The Asian capital city you've never heard of

reader · September 3, 2021

From BBC Travel

Putrajaya's expansive space and tranquility stands in stark contrast to other Asian capitals (Credit: Ronan O'Connell)

flock of birds glided below me as I peered down from the wicker basket of a drifting hot air balloon above the Malaysian city of Putrajaya. The creatures gracefully flapped their grey wings as they passed the city’s nest of skyscrapers en route to their nearby habitat at the Putrajaya Wetlands Park, the largest man-made freshwater wetlands in Malaysia.

Nearly 100 bird species reside in this 200-hectare oasis of marshes, ponds and forest, and it's a valuable habitat for 1,800 species of insects, 16 types of amphibians, 22 species of reptiles and 16 types of mammals. It's hard to believe that this serene sanctuary home to macaques, flamingos, otters, boars and civets is just 2km north of the mint-green Islamic dome that decorates Perdana Putra, the colossal office of the prime minister of Malaysia. This sprawling eco-haven was part of the bold vision of the man who long occupied Perdana Putra: Mahathir Mohamad.

No politician has left as large an imprint on Malaysia as Mahathir. Malaysia has been an independent nation for 64 years, and Mahathir was prime minister for 24 of those, with his second leadership stint ending in 2020. While his tenures were tinged with controversy, Mahathir’s aggressive development strategies helped Malaysia build one of Asia’s fastest-growing economies in the 1990s. Several of Kuala Lumpur's largest monuments testify to his ambition – chief among them the massive Kuala Lumpur International Airport and the iconic 452m-tall Petronas Twin Towers. But his boldest project of all was Putrajaya, Malaysia's "other" capital city.

he airport took flight in 1998; the twin towers rose that same year; and in 1999 Putrajaya became the new seat of the Malaysian Federal Government to help address overcrowding in Kuala Lumpur. The modern, planned city bloomed out of a messy patch of rubber and oil palm plantations. Lying just 25km south of Kuala Lumpur, which remains the national capital, Putrajaya now serves as Malaysia’s administrative and judicial capital, home to many of its government offices.

Yet, despite being wedged between one of the world's most visited cities, Kuala Lumpur, and Malaysia's historical city of Malacca, Malaysia's "other" capital seems to hide in plain sight. Like countless other travellers, during my first dozen trips to Kuala Lumpur, the most I saw of Putrajaya was a series of quick glances from the expressways that connects Kuala Lumpur's airport with the city centre. My curiosity eventually lured me to explore this overlooked city twice: first in a hot air balloon; and later on foot.

The few tourists who do visit Putrajaya are richly rewarded. Putrajaya’s downtown is marked by contemporary architecture infused with traditional Islamic designs. Gleaming skyscrapers are adorned by Arabesque patterns with geometric or floral motifs. The city’s Iron Mosque, meanwhile, boasts the kind of cutting-edge steel-and-glass architecture you’d expect to find in Tokyo or Beijing. Similarly modern is the Putrajaya Convention Centre, an avant-garde creation inspired by the Pending Perak, a silver belt buckle from the royal regalia of Malay sultans.

The city is also home to one of the world's only pink mosques, the massive Masjid Putra – as well as impressive museums, a large shopping precinct and one of Asia’s cleanest and greenest cityscapes, with 37% of its land dedicated to parks and open public spaces. Building Putrajaya from scratch also afforded generous opportunities for innovation. Mahathir’s goal was to make Putrajaya Malaysia’s most eco-friendly urban centre and its most modern.

Inside a large command centre, Putrajaya city staff monitor a tsunami of digital data from sensors and CCTV cameras placed all over the metropolis, according to Tengku Aina Ismail, director of communications for Putrajaya Corporation, the government entity that runs the federal city. The cameras quickly identify and then alert staff about problems with traffic, crime, pollution or infrastructure; and the command centre also monitors the city’s weather data, its e-government services, its cashless commercial system (which lets residents pay for goods and services using a phone app) and even the health of Putrajaya Lake and the surrounding wetlands.

Continues with photos

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20210901-putrajaya-the-capital-city-youve-never-heard-of

vinapu · September 3, 2021

thank you

I'm waiting for spoon's comment

spoon · September 3, 2021

Im surprised the article claim that people never heard of putrajaya. It is in between the airport and KL, and if u ever tale the airport train, one of the stop is putrajaya. Other than that, i agree that it is a well planned new capital that deserve a visit. Unfortunately, there is no lrt to travel through the city so most local use car or motorcycle to roam the city. Plenty of people enjoy cycling too. There is a local bus system but ive never taken one so i cant comment on their reliability.

A lot of government events held there well, with the latest was national day parade on 31st Aug. Hot air baloon mentioned in the article is something ive never took, but there is an annual hot air balloon festival/competition pre-covid era. If you are visiting malaysia and KL, it is definitely worth a visit, great place to take pictures too.

Some photos from my most recent visit at night