Royal Palace (Istana Negara), Kuala Lumpur

No visit to Kuala Lumpur would be complete without having a look at the National Palace (Istana Negara) and its guards. The palace is the residence of the King of Malaysia. It is located on a hill at Jalan lstana, overlooking the Klang River, next to the city centre.

The palace stands on a 28 acre (11 hectare) area and includes a golf course, tennis courts, a swimming pool – well, everything you need to live comfortably.

The Istana was originally a double storey mansion built in 1928 by a local Chinese millionaire, Chan Wing. After the Japanese occupation (1942 to 1945), it served as a residence of the Sultan of Selangor until 1957, when the Federal Government acquired it as the official residence of the King. Some major renovation and extension took place before the first royal family moved in. An interesting fact about the King of Malaysia is that he is elected by the sultans of the states and sits on the throne for only five years. Then the sultans elect the next king from their midst.

The palace grounds are not open to the public, so most tourists just go to the main entrance where you can see the royal guards in different attires, and also the change of the guards (every day at 12noon). More about the guards in two extra tips.

Through the steel bars of the fence you can see the cream-coloured palace with its white pillars and golden domes rather well. Even the fence is rather nice ;-) Concrete or marble pillars (I cannot remember…) hold the steel bar fence. In the centres of the fence sections are rather big plates with the insignia of the King.

If you do not travel to Kuala Lumpur fast enough this tip might be outdated already. The construction of a new palace which should cost 400 million ringgit was set to commence mid 2007 and expected to be completed by 2009. Well, when this construction near Jalan Duta is finished the architectural features of this Istana Negara should still be correct – and the guards stay the same, they will just work at another site ;-)

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Built at 1928 and located at Jalan Istana, sungai besi.
The Istana Negara is the official residence of the King and Queen of Malaysia.

The building sits on a 28-acre plot of land and surrounded by a high fence. But it's worth the trip to see the ceremonial changing of the guard which it's done everyday. This palace is also the venue for official functions and ceremonies.
The Istana was originally a double storey mansion built in 1928 by a local Chinese millionaire, Chan Wing.

After the Japanese occupation, it served as a residence of the Sultan of Selangor until 1957, when the Federal Government acquired it for use as the official residence of our King after some major renovation and extension.

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The official residence of His Majesty the King of Malaysia. This 2-storey majestic building is situated on the slope of a hill called Bukit Petaling.

The Palace is not allowed for tourists or for public visit, nevertheless, I was contented taking pictures from the outside where I visualize a beautiful surroundings inside. The front gate have two beautiful arches where two guards are ready to protect the palace.

Istana Negara Kuala Lumpur was originally a double storey mansion built in 1928 by a local Chinese millionaire, Chan Wing. After the Japanese occupation, it served as a residence of the Sultan of Selangor until 1957, when the Federal Government acquired it for use as the official residence of the King after some major renovation and extension.

I visited the Istana Negara a few weeks ago as part of my Kuala Lumpur - Explore It mission. There's not much about the palace that you can see -- just the shiny yellow dom and the well-trimmed grass. But... it's really interesting to look at the palace guards -- they seem to be the top attraction at the National Palace Kuala Lumpur. People were seen taking pictures with the guards.

A closer look at the guards, reflects the weariness that they have to bear during their shift. I saw one guard can't help but close his eyes ocassionally -- was it because of the sun, the camera flash or he was just pure sleepy?

Kuala Lumpur - Explore It!

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We visited the palace on the way to other tourist spots like batu caves, budhist temple etc....we paid $50 AUD for a taxi for the day to take us and wait while we visited each of the sites...He was paid at day end.

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Malaysia's political system is a bit particular. Most States have their own sultan, except Sarawak, Sabah, Melaka and Pinang, which have a governor instead, as these where the British settlements, where the colonial influence got to be bigger.

The Head of State is elected among these sultans for a period of five years. When they are elected, they will leave their state and come to live in the Negara Istana (Royal Palace) in Kuala Lumpur. During this time they will be substituted in their home State by their heir-prince.

This special political system makes of Malaysia the only existing elective monarchy, along with the Vatican, that is.

Since tourists are not allowed entry to the Royal Palace, taking picture at the gates of the Palace, together with the guards in a horse, is also as nice. You can also take a peek of what's inside though through the gates, and then take more pictures.

As the title suggests, the Palace grounds is off limits to tourists. We can hardly see the palace from outside the gate, so most tourists would rather take photo with the palace guards outside the gate. I think those guards have one photograph too much!