Shah Alam

Shah Alam

Seal
Motto: 'Indah Bestari'
(English: 'Beautiful, Brilliant')
Location within Petaling District, Klang District and the state of Selangor
Coordinates:
Country  Malaysia
State Selangor
Establishment 1963
Granted State Capital Status 7 December 1978
Government
 - Mayor Mazalan Md Noor
Area
 - Total 290.3 km2 (112.1 sq mi)
Population (July 2007)
 - Total 584,340 (8th)
Time zone MST (UTC+8)
 - Summer (DST) Not observed (UTC)
Website http://www.mbsa.gov.my

Shah Alam is a city in Petaling and Klang Districts in Selangor, Malaysia, about 25 kilometres (15 mi) west of the country's capital, Kuala Lumpur. In 1978, it replaced Kuala Lumpur as the capital city of the state of Selangor due to Kuala Lumpur's incorporation into a Federal Territory in 1974. Shah Alam was the first planned city in Malaysia after independence in 1957.

Shah Alam was once known as Sungai Renggam and was noted for its rubber and oil palm estates. Later, the same area was identified as Batu Tiga prior to Malaysian independence, and has been a centre of rubber and palm oil trade for centuries. Its current name was chosen by the then state Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, after his late father Sultan Alam Shah. Many other monuments, buildings and even a street are named after the late Sultan. Shah Alam was granted city status on 10 October 2000 with Dato' Haji Abu Sujak Haji Mahmud as the first mayor.

Contents

City layout

Shah Alam has a similar urban layout to Petaling Jaya or Subang Jaya with housing areas occupying most of the city (55.2 km²) and commercial centres scattered around the different 'Seksyen' (sections). There are 56 sections in total.

The city has a number of shopping malls (Plaza Alam Sentral, (also known as PAS), SACC Mall, Plaza Shah Alam (formerly known as Shah Alam Mall,also known as Plaza Masalam), Ole-Ole Seksyen 18 and Kompleks PKNS) and it has many schools, shops, banks, eateries, cafes, hotels, medical centres, clinics, large hypermarkets (notably Tesco, Giant and Tesco Extra) and recreational areas. Vibrant commercial areas are situated mostly at the city centre (Seksyen 14), Seksyen 13 and Seksyen 9. There is a conspicuous absence of cinemas in the city.

All of the main roads and streets in Shah Alam including the new townships such as Setia Alam and Kota Kemuning have signs with their names shown in both Roman and Jawi scripts.

Economy

The main plant of the Malaysian car manufacturer Proton is located in the industrial outskirts of Shah Alam. Shah Alam flourished as a growing urban settlement after the Proton car manufacturing plant was set up, which marked the beginning of the city as an industrial city. There are many companies who have their main plants in the industrial areas, both local and foreign.

Education

Shah Alam city sections

The Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM, formerly known until 1996 as Institut Teknologi MARA or ITM) is located nearby the state capital. The whole university area occupies an entire section on the western hills of the city known as Seksyen 1. At Seksyen 17, there is also a branch campus of UiTM called INTEC UiTM (International Education Centre), where its students undergo preparation programmes for overseas studies. INTEC UiTM is the only UiTM campus where non-bumiputra students are accepted for admission.

Other institutions of higher learning in Shah Alam include Universiti Industri Selangor, Management and Science University (MSU), and its affiliate college, PTPL College. Shah Alam also has several industrial-related education centres namely Shah Alam Polytechnic (or Politeknik Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah), CIAST, and ADTEC.

Shah Alam is served by many primary and secondary schools. Sometimes, the number of schools exceeded the population of the residential areas. For example, in Taman Alam Megah, Taman Bunga Negara and Taman Bukit Saga which are situated in Section 27 and Section 28, there are three secondary schools and seven primary schools. In contrast, in Section 16 and 17, the only secondary school for them is SMK Seksyen 16. Currently, Shah Alam has 23 secondary schools, 1 technical school, 1 vocational school, and 37 primary schools.

This is a list of schools in Shah Alam.

SECONDARY SCHOOLS

  1. SMK Subang Bestari
  2. SMK Subang
  3. SMK Bandar Baru Sungai Buloh
  4. SMK Bukit Jelutong
  5. SMK Bukit Rahman Putra
  6. SMK Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah
  7. SMK Seksyen 7
  8. SMK Seksyen 9
  9. SMK Seksyen 11
  10. SMK Seksyen 16
  11. SMK Seksyen 18
  12. SMK Seksyen 19
  13. SMK Seksyen 24
  14. SMK Seksyen 24(2)
  15. SMK Seksyen 27
  16. SMK Taman Sri Muda
  17. SMK Kota Kemuning
  18. SMK TTDI Jaya
  19. SAM Tinggi Tengku Ampuan Jamaah
  20. Sekolah Seri Cahaya
  21. SM Hira'
  22. SMK Alam Megah
  23. SMK Alam Megah (2)

TECHNICAL SCHOOL

  1. SM Teknik Shah Alam

VOCATIONAL SCHOOL

  1. SM Pendidikan Khas Vokasional

PRIMARY SCHOOLS

  1. Sekolah Kebangsaan Subang Bestari
  2. Sekolah Kebangsaan Subang Perdana
  3. Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (Cina)Subang
  4. Sekolah Kebangsaan Subang
  5. Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Bukit Subang
  6. Sekolah Kebangsaan TTDI Jaya
  7. Sekolah Kebangsaan Bukit Jelutong
  8. Sekolah Kebangsaan Bukit Kemuning
  9. Sekolah Kebangsaan Bukit Kemuning (2)
  10. Sekolah Integrasi As-Syakirin
  11. Sekolah Kebangsaan Bukit Rimau
  12. Sekolah Rendah Agama Integrasi Seksyen 19
  13. Sekolah Kebangsaan Seksyen 19
  14. Sekolah Kebangsaan Seksyen 18
  15. Sekolah Seri Cahaya
  16. Sekolah Kebangsaan Seksyen 20
  17. Sekolah Kebangsaan Seksyen 17
  18. Sekolah Kebangsaan Seksyen 6 (1)
  19. Sekolah Kebangsaan Seksyen 6 (2) / Sekolah Kebangsaan Bandar Anggerik
  20. Sekolah Kebangsaan Seksyen 13
  21. Sekolah Pendidikan Khas, Seksyen 17
  22. Sekolah Kebangsaan Seksyen 9
  23. Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Sri Muda (1)
  24. Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Sri Muda (2)
  25. Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (Cina) Khe Beng
  26. Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (Cina) Chung Hwa Kota Kemuning
  27. Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (Tamil) Sungai Renggam
  28. Sekolah Kebangsaan Seksyen 16
  29. Sekolah Kebangsaan Seksyen 7
  30. Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (Tamil) Seksyen 7
  31. Sekolah Rendah Hira'
  32. Sekolah Kebangsaan HICOM
  33. Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (Tamil) HICOM
  34. Sekolah Kebangsaan Seksyen 27 (1)
  35. Sekolah Kebangsaan Seksyen 27 (2)
  36. Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Alam Megah
  37. Sekolah Kebangsaan Alam Megah Dua
  38. Sekolah Kebangsaan Alam Megah (3)
  39. Sekolah Kebangsaan Padang Jawa
  40. Sekolah Kebangsaan Raja Muda

SEKOLAH AGAMA

  1. Sekolah Rendah Agama Islam Kg.Subang
  2. Sekolah Rendah Agama Seksyen 3
  3. Sekolah Rendah Agama TTDI Jaya

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

  1. Chinese Taipei School Kuala Lumpur at Seksyen 32 Bukit Rimau http://www.cts.edu.my

Sports

Shah Alam is one of the cities in Malaysia which has many facilities for sports enthusiasts. This is because there is a fully-equipped sports complex known as Kompleks Sukan Shah Alam or Shah Alam Sports Complex.

Among the facilities located within the Complex is the gigantic Stadium Shah Alam or Shah Alam Stadium. Stadium Shah Alam was the biggest stadium in Malaysia with 80 000 seats prior to the construction of the National Stadium, Bukit Jalil which could accommodate up to 100 000 spectators.

Apart from Stadium Shah Alam, there is Stadium Malawati or the Malawati Stadium, an indoor stadium that could accommodate 40 000 people in a time. Besides sports, this stadium had been used for several occasions such as the final concert of Akademi Fantasia and the Perhimpunan Pekerja 2008 held by the Dewan Pemuda PAS. The biggest occasion held in this stadium was the boxing finals of the 1998 Commonwealth Games which saw Malaysian's Sapok Biki won a gold medal.

The Shah Alam Sports Complex also include the Pusat Akuatik Darul Ehsan or the Darul Ehsan Aquatic Center, a Go-Kart track located within the Stadium Shah Alam parking compound, as well as the Shah Alam Extreme Park located in Section 13.

Transportation

KTM Komuter serves four stations in Shah Alam :

  • Batu Tiga Komuter station
  • Shah Alam Komuter station - situated at the southern part of the city in Seksyen 19
  • Padang Jawa Komuter station - at Seksyen 17 and
  • Sungai Buloh Komuter station - at Seksyen U20 [1]

Shah Alam is well connected to other main cities in Klang Valley by highways such as the Federal Highway, New Klang Valley Expressway (NKVE), Shah Alam Expressway (KESAS), Guthrie Corridor Expressway (GCE), North-South Expressway Central Link (ELITE) and the newest highway Kemuning-Shah Alam Highway (LKSA). Shah Alam is well connected to main transportation hubs such as the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) (30 km south of the city) and KL Sentral in Kuala Lumpur. Buses and taxis provide public transport in commercial areas in the city.

Healthcare

Clinics

Shah Alam is served with many private clinics that exist in every part and residential parks in the city. The main government's clinic, on the other hand, is located in Section 7 and known as Poliklinik Komuniti Shah Alam (Shah Alam Community Polyclinic).

Hospitals

A government's hospital is currently under construction. It is located besides the government's clinic in Section 7. The construction is expected to be completed in 2010 and can accommodate up to 300 beds at a time.

There are private hospitals in Shah Alam too. Currently, Shah Alam residents go to these hospitals for treatment while waiting for the new government's hospital to be ready. The hospitals are:

  1. KPJ Healthcare Selangor (formerly known as Selangor Medical Centre)
  2. Darul Ehsan Medical Centre
  3. Salam Medical Centre (Shah Alam Specialist Hospital)
  4. Columbia Asia Medical Centre

Private Hearing Care Centre

Private hearing care centre is established with the purpose to help people with hearing loss. The centre has services for hearing assessment, hearing aid, cochlear implant and rehabilitation to the people.

Notable buildings and landmarks

Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Mosque

Shah Alam is most famous for its mosque, the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque. It has been claimed to be the largest mosque in Malaysia and one of the largest in Southeast Asia [1]. Its most distinguishing feature is its large blue and white dome, which measures 170 feet in diameter and reaches 350 feet above ground level. The mosque has four minarets erected at the corners, with each minaret 460 feet tall. The mosque was commissioned by the late Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz, when he declared Shah Alam as the new capital of Selangor on February 14, 1974. Construction of the mosque was completed on March 11, 1988. The mosque can accommodate up to 16,000 worshippers.

The Selangor State Museum (Muzium Alam Shah) displays many treasures and artifacts related to the history of Selangor. Adjacent to the museum is the Selangor State Library (Perpustakaan Raja Tun Uda). The Selangor Islamic Arts Complex (Kompleks Kesenian Islam Selangor or Riyadh Fannil Islam) is situated nearby, housing many Islamic masterpieces and creativities such as a variety of Islamic calligraphy, known as khat, and a number of precious treasures. An Islamic Art College is located within the Complex. At the banks of the Lake Gardens, an art gallery and performance centre called Laman Budaya is located, where exhibitions and shows regularly take place.

The city is surrounded by many beautiful parks and gardens, such as the Shah Alam Lake Gardens (developed around seven artificial lakes), the Bukit Cahaya Sri Alam Agricultural Park (soon to be National Botanical Gardens) and the Alam Megah Recreational Park, situated in Section 28.

Other notable locations are:

SACC Mall. Located in the background is Plaza Perangsang.

Despite the numerous shopping malls and recreational venues, the Shah Alam City Council has placed restrictions on the establishment of entertainment outlets such as cinemas.

Hotels

Hotels in Shah Alam include UiTM Hotel (Seksyen 1), Intekma Resort (Seksyen 7), Quality Hotel , Concorde Hotel (Seksyen 9), Carlton Holiday Hotel (Seksyen 13), Grand Blue Wave Hotel (Seksyen 14), De Palma Inn (Seksyen 19), Holiday Inn Glenmarie (Seksyen U1) and The Saujana (Seksyen U2).

Notes and references

External links