Ampang, Selangor

History

According to the history, Kuala Lumpur was founded in 1857 at the confluence of the Sungei Lumpur (now Gombak River) and the Klang River, which now houses the Kuala Lumpur Jamek Mosque. Before the arrival of the Chinese people for tin mining, Kuala Lumpur was just a small hamlet with just a few houses and a shop or two. Raja Abdullah, who is also the representative of the Sultan in Klang, and Raja Juma'at of Lukut sent 87 Chinese miners from Lukut in 1857 to open tin mines in Ampang, thus began the development of Kuala Lumpur. Ampang was one of the earliest areas in the Klang Valley to be opened for tin mining. The name "Ampang" means "dam" in Malay and the place was named in reference to the miners' dams. A road was built to connect Ampang to Kuala Lumpur which formed the Jalan Ampang of today.

Pekan Ampang, a small town situated approximately 3 km from Kampung Lembah Jaya small village. The architecture of the building in the town just like most towns and cities in the developing world during the British colonial period. Originally Pekan Ampang is a separate town, but now it was absorbed as part of the metropolitan area of Kuala Lumpur.

Geography

Situated to the east of Kuala Lumpur, Ampang is easily accessible from Jalan Tun Razak or Jalan Ulu Kelang from the Hulu Klang or Setapak areas. It is also accessible from Cheras through Jalan Shamelin, from Jalan Tun Razak through Jalan Kampung Pandan via Taman Cempaka, from Kampung Pandan through Jalan Kampung Pandan Dalam via Taman Nirwana, from MRR2 via Pandan Indah & Taman Kencana and from Hulu Langat town through the mountain pass. Wangsa Maju, Setapak, Kuala Lumpur City Centre and Salak Selatan are close to Ampang.

Neighbourhoods

The oldest neighbourhoods are

Other major neighbourhoods in Ampang are

Taman TAR is one of the most expensive residential areas in the country.

Palace

The Istana Daerah Hulu Langat is a palace in Ampang, located near apartments along Jalan Kosas Utama, opposite the Ampang Waterfront. It is the official residence of the Yang-Amat Berbahagia Tengku Mahkota of Hulu Langat, a member of the Selangor royal family. The palace was built in 1990 and has been undergoing major renovations since 2010. It will reopen at the end of 2012. The residence was originally separated apartments, with each connected to the other by short and narrow passageways. The palace is not normally open to the public, although the beautiful gardens around it can be viewed from outside.

Education

The International School of Kuala Lumpur (ISKL) secondary campus is in Ampang.

Food

Ampang is quite famous for its Yong tau foo, a Chinese stuffed vegetable soup dish with Hakka origins. Three restaurants in Kampung Baru Ampang (Restoran Foong Foong, Ampang Yong Tau Foo and Ampang Homeland) and Restoran Jing Ji Xiang in Taman Cahaya serve the dish. Ampang also has many foreign restaurants, mostly near the Ampang One Avenue apartments near the Ampang Point shopping complex.

Shopping

Ampang has a few small shopping complexes such as Ampang Point (near One Ampang Avenue and beside the Kuala Lumpur Middle Ring Road 2 (MRR2), MidPoint (Pandan Indah), Paragon (Taman Muda Ampang), Pandan Kapital (beside Menara MPAJ in Pandan Indah), Spectrum Mall Ampang (Bandar Baru Ampang), Galaxy Ampang (near Taman Nirwana Ampang) and Ampang Tesco (beside the MRR2 near the Pandan Jaya exit) and also a newly opened Aeon Big (previously known as Carrefour) Ampang at the end of Jalan Ampang, near Taman Dagang.

Hospitals

Ampang has three hospitals:

Parks

For nature lovers, the National Zoo of Malaysia (Zoo Negara) is nearby and is one of the best attractions in Ampang, Selangor. Located in Hulu Klang, the National Zoo is only 10 minutes away from Ampang through Jalan Hulu Klang from Ampang Point shopping mall.

Virtually unknown to outsiders, Taman Rimba Ampang (Ampang Recreational Forest) is a small recreational park with a small & shallow river. Those who want a short break from the busy Kuala Lumpur city life can visit this park for its quiet environment and the river's cool and clear waters. The Kuala Lumpur Look Out Point Tourist Complex was another popular hot spot located at Jalan Ampang-Hulu Langat but is closed for safety reasons.

Politics

Ampang is represented in the Dewan Rakyat of the Malaysian Parliament by Zuraida Kamaruddin of PKR. She has held the seat since 2008.

On the state level, Ampang contributes two seats to the Selangor State Legislative Assembly, namely:

Car

Effectively a suburb of Kuala Lumpur, Ampang is well connected to other places by a series of federal highways, tolled highways and state routes. Jalan Ampang

is the main thoroughfare from downtown Kuala Lumpur until Taman Rimba Ampang. The AKLEH diverted some of the traffic from Jalan Ampang. The MRR2 runs through Ampang in a north-south orientation - this road is now the main route taken by Ampang motorists to get to either Pahang due north or Negeri Sembilan due south. The BESRAYA extension begins in Kampung Ampang Campuran, goes through Pandan Indah and all the way to Seri Kembangan. Besides that, there is a state road to Hulu Langat

which serves as a shortcut to Kajang.

Public transportation

 AG8  Ampang is the namesake and terminus of the Ampang Line, which is Malaysia's first LRT system. The station, renovated in 2012, is located along Jalan Ampang. The stretch between Ampang and Plaza Rakyat used to be part of KTM Intercity until the 1990s. KTM presently do not serve Ampang or its surroundings.

Besides the LRT, bus and taxi options are available.

Sister cities