MY-233044 Sultan Abdul Samad Building

The Sultan Abdul Samad Building is located in front of the Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The structure takes its name from Sultan Abdul Samad, the reigning sultan of Selangor at the time when construction began.  It was designed by A.C. Norman and built in 1894-1897 to house several important government departments during the British administration. A.C. Norman used Mughal architecture in the building's design. The 41-metre high clock tower is topped by a shiny copper dome and the building is a major landmark in the city.

The clock chimed for the first time to coincide with Queen Victoria’s Jubilee Parade in 1897 and has chimed since. The building, simply known as Government Offices in early Kuala Lumpur maps, housed the Federal Secretariat of the then-Federated Malay States which was formed in 1896.

After Malaysia achieved its independence, the building housed the superior courts of the country: the Federal Court of Malaysia, the Court of Appeals and the High Court of Malaya.  After the courts moved away to other locations, the building became the offices of the Ministry of Information, Communications and Culture of Malaysia.

This postcard came from Jane (24 November 2014) Postcrossing.