Istana Selangor

Istana Selangor

Istana Alam Shah is the official palace of the Sultan of Selangor, located in southern Klang, the royal town of the state of Selangor, Malaysia. It is the venue where official duties and customs involving the King of Selangor is carried out, such as birthdays and coronations. Sultan Sir Alaeddin Sulaiman Shah, the fifth Sultan of Selangor, lived here for many years until his death in 1938. His grandson, Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, who was to be the eight Sultan of Selangor, was born in the palace in 1926.

The double-storey structure has many rooms, including a royal bath (Kolam Mandi Diraja), throne room (Balai Rong Seri), banquet room (Kamar Santap Diraja), bedrooms (Kamar Beradu), audience halls (Balai Mengadap), verandah (Sotoh), kitchen (Dapur) and a ‘forbidden garden’ (Taman Larangan). Also known as Istana Alaeddin or Alaeddin Palace, the building was constructed using high-quality cengal timber and marble. Its design is largely Islamic, mainly of Indian and Middle-Eastern origin. There is also some Chinese influence (the roof’s carved fascia board and sisik naga or dragon fin), as craftsmen from China were involved in the palace’s construction. The palace fell into disuse after independence, when the administrative center of the state was moved to Kuala Lumpur. It was later used as a craft center and a center for studying the Quran, the central religious text of Islam. It is usually visited together with Bukit Jugra, Makam Diraja Sultan Abdul Samad (Royal Mausoleum) and the yellow-coloured Masjid Sultan Alaeddin, which is located next door.

B C G Kuala Lumpur  © Simon Newbound