also at times controversial – leaders.
Mahathir Mohamad was prime minister of his country for some 24 years and pursued aggressive development strategies that helped Malaysia build one of Asia’s fastest-growing economies in the 1990s.
Part of his progressive visions was the construction of a new modern eco-city called Putrajaya – sometimes also referred to as Malaysia’s “other capital”.
The construction of Putrajaya began in August 1995 and was completed at an estimated cost of £6 billion.
It was built on territory that had once been covered in rubber and oil palm plantations.
Located just a mere 16 miles from Kuala Lumpur, the city now serves as Malaysia’s administrative and judicial capital, home to many of its government offices.
The city has a lot to offer visitors, with its parks and stunning modern architecture.
Central Putrajaya is notable for its contemporary architecture infused with traditional Islamic designs.
Gleaming skyscrapers are adorned by Arabesque patterns with geometric or floral motifs.
The city’s Iron Mosque, meanwhile, boasts the kind of cutting-edge steel-and-glass architecture you’d expect to find in Tokyo or Beijing.
Incredibly, thirty-seven percent of its land is dedicated to parks and open spaces, and there are even ten communal gardens where locals can grow fruit and vegetables.
Mahathir’s goal was to make Putrajaya Malaysia’s most eco-friendly urban centre and its most modern.
The initial plan was to grow the population of the city to 350,000 people and make Putrajaya a showcase of Malaysian heritage and identity.
However, today there are just 120,000 residents living in the city, enjoying its gentle pace of life and beautiful surroundings.
