Shah Alam

Shah Alam is the state capital of Selangor, known to be the richest state in Malaysia. The city is located very strategically between Petaling Jaya and Klang where it is joined by several major roads like the Federal Highway and the KESAS expressway that comes in from the southern part of the Klang Valley. Shah Alam has a very vibrant town center as well as commercial areas and educational institutes, making the property here highly demanded by students and families.

Facts about Shah Alam

1. Currency: MYR (Malaysian Ringgit)
2. Dialling code: Dialling the fixed lines in Shah Alam will need the +603 prefix while mobile numbers will maintain their respective prefixes (like 011, 013, 012) 1
3. Airport: Shah Alam’s nearest airport is the Subang International Airport which mostly serves budget airlines. Meanwhile, it is served by the KLIA and klia2 international airports which are within the state as well.
4. Airport Tax: applies for both domestic and international flights
5. Distance from airport to city centre: KLIA and klia2 airports are both 30km away from the Shah Alam. Meanwhile, Subang Airport is only about 10 minutes drive away
6. Temperature: Shah Alam experiences similarly temperature with most cities which is between 25 and 36 degrees Celsius annually
7. Climate and Weather: Tropical with high humidity
8. Common languages: Bahasa Malaysia, English Language, Chinese and Tamil

Transportation in Shah Alam

To get to Shah Alam from the airports, you can now easily use Grab or Uber services. Whoever, airport taxis are available. If you are coming from KLIA or klia2, this will cost you from RM90 per trip. Train services are available via KLIA Transit and KLIA Express which stop at KL Sentral.

Highlights in Shah Alam

Around Shah Alam, there are a lot of tourist attractions that you can visit and enjoy. Among them are:

1. The Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque – This is one of the most significant structures in the state and country as well. It is the official state mosque here and is the largest mosque in Malaysia. Due to its large blue-coloured dome, it is known as The Blue Mosque as well.
2. The Garden of Islamic Arts – not far from the Blue Mosque is the Garden of Islamic Arts which is a beautifully landscaped natural park designed based on the Quranic Garden of Paradise. There are many items on display here including sculptures and calligraphy art.
3. The Sultan Alam Shah Museum – a great place to learn more about the history of Selangor, you can view the artefacts and other items on display.
4. The Shah Alam Agricultural Park – Known as Bukit Cahaya, it is a public park where people come here for the serene landscape and beautiful gardens. Expect picnickers and families too
5. i-City – One of the newest additions to the state, this is where you can visit the largest snow theme park in the country and other entertaining options
6. Wet World Shah Alam – You get to enjoy the waterpark here located not far from the city centre

Foods around Shah Alam

You can find most of every type of cuisine around Shah Alam. Head out to places like:

1. Section 7 – There are many food outlets here that serve malay, indian and Chinese cuisine
2. Bangkok House – one of the more popular Thai restaurants in Shah Alam

Local Accommodation and popular areas around Shah Alam

The areas surrounding Jalan Permata 7/1 in Seksyen 7 is known to be of the more upscale as it is where the Menteri Besar’s Official Residence is located. It must be noted that while UiTM provides hostel for its students, the houses around the university are known to be popular choices among those studying here.

Shah Alam Transportation Guide

The transportation system leading to and within Shah Alam is among the most modern and efficient. This makes Shah Alam extremely accessible while it is connected to the Sultan Abdul Aziz Airport in Subang and the KLIA International Airport in Sepang via the expressways. Within the Shah Alam city center, RapidKL bus services operate most of the major roads leading in and out to other suburbs of the Klang Valley. For convenience purposes, the main terminal for buses and taxis in Shah Alam is located at Section 17.

Education and Commercial Areas

The most prominent institute of higher learning in Shah Alam is the UiTM or Universiti Teknologi Mara main campus. This university takes up a large area of Seksyen1 in the city, located just off the federal highway. Meanwhile INTEC UiTM, a branch campus of UiTM is located in Seksyen 17. Apart from that, there are a few institutes here like the MSU or Management and Science University, PTPL College and the Universiti Industri Selangor.
The Persiaran Dato Menteri is an important access road in Shah Alam as it houses the Shah Alam Convention Center while further up along Jalan Perbadanan is the SACC Mall. In terms of commercial areas, there are shoplots located at most major sections like:

1. Seksyen 7
2. Seksyen 8
3. and Seksyen 14.

Entertainment

The overall stature of Shah Alam can be quite conservative due to the strong religious practices of the people around the city. As such, entertainment here would predominantly be shopping and sports. The SACC mall is perhaps the only major shopping center here while there are several hypermarkets located around the city like Giant.

Government offices

Shah Alam is the main administrative center of Selangor where the government departments are located. The city is managed by the Majlis Bandaraya Shah Alam located at its own Wisma MBSA in Persiaran Perbandaran. Along Jalan Sultan is the Kompleks PKNS Shah Alam, an investment arm for the state government of Selangor.

Local Culture

The large population of students here is known to influence the overall local culture among the people in Shah Alam. Students come from every part of Malaysia to study here which is made up of bumiputeras as UiTM is an exclusive institute for this community. Shah Alam is a very safe city with constant police patrols around the major areas. However, Mat Rempits are quite commonly seen during the nights who roam the main roads like Persiaran Sultan, Persiaran Kayangan and leads up to the Federal Highway.

Shah Alam information and tourism facts

Shah Alam is the capital city of Selangor with an estimated population of 120,000. The world’s one and only agro-forest park is right here in this beautiful and scenic city. Reputed as one of the best planned cities, Shah Alam has so much to offer from a huge world-class stadium to a unique ‘floating’ restaurant within the area. Back in the olden days, Shah Alam was an oil palm estate and later declared as the centre of palm oil trade following the country’s independence.

History of Shah Alam

In late 1970s, Shah Alam was declared the capital city of Selangor to replace Kuala Lumpur following the incorporation of Kuala Lumpur into a Federal Territory. This city currently has pretty similar urban layout with Petaling Jaya with numerous housing areas and abundant commercial centres. This modern and bustling township is surrounded by Bangi, Kajang and Klang. Besides the panoramic recreational park, Proton’s main plant is also located within the vicinity. Thus, many referred Shah Alam as an industrial city.

Shah Alam is a great tourist destination for you to discover new places and experience. Among some of the must visit attractions to explore are:

1. Sultan Salahuhddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque
2. Shah Alam Lake Gardens
3. State Monument and Secretariat Building
4. Bukit Cahaya Seri Alam Agricultural Park
5. and Taman Seri Islam Complex.

You’ll be mesmerized with the gleaming blue dome of Sultan Salahuhddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque from afar. Reputed for having the largest aluminum dome in the Islamic world, the mosque is beautifully located adjacent to the city’s spectacular man-made central lake. Your trip to Shah Alam is not complete without a visit to this impressive architectural design of state mosque.

After snapping some pictures of the beautiful architecture, it is indeed time to head down to Shah Alam Lake Gardens. This well-kept site was once the official venue for International Boat Show and Selangor Orchid Exhibition. This parkland is ideal for family and friends to spend some quality time for relaxation. Meanwhile, the State Monument and State Secretariat Building is yet another remarkable architecture with sweeping arch and reflecting pools. Last but not least, the agricultural park (the only agro-forestry park in the world) was specially designed to enable visitors to catch a glimpse of various agricultural resources such as paddy, oil palm and coconut trees.